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: ‘Possess Me’ by Salamanca (Mike Burns edit)

Let the funkiness commence! Mike Burns starts this one with a funky guitar and bass combo before the singers come in, singing Possess me, take me now. So they’re not mincing around, these people are, that’s for sure. In the mean time the guitars do all the work, coming in from different angles at once as the drums and bass keep the rhythm going on top of which the singers sing Take me now. I like how the rhythm shifts on occasion, with sometimes the drums more prominent, and at other times the focus being more on the bass. In the mean time there’s always room for the funky guitars and the dirty dancing vocals. At the three minute mark they strip most aside from the rhythm, with the vocals being exchanged for some spoken word, as someone asks whether or not you like his super boogie woogie (which, dear lord, I hope is not a euphemism for something or another). That gives it kind of a hypnotic quality, especially as all them all so loyally announce that they Like it. As if, indeed, they are possessed by the hoodoo woman. Which is a nice little touch I must admit, and add the funkiness to it, and you’ve got a clever little dance number right here.

‘I Know There’s Something Going On’ by Frida (Lindstrom remix)

Probably you know Frida. Frida once won the Eurovision Song Contest as part of a little group called ABBA. However, what you might or might not know is that she has actually released solo material as well, and Lindstrom decided to take one of those tracks on and give it a little space & house twist. So you’ve got the space synths, the bassy sound and the drums to add rhythm, and loads of auxiliary sounds putting this one firmly on the moon (and you, perhaps, over). At about 1:37 you get some piano which sounds like its from the original, and soon after the vocals come in, which frankly don’t sound really earthly either. She puts her money where her mouth is though, as she sings that If you want to leave, then why don’t you say, you’re love has gone anyway (tell him like it is, hon!). There’s certainly something going on right here, let me tell you. I love the whispers in the background, and they do add to the whole court intrigue vibe of adultery and backstabbing. At about the halfway mark Lindstrom puts a major guitar solo in there, followed by a guitar+vocals combo. The original album was produced by Phil Collins, hence maybe why after the guitar we get some drums, and Lindstrom puts this one in a rocket and lets it fly off. It’s got this completely offbeat quality to it, a tremendous weirdness, which makes this one a different coloured duck in that pond full of swans.

‘Tearing Me Up’ by Bob Moses

Bob Moses first gets the beat and percussion working, and only after those have kicked it off he dives into some of these typical house sounds, using the keyboard to build up some noise before he comes in with a bass. Those vocals, those are spot on, they are spoken-word and deep voiced as they give you the low down on one narrative or another. After the first stretch of spoken word Moses hits the exact right instrument to get into the chorus, which sees more singing, though even that is pushed forward by the same, deep instruments. During the second verse he enlists a bit of help from the guitar, which is a nice little addition. I also just love that beat and bass combo that does the rhythm, sometimes together, though at other times one withdraws in favor of the other. It’s got some of that film noir, Chicago in the Forties style, where the up-tempo jazz band in a smokey pub way late at night is already preluding some hints of house sounds that would only come into play years and years later. Definitely scores high on style, and everything works together real well to keep the vibe consistent. This is a track that’s off of his album Days Gone By, one that might just be worth checking out.

‘The Right Time’ by Tuxedo (M+M '80s Classic Mix)

John Morales gets the proceedings underway with a bit of that bass and percussion action, all in that formidable disco style of course. And when you get that little guitar riff underway, then you know for sure you’re right there again. Then the male vocals enter, nice and soulful, first doing a vocal chord warm-up, and then getting some help from the other guys first as they are singing that they think that it is The right time. Then he starts singing solo, indicating that he’s got you on his mind, and he’s all pretty sure about it, as you are shining like a light in the nighttime, loving everything that you’ve got. In the mean time that bass is still rolling in its mid-pace strut, the percussion still helps out with the rhythm, and the riff and vocals make sure it’s disco in probably its most sugary way. Also note that, despite having plenty of opportunity, no gender is ever specified, which fits the genre quite well probably. Next to the four main elements that have already been mentioned, there are some other instruments helping out obviously, though these all weave in and out of the song on cue. It is some old school lovin’, the sweetest in its kind, and one for the lovers instead of those in lust.

‘Murmur’ by AKASE

AKASE is the duo of Harry Agius and Robbie Redway, combining industrial, cityscape sounds with clear vocals on the always electronical and experimental !K7 label. This song starts with some drumpad percussion, and soon a noise bass synth is added to fill in the empty spaces. On top of that you get the clear voice of Robbie Redway, that sometimes gets doubled by higher pitched vocals (though in the chorus the main voice is a bit higher as well). He asks you to Douce me, and incite me, if there is an undertone of sadness in my memory, that’s all I will see. Cut the corner, cut it now. As if it is a plea for rescue, though whether you are rescuing the narrator from the dark nooks and crannies of his mind/the city or you are rescuing yourself is, for me at least, quite up in the air. The soundscape that is created in the back is, as said, industrial, with dubby percussion filled by the noise of the city industry. !K7 have, yet again, found a wonderful example of this kind of sound, like they are prone to do, to everyone’s delight.

‘The Way She Goes’ by Prince Monaco

Prince Monaco gets gritty with this mixture of punk and industrial that, at one point, slides into dance music (preluded by handclap sounds and the increase in percussion). As one would almost half expect from anything from the Wolf vs. Lamb label. The dance part gets going when the bass comes in (you can rely on that bass to get the people getting it on, ya know). Don’t expect a smooth disco turn though, as even the bass is dirty, and that guitar that comes in later is as industrial as all the rest. But as said, it is not a clean, city kind of industrial, but a down-in-the-lowlife-burrows kind of dirtiness definitely puts its stamp on this song. Not to say that if they slide that bass in there, like around 3:40 for instance, you can’t do a little dance, even a choreographed one you’ve prepared in front of the mirror. Especially towards the end it does have a dash of funk in it as well. The feel definitely sets this one apart from a lot of offerings out there.

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: ‘A Simple Design’ by The Juan MacLean

The Juan MacLean is coming with a new album this year, and this track kind of perfectly embodies what that band is about for me. You’ve got all the dancey goodness you can expect from a band whose most well-known track is called ‘Happy House’, but it also has this slight sci-fi/robot vibe to it, which gives it this innate Juan MacLeanness. This feel is enhanced to the max by those typical vocals by Nancy Whang, who sings on a lot of DFA bands, but on none are her vocals so fitting as when working with this band. This because she doesn’t only simply provide the vocals here, but that voice kind of seems to be part of the fabric. Obviously, there’s not only that thuddy drum sound which seems so typical DFA, but there are plenty of atmospheric synths as well, all which have some industrial/robotic vibe to them. And that’s the thing isn’t it, there’s such a clear vibe to this, almost detached in its robot studies, and yet it is also a song I would be dancing merrily to (if only for that springy piano sound that’s in there as well). In the chorus Whang sings that It is not a simple design / but I had it and everything you’ve build comes falling down. First of, this song is naturally not a simple design with lots going on, but the base structure providing the rhythm does provide these almost restrictions in its repetition, and in that falling down and the dancing you are free. It’s like a Robert Longo charcoal a bit. And, like those Longo’s, it’s absolutely awesome.

‘World Restart’ by Kindness feat. Kelela & Ade

This one starts lovely with that double feature of the horns and the two vocals, after which it kicks in some rhythm with the drums and bass. That trifecta really is the core of this track, with all kinds of secondary sounds providing extra atmosphere to it. I love the amount of horns on this one, it is rare you see that nowadays, especially with the horns being used in multiple ways (and right on through each other). I love how these horns sometimes come together, like they are being used as different layers as part of the whole structure, and then everything is stripped except for the two layers of horns, which suddenly work together in perfect unison. The vocals are silky smooth and give it a nice airy, dreamy feel, and Kindness does well to give the rhythm section enough deep vibes and punch to carry this one forward and keep it semi-dancey. New album coming out, so stay tuned.

‘Games for Girls’ by Say Lou Lou & Lindstrom

Lindstrom gets the dancing going on this one, immediately coming out of the gates with that catchy, space-discoey sound that certainly sounds like it should get all the girls dancing. At about fifty seconds in he comes with some light piano, after which he dives into a deliciously catchy instrumental for a little while. Plenty of Say Lou Lou here as well, with the vocals being very prominent. In that sense it is really close to, you know, a pop song, really. One I could actually see played on the radio. It’s got the timeframe (3:20), it is structured like one, and the lyrics “little boys with fancy toys”, that certainly seems the kind of thing kids would just love to be singing with its implied naughtiness. Aside from the start, where one can hear a shimmer of deepness, the track is really light sounding, really easy on the ear, and, above all (and that is certainly the one thing that draws me to it) really catchy.

‘Lotusland’ by Telephones (Discodromo remix)

This one starts by letting you listen to the seaside for a bit, though after about sixteen seconds in, nature is rudely disturbed by this deep bass sound that seems to come straight out of a Mojito commercial with its hip shaking madness. Discodromo quickly adds some percussion and, ehrm, ducks, dials down the bass for a moment, and at 1:35 he adds some extra drums to give this track some oomph for the dancing again. A little later he adds a spacey sounding synth (which I wasn’t expecting to be honest), and soon enough more keys come in to balance out all the deeper bass and drum sounds, giving it some atmosphere and momentum as opposed to just rhythm. In the mean time that bass is still rolling like there’s no tomorrow, so you definitely still have that core sound to be dancing to. By the midway point this track has evolved into this fully fledged sound, with plenty of stuff going on on top of the rhythm, which slowly gets dialled down a bit for Discodromo to come back with the beat at about 5:20 to help you finish this song dancing. I love how this one is set up, immediately coming out with that bass to get you dancing, and then just adding layer upon layer to patiently create the song whilst everyone is already on the dancefloor. Lovely remix by Discodromo.

‘I Feel It Comin On’ by NY Stomp feat. Matthew Kirkwood

NY Stomp is Dutch producer Gerd, and this lad knows a thing or two about house sounds, and he certainly puts that on display here. He teases with the beat for the starting minute or so, with the soulful vocals of Matthew Kirkwood singing that He feels it coming on, though the only thing NY Stomp gets on are the house-y piano sounds that do provide the vibe and flavour of house, though the real dancing has to wait for when the beat comes in to complement that piano, which is at about 1:30. So you’ve got the beat, the piano, and those vocals that have yet to differ from that one party line he’s been singing all the way through; and all of that gives you this really old school house vibe one can’t help but get jacking to in the club. So if you want a nice slice of old school house, this one is there for you to get your game on I reckon, with this stream obviously being a clip as a “real” house tune will have you at it for at least double its length.

‘Rain’ by Wrong Steps

The Boiler Room presents, and if The Boiler Room presents you can bet your little hiney that you can do some form of dancing to it. In this case, it presents Wrong Steps, and what Wrong Steps provides is this unpolished, garage like dance tune with plenty of dance music trademarks (just listen for a few seconds after the two minute mark and you’ll find that traditional base sound that everyone knows and can dance too), but on top and next to that it is a pretty experimental little humbug this one. It is definitely an intriguing one with multiple layers that often seem to run slightly off of each other, creating this double layer effect which is kind of odd and nice at the same time. If you listen from about 3:30 to 4:20 you get a nice idea of that, with plenty of experimental electronical sounds, but always returning to some form of an “easy” beat to dance to. So it never loses connection with the dance side of it, making it useable in the club, but always exhuming this underground vibe with the grainy, non 4-on-the-floor sounds. Definitely one I can just imagine hearing in a small Berlin club or something.