Hello everyone and welcome to the first installment of a brand new guide to music, brought to you by ULIP Radio. The idea of this new blog feature is to impart upon you our diverse knowledge of music. Each guide will feature videos and lots of downloadable content for your perusal. The first guide that we have decided to share with you is for electro swing, a fairly new genre that is becoming increasingly popular, especially in Paris. Its as simple as it sounds really. Swing music mixed with modern house/hip hop/electronic production. First here is a brief history of how and when the electric swing genre originated.


Electro swing first arrived on the music scene in the mid 1990s. Although there were a few one-off hits, on the whole, at this point, the genre remained distinctly underground. Our favourite track that helped kickstart this new style of music is by an American two-man swing-hop group called Jimmy Luxury & The Tommy Rome Orchestra. The song we have chosen is called Cha Cha. The video is great and the song is so very catchy. We think it even featured in Oceans 11. A gold star for anyone who can spot Bernie Mac in this video. We double dare you not to like this song:

Just a few years later, this exciting new genre had trickled across the pond to sunny Macclesfield, where Andy Carthy, better known as Mr. Scruff, released his popular dance track, "Get A Move On". A faster paced take on swing music - with more of a house influence that Jimmy Luxury. Have a listen:

By the mid 2000s, electro swing was fast gaining in popularity. And in 2010, electro swing music charted properly for the first time in the UK. Gramophonedzie, a Serbian producer, shot to stardom with his irresistibly catchy song "Why Don't You". We're sure, here at ULIP Radio, that you've heard the song before. But in case you haven't. Here it is: 

Electro swing has now become hugely popular across Europe and the rest of the world. The Electro Swing Club franchise that began in Berlin, draws in huge crowds. Their home in Paris is La Java, in Belleville. They host regular club nights dedicated to electro swing music, with burlesque shows, dancers and live music performances.

Now here's the bit you've all been waiting for. The links to all the free stuff. Our favourite electro swing DJ of the moment is Odjbox, an English producer. Have a look at his SoundCloud page. He has quite a few tracks that you can download for free.

Finally, here is a free song for you all to download. Its by Parov Stelar, an Austrian DJ who has really shaped electro swing into what it is today. It was his Etage Noir label that since 2005 has been releasing electro swing tunes. Stelar is often considered one of the founding fathers of electro swing. Anyway, enough musing for now. We hoped you enjoyed our very first musical guide. This song is called Baska Brothers. We hope you enjoy it.

Lots of love from Joe and Emma
ULIP Radio

ULIP student Sam F O'Doherty (BA2) has an online repository for all of his published work, with regularly updated news on his most recent publication "Season of Hope" which is available to ULIP students at a discounted price. Contact him through the form on the webpage for more details

Attention ULIP Students. This Friday at Le Petit Augustin (Metro: St Augustin/St Lazare) James Chadwick (BA2) will be playing a selection of his wonderful music from which, he hopes, you will derive aural pleasure. In essence, it would be fantastic to see as many ULIP students there as possible to support a comrade. For those of you who have heard James perform before, you will know what to expect. For those who haven't, James is an incredibly talented musician, singer and songwriter and this show on Friday is not one to be missed. Plus its free entry. What could be better!

Parisian music, party and fashion house, Poyz and Pirlz are hosting a "Dre Day" on Saturday 18th Feb at the Bellevilloise, to celebrate the life and work of Dr Dre.

There's a very appealing line up including, Drixxxe, a prominent French hip-hop producer. But if the idea of a night of hip hop doesn't interest you, don't worry, because Poyz and Pirlz also have a fresh clothing line. Check out their online store. 

Whether you are single or attached, we have got a fantastic evening lined up for you to celebrate true love and to have fun before Reading Week. This year, we are combining two great ULIP traditions: the canteen event and Belushi's!! Crazy.

Come to the canteen at 5.30pm for a 'Take Me Out' themed evening and then we will head on over to the Student Night at Belushi's where you can party the night away (maybe with a new found love!) and start your Reading Week with a stonking hangover. Delightful. Tickets are just 5 euros. Thats 5 euros for 2 parties!!! What a bloody steal. How could you resist?????


love from your valentine ;)

Just thought I'd point you all in the direction of an up-and-coming UK Hip Hop artist, Jungle VIP, a.k.a. Louis Butler. I actually got the chance to interview Louis last summer for Roundhouse Radio in London. Here's a clip from the interview, where you can get to know a little more about him...

As you can see, Jungle VIP is making serious headway and quickly gaining recognition. You gotta listen to a man who's main inspiration is Nas. Anyway, here are a couple more videos for you. The first is his title track, "Jungle VIP", that uses a sample that you all should recognise. The second is a freestyle from a couple of weeks ago that really showcases Louis' talent. So keep your eyes peeled for the Jungle VIP in 2012!

So this was the gig that I advertised a couple of weeks ago. And it was an absolute corker. There was a great turnout from ULIP - 16 people came overall. 

Marques Toliver kicked off proceedings with a lovely little set and even got down from the stage and went to perform in and amongst the crowd. Very soulful voice, talented violinist - good act. I caught up with him after the show and asked if he fancied performing for the ULIP Radio Live Lounge, sadly his schedule does not permit it. Another time!

Next up was Theme Park - the London based group. They were absolutely great. It takes a lot for me to speak highly of indie bands: just not really my kind of music. But Theme Park have converted me. Their songs are catchy and their live performance was spot on - even the normally subdued French crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves. I had a chat after the gig with Miles, the lead singer who tells me that they are recording their album - big news for all Theme Park fans. So watch this space. In the meantime, here's the music video to their best known track, Milk.

Theme Park were followed by 'Friends' a cheeky little pop band from Brooklyn. By this point, the ULIP contingent had put away a few beers and were fairly merry. This lead to some rowdy behaviour, heckling and removal of clothing. Anyway, mixed reviews for Friends, I felt that they would have been a better support act and Theme Park should have played last. However, it we came to a unanimous decision that the lead singer is sexy. That said, they were good fun to watch, and as Emma Goulden (BA3) pointed out - their songs weren't too long - which meant we didn't get bored. Anyway, Friends have been championed by Fearne Cotton on Radio 1, and her opinion is most definitely a valid one. So I will leave you with my favourite Friends track, its called Friend Crush. Here's to many more ULIP gig nights!