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:  ‘Just Give Me Joy’ by Elvin Tibideaux

The label is called Let’s Play House, so what  exactly are you expecting honey? It’s got the bass beat down from the get go, has the looping sample going on as well, and the playing with volume and pace is right there too. That’s, mind you, just the first minute, after which the bass comes alive even more, and those base sounds get some help from, for example, a nifty little guitar that moves up in the mix as the looping goes on and on. They dial it down just a little bit before the two minute mark, after which the thing jumps back up again to get the dancefloor dancing. That bass sound, that’s really what this one is all about for me. That and the loop give it this continuation momentum, and then you’ve got the guitar to give you that little bit extra. The real extra comes around 3:30, when the sky opens up and that major vocal turn comes screeching out from the balcony. “I need you” indeed, and full throttle at that. It gives this one the naughty and the nice for sure, bringing a complete punch-out to cap this one off. Always good to keep an eye on this label, and Elvin Tibideaux doesn’t disappoint when it’s his turn to deliver.

 ‘Gratte-Ciel’ by Patrice Mondon (Pilooski & Glb’R edit)

This one gives you a little guitar riff before it goes into retro '80s space mode with a nice little bass  which dictates the rhythm of the track. If the space vibe hadn’t gotten through to you yet, there are the vocals, there are the synths, and the deliciously soundtrack-y auxiliary sounds that give it this pop bigness. After the peak of that pop sound the track dives back into the bass the first time around (which is a nasty little piece of business, let me tell ya), and the guitar sound the second time around (after which the bass comes in a few seconds later). The third time it’s the vocals they turn to, and I just love the way this thing is structured. It’s got this space opera feel, but it also has that little dancefloor bassline that makes it such a successful edit. The original is from 1982 I believe, and if you love a bit of dancing and the whole atmosphere of it all, then it’s really to infinity and beyond on this one!

 ‘Enemy’ by Kelela ft. Tosin Abasi

How about a little nightcap with this lullaby from R&B artist Kelela? Featuring Tosin Abasi on the eight string guitar, the sweet voiced Kelela brings a tear in her vocals as she sings that she has given up for their “love is not enough”, and that it just isn’t a “remedy” for their aches. This is the kind of track you just love to have as the closer on an album or a set in my opinion. Just the vocals and a minimum of arrangements, and together these two bare-boned essentials just bring forward the exact right feeling of sadness and longing. Don’t think it too sweet and sugary though, as there are one or two f-bombs in there. However, even they don’t break the melancholy of the song. One of those to have on at night, looking out of your window, glass of something strong in your hand, to cheers! and salut the days end.

 ‘You Can Shine’ by Andy Butler feat. Richard Kennedy

Butler has always had an inclinition with the tech side of the dancefloor (some of his and Kim-Ann Foxmann’s remixes were already very much veering into that direction), though this one still rubs its shoulders quite firmly with the Hercules and Love Affair sound. Which, you know, is to be expected, as Butler obviously is the driving motor to that, and the big, booming vocals of Richard Kennedy give it this guest-turn feel that Butler’s  troupe also has. This one is decidedly aimed at the dancefloor, so you’ve got the beat, the percussion, etc. to bring the rhythm, and it’s got the vocals singing that he knows that he is loved, and they work nicely to build some of that feel-good momentum. If you not only like his Hercules stuff, but the remixes that he has done as well, then this is a good combination of both worlds probably. And he knows how to hit that bulls-eye in terms of his vocalists, that’s for sure!

‘Lost U’ by Rangleklods

Rangleklods released their debut a few years back, and I quite fancied that one. ‘Lost U’ is their first original material in a little while, and the starting electronics are more aggressive than anything that I can remember from the album. After that start you get a piano & female vocal combo, which is bigger and more pop than earlier work I reckon. It is also a work that perhaps is a tad more dancefloor-ish, which gets a nod anyway as the talking is apparently done by the pitched down voice of a girl from a rave documentary from the early 1990s. Don’t expect a straight up dance track though, as there’s still plenty of electronics in there that is a bit off of the beaten track (thank goodness). The Danish duo have changed their source of energy I’d say, and curious to see if they come up with an album’s worth of that, or if this is an expansion of their arsenal instead of a complete shift. Debut album still one to have a listen to if you have never had the pleasure yet, and sure enjoyed them live as well.

‘Wicked Game’ by POP ETC

I truly apologize, but Chris Isaak just is my weak spot. Don’t blame me, don’t judge me, it’s just the way this is. This time it is POP ETC, formerly known as Morning Benders, who take this classic tune on, doing this one subdued and with an acoustic guitar, though there’s still this deep drum to propel it forward. The chorus boys that back him up, that’s a nice little touch, that sounds so church like that it’s kind of nice. I mean, what is there to say? If people keep making them, I’ll keep posting them, it’s just this wicked thing I do. By the way, I saw them live when they were still the Morning Benders, and that was a good time out, so there you go.

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: ‘Crash the Box’ by Mang Dynasty

This one starts with a bit of wood percussion and, ehrm, bird sounds. But soon the actual beat comes in, and it gets all those jungle drums going to lay down the rhythm for the people to get down to. After the minute mark there comes the synth and the handclap sounds, and the synth definitely has this hypnotic vibe going on. And if you weren’t dancing yet, then the bass comes in as well, so if all that percussion wasn’t enough for you, well, there you go. Love the slice of horns (or horn-like-synths, or whatever) that come in, just gives this one some character, especially if they add another section not that long after they’ve introduced the first one. Add some vocals as well, and you just have this thing that keeps on building and building the rhythm and momentum, which is what you want on the dancefloor. Who doesn’t like those moments that some new element comes in, or there’s a change-up that makes you dance even harder? Naturally, you want to balance that out, hence that Mang Dynasty takes it down a notch after the vocals are done, obviously building up from the basics again shortly after. So this thing just keeps on rolling and going and making you loving the dancefloor, as he knows how to make use of that elusive thing called momentum. I always love myself some Ray Mang, and this outing certainly is another thing from his oeuvre that makes me go.

‘He’s The Man’ by African Disco Special (Squeeze Me tight edit)

Let’s get the boogie in with this one. You’ve got that bass rolling like there’s no tomorrow, and that one gets a bit of help from a bit of piano, some horns, and of course a bit of that percussion to keep that rhythm going on. Then the chorus girls come in, singing that He’s the man, he’s the man, he’s the man. Consequently, the man comes in, telling her to squeeze him tight, with the chorus then telling the audience that He will do anything to please her, as She’s so sexy. So that lovey-dovey is going on right there on the dancefloor. It just has that vibe of getting it all hot and sweaty down where the people are doing their thang. And that bass certainly has a part in that, making people able to groove to that rhythm as the girls and the man talk about pleasing each other as they’re both sexy mothersomethings. All those rhythm elements sure keep up the pace, and there’s plenty of auxiliary sounds to bring that funky vibe onto the dancefloor. Just one of those epic ones that’ll get people all hot and bothered in the discotheque.

‘If You Break It’ by Jonjo Jury

Via the always lovely DiscoTexas label you get this catchy little number by Jonjo Jury, who both has the catchy and the immediacy going on. The catchy with that lovely understated rhythm, and the immediacy with the clear and bold production for the drums and percussion. That is juxtaposed nicely, as said, by the understatedness of the rhyhm part, which runs away with it like nothing else, especially after that little change-up around 1:22. Just love that moment and how he slides the rhythm in there. The lad also makes sure to add some auxiliary sounds to keep this one fresh to the ear, just to make sure that it’s not all just that rhythm part and those blasting drum sounds. Again a lovely change-up around 2:45, after which we also get the robotic vocals for the first time, which do say something to the effect that they love someone or the other, which is a nice bit of contrast. After that bit, you get in this amazing pop feel of the strings, which I totally didn’t see coming and which is really nice. I love the production on the drums, because they’re so blasting you get this big contrast when they’re turned away in favor of just the rhythm. That, combined with the strings after the vocals and the fact that the rhythm side of it is catchy enough to make you go, has me definitely intrigued for future output from this guy (as well as having me enjoying this one on its own!).

‘Pala’ by Roland Tings

This one transports us into the jungle with the animal sounds, but also those percussion sounds that he adds there. The whistling is a slice of the Caribbean I reckon, but in the mean time he has already put down this ground layer that is getting the boogie out there, especially with that low bass. Which is nicely juxtaposed by all these lighter auxiliary sounds on top. So the rhythm sounds are all pretty deep, but because of that lightness it doesn’t necessarily feel like this is a deep house thing only. There is this lovely upping of the pace around 1:50 to get all those hips shaking a bit more, though a short minute after he’s going for the strip down, from which he comes back with a totally different percussion element. It is a completely new sound, but still one in tune with the feel of the first part, maybe perhaps mostly thanks to the auxiliary elements that kind of stay the same. Again a change-up just after the four minute mark, including an increase of pace, and still in keeping with the feel that he’s chosen for this track. So it’s, in that sense, quite an eight minute journey of all sorts of percussion and rhythms within the same world, which is a fun one, and one to which you can do some dancing to as well. His debut will be released on Prins Thomas’s label this year.

‘Right Here, Right Now’ by Giorgio Moroder feat. Kylie Minogue

That back catalogue of this guy called Giorgio Moroder though. I mean, darn it, such a king of pop he is, and unabashedly so. And that’s what this track sounds like too. Enlisting the vocal prowess of Kylie Minogue (for whom time goes by... so slowly), this is a slice of three minute synth pop that maybe sounds most like some of the stuff Daft Punk did last year. You’ve got the vocal chorus with Minogue’s vocals taking center stage, after which beat and synth come in to get the dancefloor going again. Naturally, there’s more going on. There’s layer upon layer of Minogue’s vocals, there are robotic voices, there’s a bit of guitar action going on as well, and it all culminates into one of those four minute slices of radio goodness. As said, it is unabashedly pop from head-to-toe-and-back-again. But it is Moroder pop, so yeah, gotta pay the dude some reverence, always. Gotta make him feel the love (as it feels so good, so good, so good, soooo gooood, and it takes my breath awaaaaayyy).

‘You Might Need Somebody’ by Shola Ama (Mousse T’s Soul Train remix)

Oh, do you remember this one? This 1997 version of ‘You Might Need Somebody’, that classic ballad, which gets some additional bass from Mousse T to add some extra groove to the mix. There’s also a bit of emphasis on that kick, so that it keeps the soul, but you can slow dance a bit better to this one in the club. Loads of stuff to like, obviously, one of them being the nostalgia factor. But also that piano, that little guitar that occassionally crops up, and naturally that sad tale song soulfully by Shola Ama, as we all need somebody in our lives, don’t we? Again, the bass in the background, that’s what primarily gives this one that extra groove, though obviously you’re staying for those vocals.

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.