When the honeyed tones of The Jazz Age meld with hottest beat drops of the new millennium, you get High Step Society’s elixir of American Electro Swing. Grandma remembers when she listened to jazz giants on the old Victrola. Grandkids feel the bass beats deep in their chest cavity. Merging dance music from our past with sounds for the future, High Step Society features a shimmering horn section that soars over syncopated high hats and rat-a-tat snare. The kids in the band are electronic music producers as well as educated jazz musicians. Audaciously sophisticated, High Step Society is rethinking jazz with unorthodox arrangements, and bringing a touch of elegance to modern electronic music.
The band is “at once groovy and raucously tight, High Step Society’s tunes growl to a Cotton Club vibe that plunges the depths of the EDM trench.” (Eugene Weekly, 10/8/15). They ”take it to the next level with live horn sections, sultry singers and energetic dance beats that capture the excitement of the jazz age and rocket launch it a century into the future.” (Eugene Weekly, 4/9/15) Their live shows are classy affairs where everyone is encouraged to dress their best, so the band and the crowd are looking top notch while the dance floor sizzles.
High Step Society’s first recording, “The Duke Suite” EP was released July 2015 for free download on their SoundCloud page. This is just the beginning for this hot new Electro Swing band who takes inspiration from the likes of Caravan Palace, Duke Ellington, and newer producers like G. Jones. Since their formation in 2015, they have been lighting up music festivals and packing dance halls across the Northwest.
- KBOO