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: ‘Peace’ by Kenton Slash Demon (Lone remix)

I like how this one starts with that deep synth riff, that then gets juxtaposed by the higher pitched pianos. Then, at 25 seconds, the beat, the bass sound that reminds me of something but I don’t know what (do tell in the comments if you do have it) giving it a bit of that funky, R&B feel. I love how that slower bass gets mixed with, alternately, the piano and the beat, the latter giving it a bit more punch. At 2:20 Lone almost goes full piano for a moment, before the beat comes in to help that out, moving a bit more to the dance side of it. At the three minute mark that bass comes back in to give it some attitude, which it does crazily effective. The mixture of these elements, and also knowing when to put them on, when to turn them down, and when to slow down the pace entirely, is what makes this track so good and great to listen to. After slowing it down the bass comes back one more time, before clearly working it down to a close at the five minute mark.

‘Since You’ve Gone’ by Loframes feat. Anoraak

Loframes start this one with rhythmic vocals, under which melancholic tones emerge. At the 18 second mark we get the drum and a little guitar riff, as the male voice sings that the doesn’t know How to feel at times, as, apparently, someone has left. Slowly a more rhythmic undercurrent is put in (as the original drum sound didn’t have that particular function), as the vocals go from higher pitched to a bit deeper voiced. At the 1:48 mark there are some catchy synths as the track builds towards a moment where they pick up the pace, in the mean time the singer sings that he wants to close his eyes. It’s a lovely track, catchy in the right places, a nice build-up, but also a tad melancholic, not forgetting the emotion already alluded to by the title. Loframes get a bit of help from Anoraak, who I rate highly always, so that’s a sign of quality right there.

 ‘Come Back Lover’ by Fresh Band (Alkalino rework)

Alkalino takes on the Fresh Band, and it is clear where Alkalino is heading from the twenty second mark on, putting that frenetic guitar riff in on top of that steady dancefloor beat. More percussion at the fifty second mark, so that there’s really no mistaken that, yes, this is for the dancefloor, with Alkalino keeping the pace up on this '80s tune. Just after the 1:30 mark we get a nifty bassline in there as well, giving you more to do that boogie to. This is balanced by the horns, first rearing their heads around the two minute mark or so. Three minutes in they go a bit piano on us as well, letting that celebrate some freedom, and thirty seconds later the vocals come in for the first time. And they are singing, nay, pleading, Come back, lover, come back. The vocals, at all times, keep that distant feel, with the instruments remaining the center of attention. Only late, after the six minute mark, we hear a more forceful, less edited vocal sing Come on baby, in a more urgent manner than before. In the mean time the bass keeps rolling, the drum keeps hitting, and the piano/horns/guitar keep providing us with all that goodness to have that dancefloor boogie going on.

‘Set Fire To Me’ by Willie Colon (SanFranDisko mix)

SanFranDisko immediately pumps this up, indicating dance dance dance from the get go. The pace is real high, getting a bit juxtaposed by the synth sound that comes at about 50 seconds in. At 1:10, the vocals for the first time, with at 1:20 Willie Colon entering the verse as he sings that You’re the one for me, take control of me. The percussion and the rhythm of the vocal give it a Caribbean slant for me. And the trumpet at 2:45 as well, which is real fun, because you don’t quite hear that kind of horn sound very often in there. In the mean time the vocals keep imploring to set fire on them as, at 3:35, the piano comes in, which then slides into a bit of funky rhythm with the bass and the percussion. SanFranDisko deliver again on a funky remix that, through its original, gives it a particular slant to get on the noise, get on the funk.

 ‘Chemical Love’ by Animal Feelings feat. Nomi Ruiz

Animal Feelings recently released an album, with this cut being a slowed down electronical track with a steady, low-paced beat on top of which the keys provide the feel for this song. Which is helped by the dreamy, wispy vocals of Nomi Ruiz, which at the minute mark get a moment sans the beat and with some backing vocals as she sings she Can’t resist it. Then Animal Feelings pick it up again, giving both a steady groundwork for Ruiz as well as some additional help with the synths in terms of evoking the right feel. At 2:20, again, the beat gets tuned out, with just the vocals and piano doing some work as, first, the synth is added to Ruiz’ vocals before everything else is added again. At the end, as Ruiz has clocked out, the drum gets a tad more forceful, though the piano balances it out again. A nice, dreamy track, helped in part by the Ruiz vocal turn.

‘Heads’ by Bob James (George Kelly mix)

George Kelly starts with the percussion and a bass underneath, before diving into the beat a little while later. At the 35 second mark we get some higher pitched sounds in, and at about the 50 second mark we get into funkier territory right there and then. He establishes a nice groove, mixing all the parts smoothly, giving you this understated disco vibe to be dancing to (look at, for example, the change-up happening at around 1:55). He throws in some solo piano to boot, giving you something to marvel at as well. By switching and tuning in and out all these sounds Kelly crafts a smooth disco ride from this 70s Bob James track, going all instrumental on us for us to sway a bit in the discotheque.

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: ‘Rise’ by Herb Alpert (Late Nite Tuff Guy Remix)

It’s been a while since Late Nite Tuff Guy uploaded something to his SoundCloud, and his first in months is a remix of Jazz great Herb Alpert. LNTG is really good at delivering a smooth disco ride, and here, too, he sets the rhythm immediately, giving you that delicious dancing feel. He throws in a little riff, and at 1:20 he dials it down a bit to get the piano and the jazzy horns in. Then the percussion, to come back to the bass and the riff again for those on the dancefloor. The next segment sees those melancholic horns again, conjuring up the image of Bogart and Bergman saying goodbye at the airport. It’s a lovely mixture of a smooth disco ride with the rhythm, and the jazzy sounds of Herb Alpert giving you all the mood and vibe you want for a lovelorn night of disco dancing.

‘Just A Lover’ by Hayden James

Hayden James doesn’t waste any time, immediately coming in with the vocals, the beat, percussion, and bass. The vocals are nice and deep, fitting for this kind of sound. The rhythm sounds, too, are relatively deep, though at about the 50 second mark he adds some lighter sounds to shift. Just before the 1:30 mark he strips the real deep sounds, even adds some piano, before bringing those rhythm instruments back (though having put the brakes on the pace a tad compared to the beginning). The vocals let you know that You were temporary, you were just a lover (just a prop to occupy your time?). It’s a nice, catchy tune that takes the deep road with the rhythm, at the end switching it up and finishing it all off on some higher piano notes.

‘Thrills’ by JMII (John Talabot’s Early Edit)

John Talabot gets the pace going from the start, using the beat to provide the steadiness of a dance track before adding a relatively deep sound on top of it to balance the lighter sounds he had already put in before and the one coming in after. About ten seconds before the two minute mark he changes the track up, even adding some warped vocals (which say a whole lot of nothing) on top of this synth heavy part. Obviously, one expects him to return to the deep rhythms of before, though he does take his sweet time to build up the suspense. The drop comes at the three minute mark, though he keeps the sounds of the previous part as well, making sure that it’s a completely new chapter in the track. It’s another quality tune by the man, exactly the kind of thing one has come to expect from his hand.

‘Boipeba’ by Joakim

Joakim starts this one with a bit of percussion, adds some sounds of the sea, but above all keeps the feel exotic, also by the choice of instruments. A bass beat is added just after the minute mark, sliding underneath the sounds he introduced some moments before. There are some ethereal sounds in the background, which kind of get juxtaposed (if not replaced) by a slow, deeper rhythm sound that is put in. Joakim is going for a lovely deep cut here, providing us with a hypnotic, slow rhythm but also plenty of mood to keep this one on your mind. After some thunder, he moves to a deep beat again, adding a sort of military drum to move it a bit more to the old school house vibe. Then he adds that slow, deep bass sound again, just to let you know you’re not out of the woods yet. It’s a lovely, deep mood piece that shows the ear Joakim has, being able to compose a thing like this.

‘Phreeky’ by Eli Escobar feat. Vanessa Daou & Nomi Ruiz

Eli Escobar knows how to get the most out of his tracks, surrounding himself with Vanessa Daou and Nomi Ruiz for this up tempo house cracker. It’s got the beat going, the percussion on top, and then he yells out that he needs a Phreek as the track stays true to its house vibe. Then he slides more to the disco side of the equation with the piano and bass, introduced by a female voice saying Aaaaah, come on (le phreek). After a moment without he puts the beat back in, and at 2:12 he ups the pace again, adding some soulful vocals to the whole proceeding as well. Just before the three minute mark we get a du-du-du-du line from the female vocals, first without anything else, and then the percussion steps in to get dat rhythm right. The track is really easy on the ear, and I love the different segments and the transitions to them. He keeps the pace up high, making sure there’s no one there regretting bringing their dancing shoes.

‘Tresor’ by Flavien Berger (Paradis Shuffle Mix)

I always love Paradis’ stuff, here starting it off with some jazz horns in tranquility, with the synths providing a subtle backdrop for them to shine on. Then, after about forty seconds, they add a sharp beat, a little piano riff, and then the spoken word. It is a voice with some gravitas in it, though in a foreign language you can have me believe anything I suppose. In the mean time, underneath, some dancefloor elements come in, before transitioning to a rather trippy synth track. Even with the trippier moments there are still the tranquil synth sounds that add a bit of sanity to it to balance it all out. And then, at about the halfway mark, the horns again, this time on top of the trippier sounds, but because of that providing it with perhaps a more important function. And I do love that combination, giving you the Paradis feel with a bit of an edge this time around.