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.

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: ‘I Thought The Future Would Be Cooler’ by YACHT

Seriously, that title alone makes this one worth talking about, because that is just friggin’ awesome. Not only that, it’s probably exactly what every semi-nerdish person is thinking at this very moment, because who hadn’t expected the future to be cooler? At least give us that hooverboard man! Google Glass is too 1984 (never mind all the curfews-following-protests and stuff), but the hoverboard is the epitome of futuristic playfulness! Anyway, YACHT, I love YACHT. Not only for their witticisms (there’s an English grad in that band after all), and not only for the fact that there’s an actual ideology-- or at the very least, workplace ethos-- behind it, but also because they know how to create a catchy tune. First Claire sings the title of the track, layered with a bit of roboticism. And then the tune start, with the kickdrum, with the bass, with loads of auxiliary sounds like that catchy piano line that starts at around the fifty second mark. They attack the chorus pretty niftily, dialling it slightly back for the verses. There is a little break with some handclaps around the two minute mark, then they go at it again, and then they bring it down to just a synth line and the vocals, before going all out to the finish line again. Love the double vocal layers, the catchiness, and just this whole track is wickedly fun, to be honest.

‘Stranger In A Room’ by Jamie XX feat. Oliver Sim (Pional’s Room Version)

Last week this column featured a Pional remix that he did together with John Talabot, and this week we’ve got a track where lonesome he takes on Jamie XX’s track ‘Stranger In A Room’, featuring Oliver Sim on vocals. Love the piano at the start, leave it to Pional to herald that instrument, and the drums give it some backbone. A floating synthline is underneath it all, being a constant in the background. Soon the vocals come in, slightly detached. At about 1:14 Pional slows the pace down for a moment, going with a non-rhythm bass sound. I love the atmosphere of the tune, it is slightly dark, moody, but for instance that guitar that comes in at 2:16, or the sudden relative clarity of the vocals: just some things that then suddenly come above the fray and give you a little jolt to the body. The ending, pretty nifty, with a slow guitar sound over the more trippy percussion. Another power offering by Pional.



‘Disappointing’ by John Grant feat. Tracey Thorn

John Grant already went fairly electronic with his quite awesome previous album, veering away from the more singer-songwriter territory of his first solo endeavour. After his Hercules And Love Affair stint it should come as no surprise that this new single really starts rubbing its shoulders with the disco. The electro synth lines give it this bass-y catchiness, with new instruments popping up every now and again. In the mean time John Grant puts on his low voice for the verse, where he names all kinds of things that are Disappointing, compared to you. I like the theatrics of the backing vocals doing a sort of shubby-do-waa near the end of the chorus. The second verse Grant gets some help from Tracey Thorn, who helps him come up with stuff that don’t quite cut it if you put it next to love (or, at least, him). In the chorus they kind of dial the pace back a bit, though they keep a kickdrum behind it all to make sure you can still do a little dance whilst the tune keeps plodding forward. At about three quarters of the way through there is a little instrumental interlude, capped off by a moment of just vocals before it reaches its end. Which it does with a sound that is pretty uplifting, they managed to choose the instruments well to convey that feel. Saw them two years ago in the pouring rain at Primavera Sound in Barcelona (No no, look here, it says it’s not going to rain, so we can leave our raingear at home...), and looking forward to seeing him this Autumn when there’s actually a roof over my head.

‘City’ by Stuart McCallum

Stuart McCallum is gearing up for an album release, of which this is the title track. The start is really electronical, with a simmering synth, a bit of echo on the vocals it seems, bit after about thirty seconds you get the soulful voice and a nice slice of guitar to pierce through this atmosphere of a more industrial (nay, city) vibe that the instruments build behind that. At 1:20 he goes ghostly, having just the vocals at first doing some ooooh, after which you briefly here a soft guitar, before it goes into a sort of dub-steppy drum rhythm. In the mean time McCallum is singing that He fell in love with that city, after which you get a sort of jazz guitar solo, which is pretty wicked. And that makes it the intriguing listen that it is, the theme of it that is enhanced by the more electronical drums and instruments, but the humaneness of the soulful vocals and the jazzy guitar sound that walks right through all that. Album will be released on the 28th of August, if this tickled your fancy.

‘Lost In A Dream’ by Eagles And Butterflies (Larse remix)

Larse knows how to make a good deep house tune for the dancefloor, and here too he starts with a nice bit of rhythm with the percussion and beat setting the pace. At about the fifty second mark he sets the tone in terms of atmosphere, before combining that with the returning beat again after a couple of seconds. At the 1:20 mark he slides in a nice, reasonably paced synth line, which becomes more prominent in the upcoming parts. At 2:30 he starts to sneak in the piano, which will become an actual piano bit when he dials out the synth line. Which is neat, as he already introduced the replacement earlier, and when it comes it’s a smoother transition. At the halfway point he again subtly changes things up, in with some new stuff and out with some old stuff, but the core stays within this realm to help the track keep its continuity, which is no bad thing for the dancefloor. Before the five minute mark he turns down the beat and most of the percussion, starting with basically just a synth before building it up with, as the last addition, the beat coming back at the six minute mark (like, exactly). Another awesome instrumental house tune by Larse, who knows how to get those people down by the underpass dancing.

‘You Can Shine’ by Andy Butler feat. Richard Kennedy (The Carry Nation Remix)


Last month an EP of sorts was released where three people took on Andy Butler’s solo effort ‘Can You Shine’, which has Richard Kennedy on vocals. This is The Carry Nation’s takes on the tune, who starts it out with a bit of that bongo percussion to get that rhythm and jackin’ vibe going. Then the beat comes in, and even more African based percussion come out of the woodworks to get all y’all doing whatever you do on that rhythm thing. Just after the minute mark there comes a bit of Berlin in there too, a bit of that industrial synth, before Richard Kennedy comes in with those crystal clear house vocals that sing that He makes me special. The synth, in the mean time, is doing that bass thing to really get that House vibe going on, with this one transmorphing into an old school House tune with the soulful vocals, all those jackin’ rhythms, and this tale of love that fell apart, with house music and the dancing as the saviour. That change-up at about 4:20, that’s sweet, that’s some bass sound dancefloor goodness right there. Which, incidentally, starts an instrumental house-a-thon with some lovely change-ups to keep the dancing crowd going, and it’s only after 1 1/2 minute that the vocals come back in (though, from the back of the mix). Basically it’s just an 8 1/2 minute long party for all the freaks and geeks who like that House sound.