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The Weekly Froth!

  • Published in Columns

 

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: ‘Josephine’ by Woolfy Vs. Projections

Chris Rae’s ‘Josephine’ is just one of those tracks everyone who has ever listened to the radio (ever) just knows. The lush vocals sending all their love to Josephine; just tapped into the consciousness of people that one. Obviously, the lads of Woolfy vs. Projections make sure it now is readily available for the dancefloor as well, doing their catchy, funky thing before they slow it down a tad to welcome sounds reminding us of the original track, after which they thrown in a rhythm synth with a beat backbone to get the people dancing again. After the two minute mark we get the vocals, which are not the originals, but more in tune with the electronical offering that we get here. Still, though, they are sending all their love, and Every single step they take, they take it with her. The guitar gives it a bit of that funk with a nice little riff, and the piano infuses it with some of that dreamy on-the-road-thinking-‘bout-my-gal vibe the original also had. It is not a fast paced affair, but ideal for your road trips or your dancing-the-sun-away moments.

 

‘L.A. Plays Itself’ by YACHT

YACHT are readying itself for the release of their new album, and this is the second single they’re bringing out for that. It’s a bit heavier on the punk/rock vibe than their previous one, but obviously it’s still a danceable, catchy affair with the beat drum and the bassy synth making sure the rhythm is a-okay. Because of the oomph of the drums, and the immediacy of the fairly spoken-word vocals you get this more rock vibe. There’s also a hint of hip-hop there in the timing at certain points. In the chorus they sing that You think it’s like that, but it’s really like this / You never get caught if you’re never locked in. With Claire then asking if you can read The writing on the wall. The track is apparently named after an experimental gay pornographic film, so there you go. Can’t wait for the new album, to be released later this month.

‘Big T’ by Tito Ramos (Joe Claussell remix)

Joe Claussell knows how to make you shake your boot-y, and here he starts with that percussion and that tropical vibe before he puts the four-on-the-floor and gets the upbeat Latin thing going. Along with a bit of that guitar and piano to give it that authentic flavoring. Just before the minute mark he throws in some horns as well before slowing it down for the vocals, as they chant "Brothers and sisters, I want to saaaay..." before diving into a narrative about this guy who did it His way (wink wink, nudge nudge). I love the multiple vocals, giving it this communal atmosphere, like you are dancing at someone’s street party in Cuba or something. And they sure get it going, and Claussell keeps all the auxiliary sounds right in there, with the guitar, the extra percussion, the whole shebang really, to make sure it keeps its momentum and this feel of pace. At about the four minute mark he slows it down a bit, stripping most except for the tom-toms and other percussion. He then first gets the guitar and vocals back before putting the beat back in there for the dancefloor to hang their hat on. Saw Claussell doing his nifty DJ stuff earlier this year, and there was definitely a party vibe there, and this shows why that was.

 

‘Better Believe’ by Alkalino

How about some of that old school disco, courtesy of Alkalino, who calls in Doctor Love, with the First Choice gang doing their thang. So it already starts with those old school sounds, driven by the bass, the four-on-the-floor, and the percussion elements, and with a nifty little guitar and some horns for extra flavor and that real disco feel. At about the two minute mark the girls call out for Doctor Love for the first time, with the main vocalist taking over at about 2:35, giving it that yearning feeling that fits that disco dancefloor to perfection. And she does the works, doing the growl, the high pitched squeal, just about it all really. In the mean time there’s still the beat, the percussion, the bass, and that little guitar to make it all move forward at breakneck pace. Just one of those fab old disco tunes that knows how to put the yearning and the sex in there, and Alkalino makes sure it gets some modern flavoring to get dancing to all night long.

 

‘Sunrise’ by Cyclist & Maiko (Aimes remix)

Sunrise this sure feels like, with Aimes taking on this track by Cyclist & Maiko. It is half the percussion cowbell, and half the lazy synth that, after about fifty seconds, is substituted for a more  deeper rhythm synth sound (though they later prove to be able to co-exist as well). The female vocals sing that Your love feels so good, and she certainly is feeling that she can spend her time with you (score!). So I guess that’s sipping-some-tropical-beverages-whilst-looking-at-the-sun coming up. The bass and percussion then move it into a bit of a higher gear, getting into dance mode a tad more around the two minute mark. At about 2:30 they move it into summer and tropical bars with some light, fun-loving synth work, after which they slide it back into the rhythm again, this time enlisting the vocals for some extra help, with the horns coming in as extra back-up as well. A sunny, catchy affair to do some of that late summer dancing to with your love (or lust) one for that night.

 

‘On & On’ by Crayon feat. Jordan Lee

Let’s go lush and smooth with this offering from Crayon. At about the 20 second mark they go from intro to the actual song, which has this nice R&B vibe with the synth and the particular rhythm of the drum. I like it when that little guitar riff comes in, that’s sweet. At about the minute mark they dial it down for a moment, removing the rhythm elements (especially that synth), but it all comes back soon enough. The vocals are silky smooth, and really give it that '90s R&B vibe, whereas the slick electronics put it more in the nu realm of it all. They plead Ohhh girl, don’t you turn me away. Again, at one point they dial it down, to the point there’s almost merely a sound that seems like fingers snapping to the rhythm, but for the last part they get it on for a moment again to make sure it doesn’t end whilst grinding to a stop. As said, super smooth, super sexy.

 
 

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The Weekly Froth!

  • Published in Columns


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.

 

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