The Postmodern Jukebox Formula Part 1: The 1920's

(Taken from my Spotify podcast, The Postmodern Formula — audio version here.)

Hey folks, Scott Bradlee here — if you do know me, it’s almost certainly because I’ve spent the last decade making vintage remakes of modern pop hits, as the creator of Postmodern Jukebox. Now, for me, this is a labor of love: I grew up fascinated by classic styles of music like jazz, doowop, Motown and ragtime, and always dreamed of creating music in those genres with other talented musicians. I’m very fortunate that I’ve been able to live my dreams and share my love for these timeless genres in concerts all over the world, but until now, I’ve never really gotten to talk in detail about the specific records that inspired me most, as an arranger and producer.

Today, in the first of a five part series, we’re going to go back 100 years — back to the start of the Jazz Age and the birth of the record industry. I’m going to break down some of my favorite 1920s themed Postmodern Jukebox arrangements, and share with you some of the historical recordings that influenced their creation. For each one, we’ll listen to three tracks: the original version of a modern pop hit, a classic 1920s recording that that modern song somehow relates to, and then the resultant PMJ remake. So, this is kind of like a mixture of VH1’s Behind The Music, MTV’s Total Request Live, and…