The Music

See here for information on the dance styles to this music.

Tunes to set the mood

Our venue DJs play music that focus on eras as early as 1920s to 1950s big band music. A large portion of the evening focuses on older genres, although remastered songs in later eras and more modern bands are also added to the playlists. A small portion of this material is by song requests and DJ personality. It gives them a chance to experiment with different covers and genres of music, which may include sock hop, rockabilly, and electro-swing.

The songs that DJs select not only challenge the creativity of the dancers but also encourage them to dance at different speeds. Songs are chosen with general concept in mind, one that tries to engage the audience and to draw them onto the dance floor. Ultimately, we are fortunate to have a large wealth of swing music to draw from.

The following playlist is a sample set of the type of music we play at First Saturday Swing.

For swing dancers only

The tempo ranges between 130bpm to 240bpm, with an average tempo of 180bpm. Eighty percent of the songs played will feature music played from artists similar to the those in the playlist above, while the remaining 20 percent is comprised of modern material or transition songs.

In the Blues Alley

Blues Alley features a colorful sampling from the full spectrum of blues. Our DJ’s run through the scales of die-hard “I’ve got the blues” traditional tunes, transitional turquoise, and expressive fusion selects.

Trad-on!
Aching for “Some more and then some”, just want to groove to a little “Boom Boom?” From light and lively, to heart-wrenching down tempo, we’ll “Play it cool” while the floor is “In the Mood”. Get a good dose of your traditional tunes in the earlier hours, and pop by as we play more throughout the night!

Turquoise, a blend for everyone!
Want more? Want modern? Want different? Throughout the night we’ll feature tunes that blend blues with other tones and tempos. Turquoise flirts with the line between blues and the void, featuring unique rhythms, newer elements, and revisions of classic blues songs. For those seeking a new sound to dance to, turquoise is where it’s at.

Fusion…. “Down the Rabbit Hole”
For the more expressive types, fusion blends electronic music with a blues-dance rhythm, interspersed with harmonic pauses. Fusion music offers familiarity to many dance styles and allows first-time dancers and veterans of other dance-styles to express their own flair.

Join us down the alley for a break or for the night, you’ll love every moment. Itching for that new-age or legendary blues song? Let the DJ know what tempo your soul beats to.

Welcome to Blues Alley.