The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the Week: ‘The Man Inside You’ by Thodoris Triantafillou feat. Nomi Ruiz

Greek electro artist Thodoris Triantafillou is on the verge of releasing the first chapter of what is apparently going to be a trilogy of albums, and who better to help than Nomi Ruiz, who has helped out on some terrific tracks throughout the past few years. For this one, she’s definitely the right choice, with the music and the voice being such a perfect combination here. Thodoris has himself a lovely build-up in this track here, and Ruiz knows how to add to that in the vocal department, getting the timing and tone just right. All the instruments come in at exactly the right time, and I like the synths that are doing their thing underneath Nomi’s vocals. There’s a theatrical vibe to this, which maybe is there especially thanks to the way they work together to build up this momentum, especially during the latter part where the chorus is repeated several times. Definitely has me intrigued for the rest of the album.

‘Deceiver’ by Munk (Purple Disco Machine remix)

Sometimes you just kind of know that it’s going to be good. Munk’s piano-led house sensibilities combined with something that is called the Purple Disco Machine? That’s two of my fav worlds colliding it seems. I just love that rolling little bass at the start, that just basically says get those rollerblades on and be ready to look '80s fab. Slowly they come in with the beat, and just before the minute mark you get the first synth sounds. After the first minute you’ve got the beat and a deeper synth sound that do the work, and soon you get some muffled vocals in there that become more audible and audible with every loop that goes by, really opening up when they strip away the deeper synth in favor of some lighter keys. After that the piano really starts to come in, and that piano increases in volume, with its peak being the cue for some of the deeper rhythm elements to come back, too. And so you’ve got these sounds, but still the light piano as well, and the vocals start doing their thing again, coming from way down in the mix back to the forefront for the second time. At that point they dial back the beat for a reasonable lengthy time, as they don’t rush the build-up, giving us all kinds of sweet piano and vocal sounds along the way. It’s just one of those fun tracks to get some dancing done to, throwing some serious 80s shizzle in there around the 6:25 mark to make it all complete.

‘Used To Be Me’ by Casino Times

I just love the boys of Casino Times, they just bring the house right down to the dancefloor. This one starts with all kinds of bleepy sounds, and then you get that melancholic synth sound which comes in floating on the air. A deeper synth sound then starts to play, so they are definitely setting the scene here before the inevitable beat comes in. First, though, a lighter synth sound cuts through the deeper sounds, giving it this sense of light and hope instead of just the broodiness of the start. And whaddayaknow, there it is, the beat, and some added percussion to add punch to it. Then the boys quickly build this one up with all kinds of percussion and synth elements, reaching probably its peak between the four and five minute mark. What keeps this one high up there are these lovely high sounds, those work really well and give you that kind of epiphany feeling, that momentum that you just love to have on the dancefloor. Lots of patience in the build-up, but halfway through they flick the switch to the beat and it just keeps getting better from there.

‘Something About You’ by Hayden James

Oh heck yeah, lets about we just start with the vocals and the percussion and get the whole friggin’ party started, eh? Just love those soulful vocals that this one has, which work both in combination with the beat, but they also do the business when the rhythm elements are stripped and they need to carry the whole track. I like the variety in this short burst of a tune, with the second time they dial down the rhythm elements, that part is totally different than the first time they do that. Not only that, the way they get the track back in there is different as well, with some different sounds being thrown in there to function as the rhythm section. It does end with the old beat and percussion, which I like as it ties it all together pretty well. And as said, love the vocals as well, lots of emotion and soul in there.

‘King’ by Years & Years

These guys have been popping up on numerous Ones-To-Watch-in-2015 lists this year, so I’m feeling pretty chuffed I’ve already seen them live so that, if they do get so very big, I don’t have to cram myself in between way too many people in too big a venue. This track is a good example of why people have taken such a liking to them (better than ‘Desire’ ever did, in my opinion). It’s catchy, it has that nice bridge around the two minute mark, and you can do a little dance to it. The chorus is a bit too big in terms of sound for me personally, but I do love those vocals, again singing about love or something like it. I like the vocals, because they are both pretty powerful and fragile at the same time, and that’s a nifty combination as far as I’m concerned. So if you crave a slice of (synth)pop and are not too put off by a too-big-yo chorus sound, then this might just have you wobbling in your chair just as it did to me.

‘Renewal’ by Alkalino

The Alkalino SoundCloud page is just a treasure trove of all kinds of lovely edits and remixes that he puts on there, this time going for that old Gino Soccio synth sound with the classic ‘So Lonely’, which dates back from the '70s. Major piano action on this one, getting this lovely vibe in before the vocals enter to repeat the loneliness that is in the heart. In the mean time we’ve got the beat working underneath to keep this thing moving forward and on the dancefloor, and we’ve got this lovely piano jazz thing going on to lend it some extra flavor and goodness. It’s got this nice dreamy vibe going on, also thanks to the voice and the repetition of that title line combined with that jazzy piano and the inobtrusive rhythm part of the track. There is some nice, subtle variety, for example in the beat (around 4:30 I believe the transition kind of sets in), which makes this 6 minute affair definitely worth the listen to.

The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the week: ‘Shelter Me’ by Late Nite Tuff Guy

Oh honey, are you kidding me? Late Nite Tuff Guy comes out with a free download to thank people for their support, and surely there are not many better ways to have ended 2014 with. All your Christmas presents be damned, who doesn’t want this lounge tearjerker of Sade turned into this melancholic, heart-broken disco track to dance your sorrows away to? LNTG gets the vibe right from the get go, especially when that hit of piano comes in at about 30 seconds (the end of the track will see that smooth jazz saxophone sound of the original come in as well). So you’re dancing now (not too fast, mind you, this is not that kind of dancefloor killer), on the beat, on the percussion, and so forth, and then, at one point, she comes in. Sade, with her smooth voice and lovelorny singing that "you’ve shed a shadow on my life, shed a shadow on my love, took the shelter out of my life, took the shelter of a lie". And when she then sings she could "see it in your restless eyes (the truth that I was hiding and you could not disguise)", LNTG slides that beat underneath to support her exclamation, and that works so well. He does that a number of times to perfection, having this slight change in his sounds to aid Sade’s singing, which enhances the emotional punch of this track. And, at one point, she will pathetically admit that I wish you could shelter me, and then that saxophone comes in from the original 1988 track, and that’s the ball game.

‘Same Town, Same Story’ by Interpol (The Field remix)

I’m not going to lie, I just haven’t been on the return-to-form bandwagon that some have been riding concerning Interpol last year. I loved their first two, I think ‘Pioneer To The Falls’ was the most fab thing they’ve ever done, and everything after that track was just downhill for me. The last album, to my ears, didn’t have the peace, the moments of quiet, the spaciness of that debut of theirs that I fell so in love with. Enter The Field though, Mr. Loop knows how to create his minimal, Scandinavian beat that he then expertely rides into oblivion. Here, too, you’ve just got this rhythm line, sounding a bit like a heavily distorted bass sound, which gets help from some light percussion elements and a tingly piano to contrast the heavy vibe with the light. Somewhere in the middle of the mix you have Paul Banks' vocals, which do fit (and provide some of) the melancholic vibe of this atmospheric behemoth. Don’t expect them to be the focal point though, as the vocals kind of are entrapped somewhere in between the layers that The Field expertedly both keeps sounding the same, yet deviates from slighlty. He is always so in control and patient. At the five minute mark, for instance, he keeps he main elements, but adds this kind of military drum percussion and that does shake the track up, but because the main sounds are still there you do get that hypnotic vibe The Field always brings to the table. So if you were disappointed with the Interpol album just like I was, then be comforted that this sounds more like The Field doing his thing, aided by some Interpol elements that do fit the cold Scandinavian air.

‘Noth’ by HNNY

HNNY always knows how to get some of that funk and some of that more contemporary R&B vibe in there. Here, no different, it’s already playing that funk from the get go with that beat, and that secondary sound is awesomely fun. Just before the minute mark you get the first female yelp in the vocals, and he always knows which vocals to use. They’re nice and soulful, and even get some room to strut their stuff as HNNY dials down the beat for a minute. And thus we can hear her sing that "Nothing can keep me, keep me from youuuuu", after which he slides the beat back in (along with some additional percussion). It’s a 3:18 snippet of a thingy, so cannot enjoy it too long, but the repeated beat and secondary sound are just lovely, along with the repetition of the resilient/pathethic/however-you-want-to interpret it line she sings over and over, making it stronger/less believable with each utterance. So how do you like your one-sided 12” releases, eh?

‘Oil’ by CFCF

If you like your atmospheric pieces, CFCF is definitely one guy doing it right in my opinion. He has just got this knack for finding the right sounds to go together, and here the start is pretty immediate, with some momentum building sounds that promise more to come. He builds on that for a good while before he adds the beat at about 1:15, which immediately makes it this thing suitable for the dancefloor. And even though the big, bad bass is heavily throbbing away, there’s still so much atmosphere there which keeps on taking the cake until about 2:30, after which he switches it up again, ditching the main sound and adding some more traditional beat sounds to go with a beautiful little bit of piano that does keep that whole vibe intact. The whole track is layered, littered with switch-ups, and constantly there are instruments there that make this one stand out above the fray. It are all those semi-classical components combined with that heavy base layer that makes this one so intriguing to listen to.

‘The Boy Who Thought it Was A Good Idea To Cry” by Johan Agebjorn feat. Shally Shapiro

How about that one for a title, eh? Agebjorn and Shapiro are no strangers to each other, and usually they collaborate on the italo-disco sounds Shapiro is known for. Not on this one though, with Agebjorn going all cinematic on us with this beautiful piece of work. It's just one of those things that manages to conjure up all these visual images as if soundtracking a montage in a film or something. Definitely high on atmospherics, though obviously you shouldn’t be expecting the dancey Shapiro & Agebjorn stuff. Shapiro does make an appearance though, but she sounds more ghostly/angelic than ever, with her whispery vocals doing some ah-haaaa lines over the layers of piano that Agebjorn has filled the track with (though not to worry, there are some strings and a bass as well). Don’t go in here with the wrong expectations, but if you know about Agebjorn’s upcoming album Notes and are intrigued by the style he’s going for, this is well worth the listen.

‘Dare Me’ by Gorillaz (Rayko Dirty Discoteca Edit)

My goodness, I do remember dancing to this in the indie disco in my teenage years (might be smuggling a year or two there, but whatever). The original by the Gorillaz that is, not this Rayko edit, which makes this dancefloor-ready for the dance crowd, as opposed to the gangly indie kids who are more professed at jumping (don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of how your body works later on lovies!). It still keeps that “daring” aspect of the original, that energetic punch that made so many people fall in love with it in the first place. Naturally Rayko also plays around with the stripping away of layers, the beat, and what not, to really make use of all that dancefloor expertise he has. Just listen to from about 2:30 to like the three minute mark, and everything that happens in between there before he slides it back to the main sound at the latter end of that spectrum. It’s just one of those amazingly fun things that makes you jump up in recognition when it’s played, but that keeps the vibe of the disco/house set going so you can keep moving your body whilst singing along with this cheeky little bugger.

The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

This week we’ll have a look back at some of the more awesome disco/house/electro stuff that was released this year, unfortunately omitting loads of deserving and quality songs that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed in 2014. But here are six of my favorites to just remind you how awesome the year has been!

Track of the year: ‘Happy’ by Tomas Barfod feat. Eddie Chacon

Eddie C. comes up with an amazing performance on this WhoMadeWho solo effort by Tomas Barfod. Stating that even though all his life people have been slipping away (“they keep dying on me man”), he vows that he’s Gonna be happy. Barfod puts in some synth work and, of course, drums, changing it up for the sections in between the vocals, upping the pace a bit. Throughout the song there’s both this sense of melancholia and perseverance. It’s so easy to fold, and there’s a lot that sees people hurting, but no matter what, I’m going to make the most of it. The second time those drums come in for the chorus (around 2:30), there’s a nice bit of oomph in there to power up that message. Not on the album I believe, but in my opinion the best track he released this year (though WhoMadeWho’s ‘Hiding in Darkness’ is a killer track as well).

‘All That She Wants’ by Yolanda Be Cool feat. SYF & Fitz Helder

Don’t mind me while I enjoy a corny edit or two, but even if you take some of the most well-known tracks (like ‘All That She Wants’) as your core, you can get on heavy rotation at my house. Or perhaps because of it, as there’s a certain awesomeness about standing on the dancefloor and then getting that recognition factor in. Now, the original definitely wasn’t this deep, and those vocals make it sexy and saucy, as the boys formerly of Azari & III know how to bring some attitude into a (deep) house track. So this is the version for those late hours at that seedy club then, as all involved just give it this awesome vibe, and those vocal turns by SYF and Fitz Helder are powerful to boot. There’s something about an edit of an older tune done well, and this definitely ticks all the boxes, from changing it up to something completely different to actually working as a deep, soulful grind tune on its own. Unfortunately no Azari & III anymore, luckily the two eye catchers on stage didn’t go gently into that good night.

‘My Offence’ by Hercules And Love Affair feat. Krystle Warren

Are you as cunt as I am? That is the question. Though not Shakespearian in origin, it does pack some punch and plenty of attitude as the lads from Hercules and Love Affair, supported by Krystle Warren, are basically saying, You know what, what according to you is my offence, actually that is my essence, and I’m going to take the word cunt and run with it in pride. Now, I already like how much of an idea there is behind it (and the clip, for that matter), but that would mean nothing if the track was a soft-ass tune no one could ever dance to. Fortunately, Andy Butler knows how to make it work, giving the music itself plenty of attitude as well, reinforcing the lyrics. I believe in an interview he called it a tom heavy “bitch” track, so there you go. Plenty of toms, and a lot to get bitchin’ to. Attitude heavy, but also fun and dancey, Hercules and Love Affair made an amazing house album this year, and this is definitely a prime example off of that.

‘Ain’t No Way’ by Opal (Horse Meat Disco edit)

The start says enough, me thinks, with a woman screaming to “get your hands off of my man”. You heard her! What then happens is basically what happens any time the guys from Horse Meat Disco get their hands on things (...); an eruption of euphoric sensation. And, of course, they transform it in a killer disco dancefloor song to do some moving to. You’ve got the bass going on, the synths, but those lovely old school vocals reign supreme, as she is fighting for her man with all the attitude in the world. She goes from warning everyone around her to keep their hands off of him, but she also resorts to pleading him to “stay right here, stay right here, stay right here”. Horse Meat Disco throw a deep rhythm synth in there as mid-section, which is slowly build-up back to a disco anthem with synths and other such devices (even coming with nifty little guitar line at one point, just before the drums come in) to help out with the feel, vibe, and dance department. There’s still plenty of disco left in this world for sure, and 2014 is no exception to that.

‘Sugar’ by Alkalino

Talking about old school, the fuzz of the LP is very much part of the sound of this track. I just love the whole feel of this one, even if some of the transitions aren’t as smooth as on other tracks (though it feels almost intentional in an effort to date the sound even further back down in history). Actually, it does give it character, especially those volume jumps in the singing. I just love those old vocal tracks that are happening here, which have plenty of soul to carry this one and even give it some gravitas. Additionally, Alkalino puts in those drums and those pace changes to spice up the disco vibe a tad. The main thing about this one is the aged vibe that it provides, combining it with just enough drums to keep this one trotting forward whilst keeping the soul front and center. Just such a good example what you can achieve in terms of sound and feel if you think outside of the box a little.

‘I Know It’s A Good Thing’ by Shamir

To be honest, that ‘On The Regular’ single I could’ve lived without, though I’m still gutted I couldn’t make it to his live show earlier this week. I do love this track of his EP so much though. It’s got the kick going in the background, but it’s the piano and the fragility and desperation in the voice that gives this rather down paced track its power. Those backing vocals he brings in are also just an ace little touch that just add the right amount of feel to this one. At about the two minute mark he kills the drums for a moment, doing just the piano and his vocals that are singing “God knows I’m hard to please”, after which the beat comes back again. It’s just the mixture of all these elements, even in the delivery of the vocals (which later become more bombastic and emotional, which it has to, as the instruments do the same), that make this one both quirky and working brilliantly at the same time.

The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the week:  ‘Dance’ by Brassica feat. Stuart Warwick

I love the vibe that this one has. This almost alienated, melancholic vibe, something you can definitely see happening on top of a modern dance/ballet performance. Soon that feel gets aided by some percussion, and there’s also a bass line happening, which is hid pretty well to not make it the main element here. There are some stops, like at about 2:10, where those rhythm elements are cast aside for a minute and Brassica just let the vibe happen, though a couple of seconds later the rhythm section comes back with a vengeance, including some extra synths to make it a bit more bombastic. That bombasticness is dialled back when Stuart Warwick comes in again with his beautiful vocals narrating about a love that has ceased to be. The vocals, in terms of feel, fit the sound perfectly. The rhythm makes sure this one doesn’t come to a halt, but there’s plenty of piano and synth to keep the atmosphere high and happening. Brassica recently released an album, so be sure to check that one out if you haven’t already.

‘Seasons’ by Future Islands (Badbadnotgood remix)

It is one of the best tracks of this year, that single by Future Islands that probably propelled them to stardom. The lovely thing about this Badbadnotgood remix is that it sounds nothing like the original, which makes it a surprising and fun thing to listen to. They take the vocals of the album track, but they seemingly score it like you would do a film. As if they’ve put a big band behind it and just let’r rip. So you get this lovely cinematic vibe with plenty of bass, piano, and the whole shebang, and with these delightful transitions to a faster pace during the chorus, which is almost so old school that it becomes pastiche. I just love it, because it turns the track completely upside down and inside out, and they do this in a format that is both far removed from the original as well as far removed from our current day listening experience.

‘White Light’ by Chromatics

Johnny Jewel seems to be clearing out his vaults or something, coming up with some old-but-new tracks like that alternate version of ‘These Streets Will Never Look the Same’ (a track which I just adore). This one (‘White Light’) is a lovely middle-of-the-night affair. A slow burner, with those melancholic, fragile vocals asking for that White light, sing your love to me. “White light, do you still dream of me? I’m so lonely in this world,” she sings. Obviously, those beautifully haunting vocals are set to this typical Chromatics back drop, with just a bucketload full of atmosphere, which they manage to achieve without crowding the whole thing up. I just love that whole feel of not only the Chromatics, but also Glass Candy, and if you do too, then you can be nothing but happy that these things get thrown out there for you to have a free listen to. It’s like a little present for you to have before those Christmas days come, and it certainly gets me in a cheery mood.

‘If I Had a Dollar’ by Tanner Ross

Don’t you just get that old school ballad vibe from the start with that piano? I just love that, definitely puts the mood right in from the get go. Add to that this little, light guitar line, so smooth. Then you get the distorted male vocals that come in singing that If I had a dollar..., and shortly after they put a little wrinkle of funk in there, which a bit later is combined with the starting piano sound. And there a little bit of fun comes in, because Tanner Ross does well to alternate between these two sounds, creating this funky mash-up vibe which is a lovely bit of fun and music. Just this combination of those ballad sounds from yesteryear with those snippets of funky synths; that really makes the track for me. I mean, just take those moments before and after that break at 3:30, the way he plays up that juxtaposition there, that’s really nice. Not your average day thing, that’s for sure!

‘Too Much Love’ by Francisco & Cosmo

From the get go you definitely get the feel this one was made with the club in mind, it has just this vibe of dancing to it. Just has some of those old school house elements going on at the start, though after about a minute they throw in a slight wrinkle with that synth, making it a bit more italo and lighter as well, as even the percussion is lifted out of the realm of the deep. Not that it has any impact on the dancing though, as the synth is catchy enough to carry that load, and there are still enough percussion elements going on to be holding on to. At 2:30 some talky vocals come in, telling you to Not push your love, after which more singing vocals come in. The talking vocals are decidedly male, and with the singing I also here some women coming in and doing their thing, a division which is decidedly house music. And while the synth keeps on going, the girls are singing that the Sound is good, so what more invitation do you need to dance, really? I really like some of the segments where they go really light and then transition to that rhythm synth which is slightly deeper, that’s a lot of fun. At about the six minute mark (this track clocks in just under ten minutes) they have a nice little change-up shortly followed by the re-introduction of the vocals, so that keeps it fresh enough to keep dancing to. And as said, the vibe is surprisingly light, which makes it just that bit more easy on the ear to get to that 10 minute mark.

‘Night Fever’ by The Bee Gees (RLP Re-Fevered)

The real question probably is, do you want to listen to an edit of a song that maybe for some meant the death or height or overkill of disco? If you are not bothered by any such context, and if you relish in the nostalgia factor of it all, then this RLP remix will provide some fun. It is a slick, smooth, edit of the old Bee Gees' classic. There’s not a false note in here, there’s nothing too out there, it just rolls on like a mothersomething. Naturally, he’s put plenty of the lyrics in there, including loads of “night fever, night fe-veher!”, but there’s also the drum beat, all kinds of old school sounds, and even a dashful of strings to help the brothers stretch this one to a 7 minute affair. At about 4:45 there’s even a break, with loads of echo in the vocals, what sounds like an organ, then the strings come in, the percussion, and RLP builds it back to the essence of this remix: a smooth, dancefloor edit of a track that just about everyone knows. Young hipsters and those approaching grandmother status can be dancing side by side to this one.