20's Revival: Swing your way into the new year

It was 1930s America. The market had crashed. Alcohol was prohibited and unemployment was at a record high. The Great Depression may have brought our spirits low but a clandestine culture of speakeasies and swing music brought spirits to martini glasses, making this one of the most entertaining periods of the twentieth century.

Oscar de la Renta's homage to the Roaring 20s

What goes around comes around, fashion is cyclical. As trends from decades past come swinging around the corner it should be no surprise that they coincide perfectly with world events and public feeling from that infamous first time around. 

Hence in this time of global recession, 20s and 30s revival is everywhere. Flapper dresses and drop-waists are all over the runways and art deco design is having a comeback. Most exciting of all these renovations is the growth of the electro swing genre. 

Swing music is undeniably the perfect antidote to depression great or small. With a rhythm that leaves you no choice but to dance, recessional blues can be swept off the dance floor making way for those who choose to dance their troubles away like its 1929.

The likes of Caro Emerald and The Asteroids Galaxy Tour (The Asteroids Galaxy Tour – The Golden Age) invite us to indulge in the rich sounds of a big brass band and get you tapping your feet in a matter of seconds. The allure of the Jazz Age is soaked in gin and fun, everything from dresses made to move, to the thrill of a covert club. So why not recapture the exuberance and excess of the swing music from the time. This is more than gangsters, this is about lavish parties and dresses dipped in sequins and bristling with fringe; a little less Bugsy and a little more Gatsby.

You could say this fascination with the jazz age has been brewing for decades, but with the explosion of the electro swing genre, the upcoming release of Baz Luhrmann's film interpretation of The Great Gatsby and the drop-waisted embellished dresses gracing both couture catwalks and high street shops, this is the moment to embrace the fat cat lifestyle for the sake of a little escapism from the brutal reality of this recession.

In the interest of keeping january blues at bay I see no reason not to explore the thrills of electro-swing music, it has certainly brightened up my month already. I suggest you dip your toes into the likes of Caravan Palace and Club des Belugas. Not forgetting my personal favourite duo, The Correspondents. They will blow you away by perfectly colliding swing samples with dub-step and dance beats, there is no end to the variety of their influences and Mr Bruce is possibly one of the best front-men I have ever come across. Get involved, you will not be disappointed.

The Correspondents - Myspace

The Correspondents on Spotify