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: ‘Rollergirl’ by JP Source

At about the thirty second mark basically what you kind of were expecting comes in, namely this deep bass that will lead this girl down the rollertrack. A bit gritty, a bit sleazy, and abruptly stopping for a moment at about 1:10 to build up the anticipation for the moment at 1:30 when that bass comes back, having brought some friends along. And the one entering at 1:40 is most welcome of all, nicely juxtaposing the deeper rhythm sounds. The vocals, slightly in the back of the mix, do this as well, so it is no wonder these two sounds are basically relieving each other of duty throughout. The vocals are being looped like a son-of-a-gun, and behind them JP Source does a good job of weaving some of the elements in and out to give you a slice of freshness throughout the long stretch of vocal loops. That’s what is so nice about the track, he seems to be able to find the right times to add or subtract especially the bigger instruments, which you can play with a bit as the looping of the vocals provide the consistency for the song. Around the five minute mark we get some extra disco sounds, with the vocals being cut loose a little bit, and with a mini slice of horns rearing their brassy heads. It is a nice, seven minute affair for a night out.

‘World Gone Crazy’ by The Reverend Cleve Freckleton & The Sinners (Greg Wilson & Peza Club Dub)

How about some of that gospel, eh? Let’s not forget that house music and the church are quite linked together, if only because one takes place Saturday night and all of them all needed to be back in the church choir again on Sunday morning. Greg Wilson and Peza first get the bass going, providing a perfect layer for some dancing. Add to that a bit of that strumming guitar, and you’ve got the two main ingredients to support those growling vocals, singing that The world, has gone, craaaiizzyyy. Naturally, there are a host of other instruments in there as well, as well as some auxiliary sounds, for instance one that sounds like coins falling down. The main attraction of this track though is the preacher and his choir doing their thing over both the bass as well as the electric guitar, providing the right core to link the Saturday midnight to the Sunday service.

‘Beggin For Thread’ by BANKS (Aeroplane remix)

I love the lightness this one starts out with, it is a good tone to balance out the rather heavy handed beat Aeroplane throws in there. The vocals are somewhere in the middle of that, with an air of dreaminess, and helping out in the middle ground are the synth-pop like synths that come in to help her out a bit. The delivery of the vocals, too, have this nice poppy edge, and especially in the beat-less part starting at about 1:25 Aeroplane builds this up as a summer jam. The beat, obviously, comes back in, just to make sure that even the most dimwitted person in the room gets cued in that, Yes, you’re here to dance. In the mean time, the female vocals say that, surely, you should have known what you were getting yourself in to. If you don’t mind the heaviness of the beat (and I’m not a fan of that per se), then the other elements make a lovely summer tune out of this, including some cheesy synth lines to really get that vibe going.

‘Half Full’ by B-Jam vs Enos

This one starts like a stroboscope going haywire, but after about 20 seconds you get a whole batch of soul loveliness in there as if you’re eating that sweet chicken by the bucketload. That is what makes this track intriguing, on one hand the soulful smoothness in the vocals, which gets contrasted by the more contemporary backing sounds, which have this loopy, fragmented electronical feel to them. Like a deconstructed soul/old school hip hop track, which features both the classical elements of those genres, but which has been taking to town and let themselves be measured up for a new jacket. I am always intrigued, in any kind of art form, by that combo, and in a sense most of the edits in this column are that in a mild version. Something like this widens the chasm between the two parts, which makes the classic sounds pop out more, really singling out those characteristics that causes us to listen to these things in the first place.

‘Take A Chance’ by Moullinex (Satin Jackets remix)

This one starts with a bit of percussion, the bass is quickly added, and then you get some of those synths and that bit of guitar as well, all culminating into this slow, lazy, summer jam kind of vibe. The summer is definitely put in by the percussion, and that guitar and those synths just give you that lazy, staring-over-the-water-while-the-sun-is-shining kind of feel. The vocals help out a bit with that as well, by the way. Just before the two minute mark you get this lovely little bass to do some shoulder and/or hip action to. The aforementioned vocals are nice and high, having a certain lightness to them which make them very easy on the ear as they are asking Won’t you take a chance? Love how Satin Jackets slides that guitar back in at about 3:50, and then have most of what’s around it stripped away to really get this on-the-beach-with-guitar vibe out there. Super sweet and easy on the ear remix of a track on Moullinex’s new album Elsewhere.

‘No Sleeep’ by Janet Jackson

Pop diva Janet Jackson is back, this time with the sultry ‘No Sleeep’. She starts by singing that you are missing her, and that she is missing you. And that when you guys finally meet, there’ll surely be little sleeping going on (you go for it, honey!). Despite the scene just illustrated, this is, like I said, more a low key, sultry affair instead of a power pop sex track. It has a nice R&B vibe, and they glossed it over with a bit of class, making it one of those old school love songs. Including a dash of organ, a subtle bass line, and a nice little kick drum to keep it moving forward a bit. Definitely a welcome return from la Jackson, and returns can always be soooo terrible, but this one surely isn’t that.

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: ‘Grace’ by Bob Moses

Love the deep bass sound this one starts off with. This duo is signed to Domino Records, so that is nothing to sneeze at, really. After that deep bass sound you get some percussion in there to round out the rhythm part of it all, and then the synth comes in for the atmospherics. That synth lays the groundwork for the vocals, which are pretty deep and melancholic in the verses, and then get a bit of a boost with some less deep sounds in the chorus as he sings “why would you want to say I’m not the one you need”. By this time it kind of veers into more of a song than purely one for the dancefloor, though they make sure that (if they would play this live) you can still get some dancing done, even in the chorus. I do really like the melancholic feel to this one, which gets reinforced by that deep bass. They put plenty of other things in (like some guitar for instance) to not overload you with that deepness, especially during the choruses. Definitely a sound to watch.

‘Meet Me In The House Of Love’ by Cut Copy (Nile Delta remix)

Finally saw these lads live again when they played Primavera, and these boys sure know how to throw a party. Cut Copy have been veering more to the dancefloor, house side with their latest release, and these are all out dancey affairs. Nile Delta takes away some of the straightforward dance smoothness of the original, and throws in some extra sounds for the people in the club rather than at the gig. A transition to a percussion bit around 1:20, those moments are pretty nice additions (though I would be lying if I said I am equally enamoured with some other transitions in there). At 2:10 Nile Delta bring the track down a bit, strip the beat and go for just some synths. Then they build it up, both in terms of volume and by adding some percussion, after which they slide in a deeper rhythm sound and some vocals to start dancing to again. At this point they almost go a bit psychedelic with it, as said, taking some of the straightforward synth-house stuff off of the original. Definitely more instrument focussed this one.

‘I Never Thought I’d See The Day’ by Sade (L-Vis 1990 Sunrise Edit)

Everyone who had a working brain in the 1980s must know Sade, if only from that ‘Smooth Operator’ track. L-Vis 1990 takes a song from a later '80s album of theirs, the tragic ‘Never Thought I’d See The Day’, where she sings about a love that has gone. I love the bass that is working underneath it all, which gives it a bit of a deepness for the vocals and the synths to work over. Add some nice percussion and additional sounds, and you’ve got a nice complement going on there for the vocals. And blimey, Sade, she’s just got one of those voices, hasn’t she? Just one of those ones that sticks, and L-Vis 1990 isn’t throwing things on top of those vocals to make their presence felt. They know better than that, luckily. So the voice is still there in full force, you get some nice 80s piano in there, and then you also have the atmospheric synths, the deeper bass, and the bits of percussion to all add a little something something to it all. Add that easy listening sax on top of that (and as long as the percussion underneath keeps the track moving forward like it does after the three minute mark, then that sax is a good one to have in there), and you just have this lovely, low paced edit with the voice still as the centrepiece of it all.

‘Love Magnetic’ by Moullinex

I really like the guys from Moullinex, flying a bit under the radar I always think. They just make fun, synth-pop tunes with a dancey bend, and this one is no different. There’s a clear drum in there, but obviously the synths are really giving this one its boost and flavour. The vocals are singing that they can’t quite get this feeling out of their head, and whilst the drums are kicking on, the different synth sounds do quite a bit of the work here. From about the two minute mark there’s this big build up with the vocals continuously repeating the same line as the synth sound gets bigger and bigger, after which obviously this one goes back into full dancing-pop mode again. They constantly change up those synths, keeping the track fresh and fun enough to enjoy. If they’re playing this live, surely, the entire room should be dancing, no?

‘Whistle Time’ by Ooft!

Just the start alone makes me happy, with those cheerful party sounds and that guitar! After about twenty seconds not only are you happy, you can start dancing as well, with the bass sound, the cymbals, the beat, and the whole rhythm shebang you expect in a dancing tune. I am hoping for a return of those fresh sounds at the start, and slowly I already hear a bit of that vibe coming through the deeper dancing sounds again. At the two minute mark you get a nice change up for a minute, with the lighter piano that returns on occassion. At 2:45, that lighter piano gets a bit of help, shedding some more lightness in the deeper, darker base sounds of the track. The latter sounds get stripped away completely for a moment before, obviously, returning to get the whole club dancing again. It’s just a lovely dancing tune with plenty going for it, especially that contrast with the deep base sounds and the lighter auxiliary sounds, that really keeps the track alive for me. Wouldn’t even have minded for the track to go even lighter and more into disco mode, but the handclap sounds near the end are good enough for me.

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‘Nite After Nite’ by Music Go Music

This one starts really ominous with those wall of synths, after which almost everything gets stripped and there’s just vocals for a moment. Then the track slides into dancey pop territory, with a dash of '70s but also a dash of pop&disco to keep all kinds of people happy and moving their feet. I love those moments where they turn the pace up a notch, those moments are the ones that make me happy. Obviously, in order to be able to do that, you also need some downcast moments, and those work nicely too. The vocals are lovely, and the drum and the guitar keep things relatively on the down low but still give the track enough vibe to bridge the gap to the more up-tempo moments. They’ll be coming with a new album this year I believe, and if you like this '70s tinged dancing-in-the-forest-at-this-summer-festival kind of vibe, these guys are so your thing probably.