All about the Blues

[Lee Bartholomew]

Not wanting to derail a thread thought I would try to raise some discussion about a sensitive subject. Blues.

What are people real thoughts on it. Is it dated and old school or does it still remain fresh?

Should more be done to play and teach blues in classes?

Should there be a dedicated Blues room?

Personally, I have always prefered the emergance of the Chill Out rooms, where they have the atmosphear of the blues rooms, but are more modern and seem to be more welcoming.

[Double Trouble]

I think the blues room at Southport should be re-named (I don't know what to) as not much blues was being played.

Perhaps 'The cuddle room'

[Gav]

I think the blues room at Southport should be re-named (I don't know what to) as not much blues was being played.

Perhaps 'The cuddle room'

There was some pretty high-speed, frantic, cuddling going on in there over the weekend.

Errr, hang on, that didn't quite sound right. Ah well...

[Lynn]

Interestingly, the very first MJ workshop ever run in NI (to my knowledge) was a blues workshop. I organised it and 30 people attended (I balanced the numbers). That evening about 40 came to a blues freestyle. (Peter Philips taught and DJed)

Some of the dancers had never done MJ before and were salsa dancers (and despite me checking in advance, the local salsa teacher with the largest class ran salsa workshops the same day, but it didn't affect my numbers).

Not sure what that says but I know it was because it was 'blues' and something different that I got good numbers and everyone had a really good day. (Which was good as it was my first MJ event and if no-one had attended I'd possibly have given up at that point!)

I know that was a few years ago, but I think there are a whole range of dancers out there yet to discover 'blues' and I think the market for 'blues/chilled' rooms is still increasing.

[TA Guy]

I prefer 'Chill out' room. But that's a geographical and historical thing. Down here, people think of Blues as Gropes for Pensioners. The very name 'Blues' is too negative down here. Whereas 'Chill Out' gets way more positive vibes.

[Chef]

I really like dancing to blues music. I like it when it is smooth and I like the music when it growls. I love the musicality of it and the way it can change from smooth to stacatto. I love the way that I can connect with my partner and the way it allows space for your partner to play and act to the lyrics or the mood of the music.

Of course you can do all those things to fast music but dancing to blues music is a great training ground where people can learn these things at a slow tempo before trying to do them to fast music. There are very few of us that are so prodigiously talented that they can know everything about all forms of dance at all speeds within a few months. Most of us need people to show us the way and the time and opportunity to practice.

I also like dancing to latin and other styles of music and other styles that are often heard in "chill out" rooms. Sometimes I do get the feeling at weekenders that there is so much latin music in the swing and blues or chill rooms that I wonder if they even need a latin room elsewhere and that blues music is being edged out as it is seen as "been there done that". Those of us that have been on the scene a while may well feel that but there is such a flow of new dancers into the scene it would be a pity to see one type of music be lost to them just because us veterans have heard it too much.

While I like dancing to blues music and would hate it to be lost from the dancers pallette of colours to use I am really happy that so many people are enjoying events like Funky Lush and Utopia and dancing to such a wide range of non mainstream music.

I don't believe that it automatically follows that old = bad and new = good. An advantage of time is that it filters out the rubbish and only leaves the good to endure. New stuff hasn't been through this process yet to the same extent - some will endure and some will fall out of favour.

[Jamie]

I love full on heavy blues. I don't like bouncy *slow enough to be blues but isn't blues at all* blues... I like propper moody, *slit your wrists* blues.

Chill out... Can't stand it, it's like elevator music, one of the reasons I stopped attending Utopia events was because it was like listening to the same song 100 times over! Southport usually do it right, I've noticed this last weekender to have a little less blues than normal, but enough was played for me to be happy.

My current favourite blues song is Heartattack & Vine by Lydia Lunch. That's the kind of stuff I like dancing to.

Edit - where's the option for I like my blues heavier than DTS in a bubbles costume...?

[Trouble]

I love full on heavy blues. I don't like bouncy *slow enough to be blues but
Edit - where's the option for I like my blues heavier than DTS in a bubbles costume...?

blues, , bubbles and DTS..... xxxx there you go, caught in one... !! xx Well done DD+

[DD+]

hey Bubbles was well cool to dance with.....she was a bit forward on the dancefloor tho! kept flashing her baps at me !!!!

DTS ------YOU ROCK!!

[drathzel]

Interestingly, the very first MJ workshop ever run in NI (to my knowledge) was a blues workshop. I organised it and 30 people attended (I balanced the numbers). That evening about 40 came to a blues freestyle. (Peter Philips taught and DJed)

Some of the dancers had never done MJ before and were salsa dancers (and despite me checking in advance, the local salsa teacher with the largest class ran salsa workshops the same day, but it didn't affect my numbers).

Not sure what that says but I know it was because it was 'blues' and something different that I got good numbers and everyone had a really good day. (Which was good as it was my first MJ event and if no-one had attended I'd possibly have given up at that point!)

I know that was a few years ago, but I think there are a whole range of dancers out there yet to discover 'blues' and I think the market for 'blues/chilled' rooms is still increasing.

I do think there is a market out there for blues. I personally love blues but as Jamie said Proper Blues not elevator music.

I would think that the blues being different was possibly the reason as not many standard ceroc people over here are that interested in blues (i have tried with workshops etc). But they do seem to like the latin and swing music/moves in ceroc!

[Gadget]

I think that there is a market for "dancing to slower music" - and the most appropriate way to do this is 'blues'. There are several current/modern pop tracks that can be bluesed to without having to actually aproach the music genre (If you don't want to).

[Sheepman]

There's no poll option there that works for me.

I love blues music, a large proportion of my collection & listening is devoted to blues, but I do want some variety. So my preference is to have the odd bit of tango, latin, ballads, RnB, and stuff that can only be described as "alternative." So does that make it a "Chill" room?
Not in my view, as I find the predominance of smooth RnB in these rooms just too mind numbing.

I also like a mixture of familiar and new tracks, too much new stuff makes trying to achieve musicality hard work, although this is where blues music has an advantage, as the structure of the music is more defined.

When I'm DJing in a swing & blues room, I do feel restricted by the remit to stick to swing & blues, but there is no point playing stuff that is being played in other rooms.

We have different tastes, I'm sure this one will be a case of "you can't please everyone."

Greg

[CJ]

I much prefer the Blues to "Chill Out" (as posted on a thread, for which I was flamed...).

Yes, blues does tend to have a 12 bar structure which helps musicality, even in stuff U've never heard before.

Blues/Swing gives enough options for raunch, sleaze, smooth, "bouncy", and tempi variations, too. (although it is more restricting than a main room.)

[Little Monkey]

There's no poll option there that works for me.

I love blues music, a large proportion of my collection & listening is devoted to blues, but I do want some variety. So my preference is to have the odd bit of tango, latin, ballads, RnB, and stuff that can only be described as "alternative." So does that make it a "Chill" room?
Not in my view, as I find the predominance of smooth RnB in these rooms just too mind numbing.

Nah, keep the latin (and maybe tango) for the latin room..... And in my opinion, a lot of the ballads are sooooooooooooooo boring. Elevator music. Yawn. I like blues, and r'n'b (both old and new), and would like more of it in the blues room. A few djs who play in the SP Blues room play stuff that I really don't think is suitable for that room, and some play a bit too much elevator music. Latin party music and up-tempo Motown is definitely NOT what I want to hear in the Blues room!

I guess we've all got different tastes, and you just can't please everyone...

[Gadget]

When I'm DJing in a swing & blues room, I do feel restricted by the remit to stick to swing & blues, but there is no point playing stuff that is being played in other rooms.

I'm not sure about mixing "swing" and "blues" - yes, there are slower swing tracks and quicker blues tracks, but to me a 'blues' room should be for slower music; in general Swing is fast.

{Or at least that's my perception - swing = fast with brass, blues = slow with vocals & acoustic guitar... not that anything is ever as black and white as that }

[Caro]

There's no poll option there that works for me.

I love blues music, a large proportion of my collection & listening is devoted to blues, but I do want some variety. So my preference is to have the odd bit of tango, latin, ballads, RnB, and stuff that can only be described as "alternative." So does that make it a "Chill" room?

I like rooms with slow, and even very slow, music being played (lots of my favourites tunes are between 80 and 100 bpm). I love to be able to change style, blues, jango, wcs, sometimes within the same track (with the right lead ).

Nah, keep the latin (and maybe tango) for the latin room..... And in my opinion, a lot of the ballads are sooooooooooooooo boring. Elevator music.

to be honest, as of lately, I have developped a taste for what I guess some would call 'elevator music'. I just find that some of the old blues tracks, or even worse swing tracks, are too rich musically for me to really enjoy dancing to them... I hear too many things and can't dance to them all, which often leaves me with a feeling of frustration... a bit like a painting with too many garish colours, I find the music is shouting at me from every direction.
However with some nice and easy ballads I find my musical interpretation of the track is a lot more challenged, paradoxically (sp?) because there are less things in the music, therefore I have to be a lot more creative and focused to do something interesting with it... to keep on the metaphore, the track is whispering its musicality to me rather than shouting it. A lot more enjoyable IMO.

I'm not sure about mixing "swing" and "blues" - yes, there are slower swing tracks and quicker blues tracks, but to me a 'blues' room should be for slower music; in general Swing is fast.

you should PM Straycat for some example of beautifully slow swing tracks...

[MartinHarper]

I'm not sure about mixing "swing" and "blues" - yes, there are slower swing tracks and quicker blues tracks, but to me a 'blues' room should be for slower music; in general Swing is fast.

To me, a Blues room should be for Blues music, of any speed
Similarly, a Swing and Blues room should be for Swing and Blues music, of any speed.
It's really not that complicated.

[Sheepman]

in general Swing is fast.

{Or at least that's my perception - swing = fast with brass, blues = slow with vocals & acoustic guitar... not that anything is ever as black and white as that }

Generalisations are like assumptions...
I never said fast swing, though in the past "Swing & blues" rooms have been where the Lindy dancers hang out. (Where have they all gone?) Nowadays I don't go fast in a blues room set.

So just a few popular slow swing examples -

Angie's Song - Johnny Boyd
Act Right - Swing Street
The best is yet to come - Frank Sinatra

And a few "ballads" (I always hate to categorize a track as such, in some cases it just fits.)

Way Down Deep - Jennifer Warnes
Lost In You - Westlife (more of a Westie track)

Most of the tracks I put in this category are too slow for the blues room, much as I love it slow, I feel the real treacly stuff should appear only in the last set of the night.

I think half the problem is terminology, we all categorize music in different ways.

Greg

[CJ]

to be honest, as of lately, I have developped a taste for what I guess some would call 'elevator music'. I just find that some of the old blues tracks, or even worse swing tracks, are too rich musically for me to really enjoy dancing to them... I hear too many things and can't dance to them all, which often leaves me with a feeling of frustration... a bit like a painting with too many garish colours, I find the music is shouting at me from every direction.
However with some nice and easy ballads I find my musical interpretation of the track is a lot more challenged, paradoxically (sp?) because there are less things in the music, therefore I have to be a lot more creative and focused to do something interesting with it... to keep on the metaphore, the track is whispering its musicality to me rather than shouting it. A lot more enjoyable IMO.

Q:
why have burger, when you can have steak?? (as said by Paul Newman.)

It might be a good thing if there were more musicality workshops in Scotland. In fact, make that anywhere...

[Astro]

I love full on heavy blues. I don't like bouncy *slow enough to be blues but isn't blues at all* blues... I like propper moody, *slit your wrists* blues.

Edit - where's the option for I like my blues heavier than DTS in a bubbles costume...?

Totally agree.

There's no poll option there that works for me.

Nor me.

I much prefer the Blues to "Chill Out" (as posted on a thread, for which I was flamed...).

Yes, blues does tend to have a 12 bar structure which helps musicality, even in stuff U've never heard before.

I know what you mean. I can dance to blues tracks as if it's the 50th time, when in reality it's the first time I've ever heard it. It's easy, unlike some other genres where I am all at sea the first time.