Gramophoniacs • Underground Swingtapes

The Gramophoniacs present themselves in suit clothes, but not in an overtly vintage style, noddingly so only in the choice of cut. They are one of the most uniformly stylish swing bands I can think of. Many band leaders want a clean-cut crew but usually someone in the band seems halfhearted about it, not here. Together since at least 2013 this German band usually appears as a five piece but for their first album they have filled out to seven. Two bassists rotate, each getting about half the tracks. None of the names are familiar to me so these guys may stick tightly together rather than freelancing to many other groups. An exception could be trombonist Jonas Jung, who their website kids for his busyness. They took the creation of their first album seriously. Guitarist Paul Baureis tells me, "We tried to take as much of an old school approach as possible concerning the recording situation. We recorded this all within two days at our pianists living room with basically one single ribbon-mic in the center of the band." The professional sound at the end of the mixing process is a testament to how accessible recording has become. In an era of EPs and singles Underground Swingtapes is a generous twenty tracks and 73 minutes. As you might expect from the first release of a band with an established in person following they include the danceable hits they've succeeded with in Germany'