The resources page is a summary of tools, services and products related to swing dance, music, DJ’ing and to this blog.
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. These are all products and services I am using myself and I am recommending because they are either helpful or of good quality and I trust them.
Literature
- Book Tips Jazz and Swing A list of books about Jazz & Swing music and dance.
- Buch-Tipps zum Thema Jazz und Swing Eine Liste von mehrheitlich deutschsprachigen Büchern über Jazz & Swing.
Swing DJ & Music Resources
- 14 Tips To Become A (Better) Swing DJ Learn how to improve your Swing DJ skills.
- Great Music Sources For Swing DJs and Music Lovers A list where to find swing music, interesting not only for Swing DJs.
Music Library Organization
- Rinse A software to organize and repair your digital music library in iTunes incl. removing duplicate content and adding missing album art. You can download and try Rinse for free.
- TuneUp is a plug-in for iTunes and Windows Media Player with similar features as Rinse. The plugin offers music management and discovery tools within the iTunes interface. A free limited version is available to try TuneUp. Get
15%20% (till 31.12.2011!) off when you use the link to buy TuneUp.
DJ Software
- djay [App Store CH/EU | App Store US] is my new choice for Swing DJ’ing on the MacBook Pro. It has everything you need: it’s clear, simple and stable!
- djay for iPad [App Store CH/EU | App Store US] I’m currently experimenting with that one and it’s great fun so far.
- MediaMonkey Very popular among Windows users. MediaMonkey is a media organizer and manager for small to large libraries, with many different features. Free version available!
Dance Shoes
- Aris Allen Affordable dance shoes, especially for Balboa.
- Re-mix Vintage Shoes Another brand I adore. Beautiful shoes in the style of past times!
- Stacy Adams Men’s street shoes perfect for Swing dancing.
Learning an Instrument
- Jamorama Guitar Course Popular online guitar course for beginners
- Rocket Piano Online piano course, from the creators of Jamorama. Also available via mail (incl. books, DVDs & CDs).
- Pianoforall Online course to learn piano or keyboard. Riskfree 2 month-trial.
- Singorama Complete guide to learn to sing.
Technical Resources Website & Blogging
These are my favourite resources & tools (on this website and others) I use and recommend:
Domain Names International:
- Namecheap My favourite service to buy domain names – and I own many
Web Host Switzerland:
- Hostpoint A very reliable web host in Switzerland. I also use them to buy Swiss domain names.
Web Host International:
- HostGator Some of my websites run with HostGator. Very reliable, easy to use and a great value-for-money ratio.
Mailing List:
- MailChimp. Easy to use, with a lot of predesigned templates and free up to 2000 subscribers! I use this service for the weekly blog ugdate and the Shuffleletter, a newsletter in German for the swing dancers in Zürich/Switzerland.
- GetResponse. A powerful and affordable autoresponder and email list building service. I use it for “DJ Chrisbe’s Swing DJ Resources Email List”.
Premium WordPress Theme:
- Catalyst is my favourite theme for the blog and website script WordPress. Shuffle Projects is built on this theme framework.
Blogging Know How:
- 31 Days to build a better Blog Workbook helped me a lot to build and improve Shuffle Projects as a blog.
- Start a Blog that Matters A brandnew 13-week course by Corbett Barr and his team, how to start a blog that matters. It doesn’t matter if you want to build a business around your blog or just want to have fun with one, here you learn everything from scratch. I’m in the course myself, because Corbett has already been a great inspiration to me in the past.
