On the show this week, Koop Kooper broadcasts from the Viceroy hotel in Bali on a weeks vacation. In swank advice Koop talk about being a traveler rather than a tourist and he’ll introduce you to a new player in the Sydney lounge scene and details on a fantastic LA fashion show that you should check out.
By Chris
February 5th, 2012
On the show this week, Koop Kooper replay a 1994 interview with Etta James, swank advice on Bow Ties, news on a lost Ed Wood film that has been rediscovered and new music from Sydney vocalist Angie Hubbard from her brand new album Some Kind Of Daydream.
By Chris
January 29th, 2012
Ultra Swank – Your one stop blog for retro living, style and design
Ultra Swank takes you back in time into the kitsch, chic and swank living of the 50s, 60s and the 70s. We mainly focus on the design, architecture and the lifestyle of the happy-go-lucky and space-age-living mentality of that era – but also on the music and movies that takes you back to happier times. Ultra Swank is run by Chris, a Swede born in the wrong decade that currently resides in Barcelona. Read more
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On the show this week, Koop Kooper introduce you to a man who is going to join us once a month by the name of Kramer to talk about lounging movies. News from author Bill Raetz, swank advice on what to bring to a dinner party, a look at the world of swank with some great gigs to check out and info on a book about When The Mob Ran Vegas.
By Chris
January 15th, 2012
We are starting the year off with a bang at Ultra Swank! Coming this weekend – famed and swingin’ radio show and podcast “The Cocktail Nation” will find a permanent home here at Ultra Swank.
The Cocktail Nation is hosted by the silken-voiced Koop Kooper from Sydney, Australia. Each week Koop talks to the movers and shakers of the lounge and Exotica scene while mixing it up with the very best in swingin’ tunes from the 50s and 60s. The show is broadcasted via various radio stations around the world and recently celebrated its 200:th episode.
The show is available as a free weekly podcast and you can either stream it directly from our Podcast page here at Ultra Swank or subscribe to it via iTunes or similar applications. So head on over to our new Podcast section, which also features a archive of the 20 latest shows – and be sure to subscribe not to miss out on the best swingin’ tunes, interviews and swank advice from Mr. Kooper!
By Chris
January 6th, 2012
Exotica music began to take its roots as early as the 1930′s, but after WWII this romanticized version of Polynesia, far-away places, and tropical islands was clearly permeating its way into the American culture, transporting the listener with distinctive sounds like jungle drums, idiophones, Indonesian and Burmese gongs, Tahitian logs and the exotic sounds of bird calls, primal screeching, and other abstract jungle sounds. Martin Denny described this style of music as “a combination of the South Pacific and the Orient…what a lot of people imagined the islands to be like…it’s pure fantasy though.”
In the 1950′s and 60′s, “Space Age Bachelor Pad Music” (the term wasn’t in vogue at the time) was also boasting the sounds of Mexican lounge king Juan Garcia Esquivel. The new sounds in high fidelity were an experimental playground for arrangers like Esquivel and his zany mix of American pop, big band jazz, and easy Latin. “Compared to some of the other lounge music at the time, this music is anything but bland. Esquivel is spicy,” says Irwin Chusid, DJ and music historian.
By Amy Thyr
July 2nd, 2011
Exotica music was made popular in the early 1950s and took its name from the Martin Denny album with the same title. The inspiration for the genre came from exotic locations and instruments from places such as Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Southeast Asia, and Hawaii. The genre was mostly popular in suburban USA with legends such as Les Baxter, Artur Lyman and Martin Denny leading the scene. But apparently, not all Exotica music was American. Exotica fans Bert and Arjo from Holland have put together a brand new compilation of their favorite Dutch Exotica songs that not only showcases musical history but also the birth of lounge music. Head over to their website for track previews and information how you can obtain this gem.
By Chris
August 12th, 2009
