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: ‘Steppin’ by Sandy Barber (John Morales mix)

Another Morales mix taking it to the disco town. Sandy Barber starts out, saying that You think you’re so smart, but you’re mistaking (you tell him, hon!). And, as she does so, she puts on those nice diva disco vocals, announcing that She’s going to do some steppin’ of her own, at which point the bass comes in to get all the dancefloor people aflutter. There’s also a bit of cymbal in there, some a capella moments, chosen at the exact moment that she says he’s a Cheat and a lier. And that’s something Morales does so well, giving Sandy Barber all the room to do her thing, and with that, making sure that disco love story of empowerment comes through loud and clear. Then, the percussion and bass to make sure there’s the dancefloor as well as the attitude. Also some attitude in that bass though, getting some action at 3:50 before some riffs come and help it out along with Mrs. Barber herself. Just one of those bulls-eye disco edits with plenty of vocals and bass to sing and dance along to.

‘Beat the Heat’ by Turbotito & Daniel T

Turbotito & Daniel T get the booty shakin’ right from the get go. It’s got a steady beat working, but also plenty of bass and synth sounds that make sure it’s a hip thing. Then, the vocals, announcing that they Just can’t seem to sleep, can’t make it through the heat. The vocals are accompanied primarily by the bass sound, which, a go around later, get some woodwork percussion for a helping hand. The vocals, by the way, nice and deep, and contrast with the lighter key sounds that are used as a substitute for the vocals. Slowly but surely it changes into this sultry mid-paced burner with techno elements, giving off some of that body heat. Around 2:30 there’s an instrumental interlude started, after which they slowly build it up again, also helped out by multiple vocal layers that start overlapping and synth work that moves to a crescendo. That happens at about 4:20, when bass and percussion help the track towards its ending. Nice slice of deepness to be found here.

‘Good Inside’ by Al Kent

How about some of that slappin’ bass action from Al Kent? The girl in question invites you by saying Come on, baby, and surely there’s plenty of bass to get in action to. After the minute mark we get some of that guitar riffin’ their way through, and then, at 1:30, the girl gets workin’ herself, forcefully belting out that I need you. And she doesn’t stop turning out some of that powerful vocal work, and the bass keeps working it as well to get that dancing going on. You make me feel, Whoo!, good inside, she also gleefully yells out, so no wonder she wants you to Come on, baby. There’s definitely no letting up in this big tune of a House song, and even when the vocals go a bit more low key, there’s always the bass to keep this one going forward. A strong power house, this performance right here I’d say.

‘Mom and Dad’ by Xinobi (Richie Hell Clean remix)

Richie Hell takes on the Discotexas stalwarts Xinobi with this catchy remix, where the bass comes in at the twenty second mark and basically takes this one all over. The other instruments give it this quirky, synth-pop feel, bringing some freshness to the proceedings (you always need to keep it fresh y’all). At the two minute mark the Texas drawled female vocals come in, giving it a nice drawn out quality to balance the bass and rhythm elements. Halfway through Richie dials it down a bit, and at 3:20 the beat and the vocals both come back to aid the bass in getting it on.  I love how that Discotexas vibe is still there, but perhaps this Clean remix takes the synth-pop more into the house dancefloor as well, with enough bass and beat to hang on your hat to. 

‘Do the Right Thing’ by The Revenge (Nachtbraker remix)

After a few seconds in the percussion gets some help from a rather deep beat, which then gets juxtaposed by some keys in the background before, at the fifty second mark, we really go deep house with this one. Not to say the lighter sounds disappear, they stay, but all the rhythm sounds just take a dive into the nightclub. A tad in front of the two minute mark we get some cowbell action in there, also providing a somewhat higher pitched key sound. This turns out to be a prelude to a slight shift in tone, even though the beat that remains a staple underneath to keep it all grounded. And so Nachtbraker doesn’t only add or subtract sounds, but also shifts in tone and (at for example 3:30) pace for this hypnotic, 7:30 minute dance tune. Smack down in the middle there’s a rather lengthy part where all the rhythm parts are tuned out, though around 4:30 there’s a quick turn around, after which this one gets a bit more bombastic with the bass in there. So if you weren’t feeling party before, from now until the end there really aren’t any excuses anymore.

‘Yes We Can Can’ by the Pointer Sisters (Dazzle Drums Block Party edit)

How about a slow burning bass sound to get this one in motion, doing the sexy strut right there. There’s some slight guitar strumming to help out, doing that blues thang, and then they come in, singing that they Try to find peaceful things, and telling all them young girls to Remember you all had mothers. But, they conclude, Yes we can can, as in, We can make it work. In the mean time that bass is still giving that slow funk pace, having a bit of that percussion to help out. The double guitar and vocals, meanwhile, give it all the right vibes and even come together all at the same time. And with the minimal set up it’s all about those two and the bass rhythm for them bunch of hip cats to do a little dancing together 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: ‘I Still Reach Out To You’ by Lenny Williams (Underdog’s Breakdown edit)

Getting the disco going from the start with that nifty bass line, and then those era-defining strings coming in to really set the feel for this one. Then the boogie with the rhythm bass and percussion, followed by the unique vocals of Lenny Williams, whose voice I adore. Some nifty guitar work comes in at 1:30 to help the subdued set-up, and then the girls come on in from the back to lure you into the song as they want you to tell them what to do (a dangerous proposition in whatever context I’d say). In the mean time Underdog slowly raises the funk level in the back with the instruments, and then, at 3:06, the big reveal, including Williams doing some of that thang. He goes full throttle, yelling out he’s Reaching out, and announcing, Here’s my love, take it baby! In the mean time that disco boogie is still going on, with some funky rhythms in the back, with Underdog also knowing when to slow it down for a minute to not have any overkill here, going all in on that main groove. It’s a superb disco dancefloor edit with lovely bits (bass, guitar riff), but most of all those fab vocals from the old Tower Of Power frontman. Definitely one to get it on to under those discotheque lights.

‘Vendetta’ by Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra (Al Kent remix)

There’s a bit of that African percussion to get your rhythm vibes working, some string work to remind you of the disco dancefloor in front of you, and then at about the fifty second mark the beat comes in to help you get on there and do some grooving. Especially with the percussion that comes in just after, that helps with that I’m sure. And Al Kent really goes the distance with the rhythm here, providing you with plenty of it, only giving you strings for the disco atmospherics. The rest is all about the shakin’ and the bakin’ for a long while. At the 2:30 mark we get a bit of a change-up, but the main idea stays the same there. The 4:40 change sees some bass action entering though, so that is a pretty huge thing, with it still even more rhythm entering the equation, which is being highlighted beyond believe in this Al Kent groover. At 5:40 that bass and the earliest form of percussion get some time at center stage, with at the six minute mark a more steady rhythm bass entering to give those hips something to do some damage to. It is a super rhythm heavy turn for the floor, understated-yet-bouncy. The singular disco sound does get back in there for some extra euphoria, which is a good way to draw this one to a close I reckon.

‘Pusherman’ by Curtis Mayfield (Pied Piper Regroove)

I love the slick, on-the-down-low-Jazz-club start of this Pied Piper regroove of a Curtis Mayfield tune. Very sultry, very percussion funk, and it sets the tone for the track. After about half a minute the track gets a bit more of a backbone to it, and with the guitar riff at about the sixty second mark the funk really gets in. Just before we get to the two minute mark we get the vocals, singing that he’s Your pusherman. It’s really got the cocaine jazz feel to it, and the non-straight percussion really helps out there. The vocals and the lines, too, do this, giving it this at-night-in-fright vibe where all that hazy shit is going down. The guitar, as said, that’s really a great addition, it gives it something to hang on to as well and, by doing that, help keep the percussion at ease. At 4:30 we get a momentary stop, which gets kicked back into gear soon enough with all the smokey bass and percussion that have been putting their stamp on the entire track for the entire duration. Put on those funky, round glasses, the black turtleneck, smoke something, and do that difficult Jazz dancing Beat poets do.

‘Prayer To St. Therese’ by Johnny Jewel feat. Chloe Sevigny

Johnny Jewel teams up with actress and poetess Chloe Sevigny for a campaign for the perfume company Regime des Fleurs. As always, Jewel manages to get all the vibes in there, providing just the right sounds floating around, slowly adding some rhythm elements there to help out Sevigny’s delivery of the poem. I love the spoken word vocals, she does that well, and in the background the midnight approaching menacingly with some rays of sunlight or some form of the divine glowing through all that. It’s a short little thing, but it is just another one of those by Jewel that just takes into account tone, audience, and the narrator delivering the odorous tale that needs to be soundtracked. Apparently at an event of the company the entirety of this will be on display, but in the mean time, this will do just fine I reckon.

‘Horizonte’ JKriv Rework

Starting with some beach sounds, then a little bit of acoustic guitar; you’d almost think you’re at some sort of beach with palm trees there. Then he fades that all out and comes back with some similarly vibed sounds, though this batch does include a bit of a beat to have a little beach party to. The sparkly sounds still give it this light-hearted holiday air. At about 1:20 you get an extra percussion in there that gives the track a bit more punch, though they trade that in for some Miami sounds around the two minute mark. And so this track keeps moving on, with the beat as a bit of a backbone, but especially the Hawaii feel which dominates the tone of the track. The vocals doing a du-du-dup line only add to that. Some of the sounds do have their origins in the disco, and all of them can soundtrack those holiday dreams you have around 16:00 of every day at the office you’ve ever had. Chillin’ the day away with that in a coconut served cocktail, right here.

‘Qwazars’ by Mr. Fingers

Any time you get a slice of house by Mr. Fingers it’s worthy of a listen. Here he rides those old school house sounds into the middle of the night, with a nice deep beat in the back, and some lovely synthesiser action up front. He adds a second one around 1:40, giving it a lighter vibe before adding those deep, dark vocals. He doesn’t forget the rhythm though, adding a bit of extra percussion in there before coming with some additional drums. The pace, though, is still dictated by the starting beat and synth, and emphasised by the secondary synthesizer. It is one of those groovers for your drug riddled mind (high on love, obviously, nothing else), a deep house slow ride that pushes all those buttons a track like that is supposed to. I mean, this year, there’s a new EP from this guy, what is there to further want, really?