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: ‘Gold Rush’ by Miguel Campbell feat. Benjamin Diamond

This one gets the '80s R&B and club vibe going with that beat, the moanin’ and groanin’, and the synthesizer action. When the vocals come in the song really gets smooth, super catchy with the beat and the bass sound. So this one really makes sure to get it on. The vocals sing that they are In trouble, for, apparently, they’ve got a Crush again. At for example the 2:20 mark Miguel Campbell removes the percussion, getting piano and vocal performances only, after which the funky beat comes in again. Benjamin Diamond sings that It’s such a rush, really feeling the loving there I reckon. Late in the track you also hear a little bit of a riff in there, not up front, but just underneath the smooth top layers to just get a bit of that guitar action in. It’s a super smooth and catchy ride, and part of the new Miguel Campbell album that will be released, well, today I suppose.

‘By Your Side’ by NTEIBINT feat.

This one starts with some percussion, but soon the lush synths come in. At about the 25 second mark it settles down with a slower tempo beat, the synths slightly more to the background, and the detached vocals that become more rhythmic at what I assume is the chorus. They sing they’re Holding on, just for tonight. The combo between the rhythmic delivery and the percussion is pretty sweet, and the way it’s all mixed gives a nice hazy vibe. At certain moments NTEIBINT puts a break in, like at about 2:50, after which he first builds it up with vocals and synths before adding the actual percussion (though there is a slow, far away beat to be found in those moments as well). At about 3:30 the percussion, rhythm vocals, and nifty bassline return for a bit of that R&B vibe of rubbin’ and luvin’. A nice mellow groover to get sweet with your lover to.

‘Uptown Celebration’ by P-SOL

Gil Scott-Heron is one of those guys that always inspires people to do something, and here P-Sol take on some of his music to make a celebratory groover. The bassline works together with the percussion to lay down the ground layer, with the high pitched synths making sure that there’s some pace here and that the track, in tone, indeed has a somewhat celebratory feel to it. At about the 1:35 mark we get some nice, quick firing percussion there as well, with still the deep bass tones in to keep the balance right. When they’re  finally there they ride that sound for a while, until they strip most sounds and give the vocals a moment there. Slowly but surely the reinforcements come in, and when we hear the high synth sound we know the beat and bass aren’t too far away to get back to the main groove of this track. This is one side of a 2-part double-header by P-Sol doing the Gil Scott-Heron thing, which was released late last month.

‘The Lady In My Life’ by Alan Mooney

Alan Mooney puts on the breaks with this slow burner of a song. The bass sound is nice and lazy, and slowly more sounds attach themselves to that huffin’ and puffin’ train that is moving over the mountains of Switzerland at a benign pace. In the mean time there is percussion, there are vocals, and there are some other auxiliary sounds as well, though the big beat comes in at 1:35. And it gives time, but time doesn’t go fast around here. At about the 2:20 mark Mooney gets that beat out of there, though another percussion elements soon comes in to make sure that it does keep trotting forward until the beat comes back at about 3:10. In the mean time the vocals are chopped up, giving us one line at a time, with those lines being repeated and coming back seemingly randomly. It is especially the yearn of the female voice that stays with us. At about the five minute mark Mooney plays around a bit with the guitar, and when the vocals come in a bit louder that is the cue for the beat to start rearing its head again. A super sweet super slow burner, that is all about the vibe.

‘Love Will Keep Us Together’ by Captain & Tennille (Sleazy McQueen edit)

Sleazy McQueen leaves no moment untouched to get the percussion and beat in to turn this old Captain & Tennillle track into something for the club. At the thirty second mark we, for the first time, hear a semblance of vocals to go along with the guitar and, some seconds later, the bass. McQueen has, for the first minute, really deconstructed this one. But after the minute mark we get the bass, the piano, and also the vocals that we know so well. Singing, obviously, that Love, love will keep us together (until it’s going to tear us apart again, but that’s a story for another day). McQueen kind of mixes and matches the bass and the piano with the vocals, making sure it sounds nothing like the original, but still has all those characteristic elements of said song. Add to that a bucketload of auxiliary sounds and some extra percussion, and you’ve got a fun romp significantly removed to not be a smack-on-a-beat-and-there-it-is edit. And still with enough of the vocals, which is perhaps always the thing people can cling most to, and which is welcome if only to deliver the message that, Yes, love keeps us together. Add to that a bass that, especially in the second part of the track, grooves it forward, and you’ve got a nice and quirky little edit of a super classic track that, if not done right, always has the danger of cliche lurking there.

 ‘Love Is The Answer’ by Bob Sinclar & Dimitri From Paris feat. Byron Stingily (Club edit)

Lets get those funky drums rolling, along with a nice, steady beat. Soon enough though the piano and horns come in to turn those disco vibes on, with after the thirty second point it having all the marks of one of those fun, soulful funky tunes with all them all singing that Love is the answer. At the minute mark the main vocalist gets his turn, singing his stuff on top of the bass and drum combo as he sings that he Comes to one conclusion, which is the cue for the choir to come in to sing that, yes, Love is the answer (and don’t ya forget it!). In the mean time the lads make sure the pace is kept high, and the morale too, with the good vibes running all over on this dancefloor certainty. It’s just got all the hallmarks for that, with the rhythm delivering at breakneck speed, with the soulful vocals, and all the disco goodness with the horns and piano. There is the big stop at the 3:45 point, with first just the vocals, then a bit of guitar to mix with the piano, and then there’s a drum and piano combo where the piano is allowed to strut its stuff, first rhythmically, and then as a solo when the bass takes over the rhythm. After that, the horns, and the vocals, and we’re banging it all out again. Just one of those edits that can light up a club with its feel good demeanour and the pace to pull it all off.

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:  ‘Cheer Up, My Brother’ by HNNY

Gosh, I guess I can just fill up an entire column with A) my adoration for HNNY and his music, and B) bad puns on his name (all in good jest, of course). Here he puts that soul in the midst of all those modern electronics again, and of course he nails it (like, you were doubting that?). Just one for that chilling out when the sun is rising, it’s got a lovely, lazy beat, though he is not afraid to turn that one down in favor of the flavor, with those vocals providing a good bunch of that. Just those warm, old school soul vocals, and you can just almost feel the sound of the old vinyls of yore being used. She is singing the title of the track over those lovely, understated drums to which one can still do a little shuffling to. Add some piano in there as well, which is stripped away at about 4:20 for some of that percussion and what sounds to me like a bit of violin/string action, which combines with a soft little bass to bring it all down to a close. Again, he’s got the atmosphere down pat, and he’s so good at mixing the modern sounds and fusing and injecting them with the warmth and feel of either the jazzy/soulful sounds of yesteryear, or the R&B of the 90s. This one is an example of the former, and an ace one at that.

‘The Chase’ by Future Islands

Everyone and their mothers, sisters, and husband’s lovers fancy a bit of Future Islands nowadays, and with good reason. That last album was pretty amazing, and if you haven’t seen them live yet, you’re missing out (and really really not trying, because these guys have been everywhere! Touring animals, rawwrr). Here, again, you have those lovely synths and that kick to give it this catchy, '80s feel, but those vocals are so emotionally charged that it blows the sockets off of the walls, giving it this emotional load that gives this band the edge over those more plastic-y bands from the '80s. With the main question here being, Is this love? (don’t we all wanna know?). Made with Record Store Day in mind, hopefully some lucky people managed to pick this one up, as this is one that would not have been out of place on their last album. And have I already mentioned how ace that album is?

‘Let’s Get Slow’ by Aeroplane feat. Benjamin Diamond

Aeroplane pulls a fast one on us here, because this certainly isn’t one to get slow to. It is, however, a summery, bouncy synth track to do some dancing on. It’s got a cheery, almost retro demeanor to it, with some relatively cheesy chorus action. But, in a good way, as sometimes it helps to get the fun in the party, and this one is definitely made to have some fun to. It’s easy on the ear, with Benjamin Diamond doing the vocals, singing Let it go, we know, that I know, let’s get slow, or something close to it. There are also some female vocals in there, trying to enthuse the crowd like a cheerleader does during the basketball play-offs (Go insert-fav-team). And sure enough, some fun can be had with this one, though it won’t be winning a Pulitzer anytime soon.

‘In the Street’ by Chocki Hookon (Jacques Renault BK Club Mix)

Released earlier this month, Jacques Renault takes it to the club with some percussion action in this one. I love that sound that comes in at about the thirty second mark, gives it this grainy & raw club vibe. Which, shortly after, gets juxtaposed by some of that piano action. In the mean time the percussion is still rolling as the vocals start to come in. The talky female vocals are telling you to Get down on the funky beat, if you happen to be in the street. When the vocals die down, Renault gets the engine running (funnier if you follow Formula 1, I swear) to make sure you get that jolt for dancing, half a minute later coming back with the piano (which is then, again, followed by the vocals). This really is one for the house club, Renault going full throttle here, making this one a track to drop in the middle of the set when the party is going, just to make sure that people keep jacking it up and doing their thing. Some of that nifty house fare by Mr. Renault.

‘Keep on Talking’ by Tensnake

When Tensnake releases something, you know you’ll be dancing, don’t you? This is his new single, and he’s got the beat going first, and then this deep synth comes in, after which he throws some of those drumpad percussion sounds your way. The real deal comes at the minute mark, as he throws out some of those club vibes to go a little bit more soulful, making sure this tune hits on the house-party cylinders. That rhythm sound that comes in at 1:45 is nice and catchy as well, and Tensnake sure knows how to bring new things in to keep the crowd on their feet. At 2:18 he gives them a bit of a rest though, dialling down the rhythm parts, but adding some really high pitched vocals, getting them more and more to the fore of the track before returning to party mode a bit later on. Though a short while later he’s combining both for the full effect, getting there at about the halfway mark. I love that synth line at about 3:45 onwards, that’s a nice little rhythm thing again. Then he goes full on with a big, bad build-up, and when the full-fledged party core gets started again, that synth line is still there, but a bit bulkier to contest all the other party sounds. And those are just those smart little things that make a club tune by Tensnake something to always be watching out for (and, when it’s there, to be dancing to).

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

When you’re called Supermen Lovers I do expect some attitude and cheekiness in there, and this one certainly starts with some of that sexy action. It’s just got some of that naughtiness, not in the least in the bass. At the 1:20 mark they get the synths involved, upping the pace a bit, throwing in some of those atmosphere sounds for good measure. The real things about this one are the way they use the vocals and the drums/bass, which just make you wanna get sexy with it. Those sounds are nicely contrasted by the synth sections, which give you a bit more of that party atmosphere while keeping the fun in place. Just before the four minute mark they turn it down a bit, slowing it to a crawl with drums/bass/beat all stripped away, obviously coming back with it after a good half minute or so. Brings out the fun and the cheeky, this one, and that’s something I always like on the dancefloor. That ending, also quite cheeky, but definitely not for the same reason as the tone of the bass was in the five minutes prior.