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 seems to be a good moment to look back at some of the tracks that, at the start of 2015, rocked the Casbah.

Track of the Week: ‘Shelter Me’ by Sade (Late Nite Tuff Guy remix)

Sure, this was posted late December last year, but around the Holidays, so 2014 was about all but shut down by that time, eh? So I think we can still count this one for 2015, and anyway, do I really need reasons to post a super nice, super lush edit of a classic Sade track? Late Nite Tuff Guy knows what to do with it, keeping it soft and smooth, with a bit of percussion to help the tender beat out, but it are the synth sounds that lay down the mood of this one. And something like at 1:55, the transition to the bass, that’s lovely. Then some more percussion again, and soon, those impeccable vocals come in, with LNTG knowing that these are the star and giving them plenty of room. They say that they could see it in Your restless eyes, the truth that she was hiding and you could not disguise. LNTG knows when to add the piano in, appearing at all the right moments, as she is coming to the understanding that she needs A miracle to make you stay. A slow groover with exactly the right pace, mood, and amount of heartbreak. And when she yearningly says she wishes that You could shelter me, and LNTG brings in the horns, that’s the ball game folks.

‘The Man Inside Me’ by Thodoris Triantafillou feat. Nomi Ruiz

This track by Thodoris Triantafillou combines a strong back beat, atmospheric sounds, and the ever longing vocals of Nomi Ruiz. After the first batch of vocals you get a nifty synth sound, and when Ruiz goes to a higher pitch we see Triantafillou follow suit with sounds to match that. At one point the vocals get doubled near the end, providing even extra punch as she sings she is Left alone to fight another storm, not being sure why she still loves you. The track is off of an album that came out in January of this year, and it manages to superbly marry those vocals and melancholic lyrics with sounds that both keep this one moving forward, but also add to the feel of the track. Lovely song from the Greek and the former singer of Hercules and Love Affair.

‘Jolene’ by Dolly Parton (Todd Terje remix)

The thing the world was waiting for probably. One of the more gut wrenching country tracks of mainstay Dolly Parton gets the makeover treatment by the disco king Todd Terje to produce a lovely dancefloor killer. Everyone can now finally dance to the country guitar and the desperate vocals of Parton as she sings, nay, pleads, Jolene, please don’t take my man (and only just because you can, girl! What the heck!). The percussion underneath provides the dance rhythm, and the guitar is the thing that gives it both its vibe, its recognisable sound, and it helps along with the pacing as well. At the 2:30 mark the drums make way for a minute as, for the first time, the vocals come in, after which a happy, slappy bass starts to run along with the track. The combination is just magical, with Parton crooning that He talks about you in his sleep, whilst in the mean time the track keeping the dancing going.

‘Just Give Me Joy’ by Elvin Tibideaux

Way at the start of the year one of my favorite House labels, Let’s Play House, released this doozy by Elvin Tibideaux, who lets the bass get it on and who keeps the pace nice and high. After the minute mark we get a little guitar strumming as well in the background as, in the mean time, the speed is still up and away. At the 1:50 mark there’s a bit of room for a breather, but you know that, soon enough, it is going to come back in its full glory. One of those dancefloor speed freaks with deceptive depth with all the sounds that help out underneath the surface. And, you know, the bass, you gotta slap it people, and that certainly is what Tibideaux does here. Before the 3:30 mark it again takes it down a notch, but after that, Oh glory, there come the vocals! And the guitar is a bit more up front. The vocals are screaming it out, yelling that she needs You!, saying a minute later that she gets what she wants (and If I don’t get it, I don’t want it! You tell them girl). In the mean time the bass keeps this one rolling, only taking it down a minute when she insists that you Stay right there. LPH definitely a label you want to keep an eye on if you love this kind of thing (and who doesn’t, really, now).

‘Be Love’ by Natty Fensie (The Supermen Lovers remix)

In March The Supermen Lovers posted their edit of Natty Fensie’s ‘Be Love’, giving it the cheeky dancefloor treatment. It just has this lovely Lets have fun vibe written all over its face, with a lovely pace gotten through a variety of percussion and bass in most stretches, and in some there’s a little piano and guitar going on. Natty Fensie, in the mean time, is telling you to Give it, and the Supermen Lovers do, at 3:20 by going all out on the synth for example, with the bass providing the boogie underneath. It’s just a lovely fun romp, with enough pace to get down and flirty to on the dancefloor. And, at the end, even giving you a little surprise with some of that cosmic jivin’ guitar as it slows it down for its final minute or so.

‘All U Writers’ by !!!

!!! released an amazingly fun dance album with loads of catchy tunes to get all your dancing moves out, and this bass heavy little number they released at the very start of April, already laying down the groundwork for what was to come. The vocals turn deep at first, but then go up a notch as also the female vocals come in. The bass, meanwhile, is still doing all that ridin’, with some guitar strumming getting in there for good measure. And, at about 2:45, it is that guitar that gets a bit of working room before the bass comes back in to claim its domain and to get all the dancers dancing again. First, though, some vocals, some working up to the inevitable fall, and then, at 3:40, there it is, for all y’all to get that boogie on again. Nice and deep in terms of sound, yet surprisingly upbeat and fun in terms of feel, just one slice of the joy !!! brought with their latest LP outing.

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.