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: ‘Keep On Talking’ by Tensnake (Gerd Janson Raw Mix)

Gerd Janson and Tensnake don’t leave anything to chance, diving in there with some wild drums, a beat, and a deep bass sound to make sure that you understand that this is for the club. From the back to the front we hear a light synth sound coming, and when that synth sound has arrived to the fore, that’s the cue for a new rhythm to come in to shake all those lovely dancers up a bit. Around the 1:40 mark the synths start to arrive, even momentarily replacing some of the percussion as the track builds up to the fall, which comes at the two minute mark with some delicious house piano. That one is just awesome, pushing the beat to the background as it becomes the main sound. Not for too long though, as it is replaced not a whole lot later by some synth action that comes in to perform a similar function. After that it’s back to the beat, with some wobbly synths in there to flesh out the sound. Some drum action ensues, after which the track picks up the pace a bit to really make sure that everyone is dancing, if they weren’t already. The beat is stripped for a short while, though obviously it comes back, and it brings a little friend with it in the form of that nice piano action we already saw earlier. Just a lovely slice of house music here, with two mainstays in the scene doing what they do best.

‘Birthday Card’ by Marcus Marr & Chet Faker

From about the fifteen second mark these lads get the catchy going, with a nice little distorted bass sound on top of the fast paced percussion, soon evolving into a slow-to-mid tempo beat on top of which Chet Faker starts to croon that he wants to Be something. The bass sound gives it a nice little groove, and the beat keeps the pace in check to fit the Faker vocals. Just before the two minute mark the percussion ramps up the pace a tad, though it’s still the bass that dictates it along with the soulful vocals. There’s some nifty percussion in the background, a nice touch to flesh the sound out a bit on occasion, with sometimes an auxiliary sound taking center stage a bit more, like around the three minute mark. Still though, it’s all about the bass groove and the vocals, singing that they want to Feel your heart. At the four minute mark there’s another one of those auxiliary sounds hogging the spotlight for a short while, this time it being a slightly wonky electric guitar. It settles into a bridge for a moment, leaning a bit more on the rhythm beat thrown in there, though the additional percussion already indicates it’s ramping up for the finale, with Marr diving in there at about the 5:55 mark, with the bass coming back at that point. This after a moment where the track just focussed on Faker’s vocals. Nice groover with some nifty soul added by Chet’s voice.

‘Archetype’ by LukeMillion feat. Jeswon

Luke Million slowly gets this groover on, getting a bit of bass going to go along with a slow-paced rhythm for a track that would fit in one of those 80s soundtrack. It is some nice bit of that '80s synth pop action where the high school hunk is going for that blonde bombshell, finding each other on the dancefloor for a bit of that boogie-woogie. But Jeswon does warn you that She don’t want love, she don’t understand it. So watch out there, sir. At the 2:20 you get that lovely wobbly electronic guitar sound, and there are also some dashes of the vocoder to be found as well. In that regard this track reminds me a bit of that Chromeo fun to get a little funky to on the dancefloor.

‘Analogue Voodoo’ by Craig Bratley

Craig Bratley gets the voodoo out early with the drum beat, doing that New Orleans hocus pocus thing whilst allowing the rhythm to get going. Ominous sounds start at about the thirty second mark to really get the right vibe in there, and just after the minute mark we get some new, major drum sounds along with talking male vocals that are deep and seem to be laughing at our destiny, as probably they’ve put a spell on us. The synthesizers now come in to add to the feel and sound, not so much the rhythm, of the track. That is still firmly in the hand of the multitude of percussion sounds that criss-cross each other. At the three minute mark we do get a new synth sound that is more rhythmic, so that’s another thing you can hold onto whilst dancing. Near the end most sounds are stripped, aside from the main drum beat and the percussion element from the start, riding us towards the ending monologue of the vocals. A few years ago Craig Bratley also released a track called ‘Analogue Dreams’, but pleasant dreaming it ain’t with this one. Trippin’, more likely, with loads of percussion helping you out right there, along with the voice from your nightmares.

‘Nu4him’ by Shanti

This one starts out with a hard, steady beat, immediately laying the groundworks for this one as a club banger. After thirty seconds we get the quick hitting house percussion to up the tempo and pace, almost completely hiding the more bass sound that we do hear in the background. Female vocals come in, telling us (if I’m hearing it correctly) Don’t believe, and as soon as they end some lush synths come in, which are nice and drawn out to balance the fiery percussion this track throws at you. That percussion gets stripped for a moment after the two minute mark, but takes about twenty seconds before they’re back again, along with another synth sound. Just before the three minute mark the percussion gets shaken up a bit, just to throw another angle at you, though the core stays the same, so you can keep your dancing moves steady as she goes. Shanti makes sure the synths always are there to counter the quick house barrage of the percussion and drums, with the break happening just before the minute mark even opting for a more piano sound. After the break there’s another change up on the drum and percussion to ride all the dancers home, with the synth making sure there still is this feel of continuation. Really one for the Berlin night clubs here.

‘Over & Over & Over’ by Sylvester (Boogie Cartel mix)

The start already indicates that this is for the party people, with all them party people sounds coming in along with a quick drum-turning-into-a-fast-paced-beat as the backbone to this whole operation. After the minute mark we get some of those disco sounds, with the starting sounds making sure it doesn’t go all throwback, though especially as the beat comes back in at about 1:30 you do get some serious vogueing potential. The bass that then comes in does shirk more closely to a more vintage sound, with the backbone keeping the tempo up. Then again, there’s nothing quite so hgh nrgy as a bit of that ol’ Sylvester sound, and the thing we’re waiting for at this point is when this boy’s vocal breakout is going to come (though we already here some suppressed vocal work going on way back in the mix). At about 3:13 the pace is thrown up a bit more, and the dancefloor can definitely get a-rockin’ on this one. Around the four minute mark slowly but surely some of the rhythm elements are stripped, though the boogie definitely still is being taken care of. At 4:45 we do get most of the drums out of the way, and just before the five minute mark we really get the disco in, with the horns, the bass, and a steady-yet-simple drum having been turned into the backbone of this whole operation now, and with Sylvester coming your way. The bass really gets the main part from here on out, making sure you can do that little dance until the very end of this near 8 minute extravaganza from the boys of Boogie Cartel.

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: ‘Empty Early Years And The Seed’ by Mano le Tough

It’s always good to have some of that Permanent Vacation deep house going on, and none better to get that delivered that Mano le Tough. He starts out with some dog sounds (?!) before opting for an irregular drum sound as the atmospheric, deep synth is already starting to  cover the track like a blanket. Love the horn-like, jazzy sounds that come in after the minute mark, which is roughly the moment where you’ve really gotten used to the drum rhythm. Surprisingly, there’s a really bare vocal that then enters, really vulnerable that one is. This is further enhanced by the almost angelic hymn the female vocals hum. At about the 2:45 he puts some sharp sounds in to contrast the vocals with, as if to indicate that not all is quite right in the realm in which this track plays out. There’s some droning and noise before he puts in the echoing synth and, a tad later, a bolstered version of the percussion. Then the juxtaposition again of on one hand the vocals, which are now having some echo as they take over the female vocals’ role, and the more grainy, darker sounds of the instrumentals. Lovely and haunting, this atmosphere packed track by Mano le Tough, who is readying a new album which I’m now looking forward to even more.

‘Standing Passengers’ by Chrissy

Let’s get some dancing done to an old Passengers tune, which is sampled here by Chrissy to get into a percussion groove. And surely, the start is all about the woodwork and the drums, with a steady beat under it to make sure that your body can move to something if you can’t quite keep up with the tom-toms (as in, everybody, surely). At 1:20 they slide into this bassy brassy sound with some nifty guitar work in the back, which is a nice change of pace. At the two minute mark you get some extra solo guitar in, and the warbly effects are also introduced, though in the mean time this one keeps on getting the groove out there. Just before the three minute mark we get the percussion back in there, which is a prelude to even more things entering the fold, like the horns. Which any track that pretends to be only a little bit funky should have in there. At that point we get a glimpse of all kinds of old school disco mayhem, though quickly it is turned back into a percussion fest as to not go all Sylvester on ya. Got to love the woodblock rhythm near the end, to make sure this one ends on a rhythmic note. Lovely track from the Razor-N-Tape label again.

‘The Trouble With Us’ by Marcus Marr & Chet Faker

This double header, featuring Marcus Marr and Chet Faker, doesn’t immediately go for the dancefloor. First they get the guitar in there, working together with the soulful vocals of Chet Faker. Only after that has been put in they go for the beat, only for a short while, as then the guitar and vocals combo comes back in (this time going for falsetto). After that we do get the rhythm back there again, going for that funky vibe, almost rubbing its shoulders with the R&B side of it all. Again, it is the guitar and vocals that follow next as he sings that he tries To clean up the mess, I don’t know where to start. After the first verse the beat re-enters for a moment, which then is dialled down in favor of the falsetto vocals, to then come back to get some of that funky flavour going on for the second time. It’s a fun pop romp from the lads, and it is really nice to see such a role for the guitar again, especially when combined with some of that funky style rhythm.

‘Off The Ground’ by Bit Funk feat. Shae Jacobs

Bit Funk start this one out with some sole piano, quickly moving to the vocals (interpersed with some female vocals that barely can get their way in). Soon enough the pace is upped, with some handclap sounds, some cymbals, then the drums, and the final touch is the beat and warpy synth to get it really into dancing mode. During this the vocals also do their part, delivering the lyrics ever faster to further indicate what the instruments were doing. At about 1:40 they strip the beat and drums, going for vocals and some softer percussion sounds, which are quickly helped out again by the cymbals, the fast-paced delivery of the vocals, before they get the beat back in to come back to the dancing mode. In the mean time Shae Jacobs is singing that he needs you right now to Get me off the ground, for some gig lovin’ no doubt. Hard hitting, fast paced track rubbing its shoulders with pop, especially as, at the end, they again go back to just piano and vocals to make the circle perfect and round again.

‘Whole Lotta Love’ (Luxxury Live Edit)

Lets get some of that 'Whole Lotta Love' in, as Luxxury share with us a live edit they did that starts out with the percussion, to then add a bit of that grainy rock vibe to it whilst making sure there’s all sorts of rhythm to make this a dancefloor thing. In the mean time we already hear the vocals saying that You need..., finishing that sentence as the percussion is dialled down in favor of a more clean beat that’s aided by that nice piece of guitar. Luxxury definitely makes sure they do put in that rock vibe, indicating that, make no mistake, the dancefloor and rhythm part is what is added here, not the other way around. At the 2:50 mark they dial it down again, letting the vocals and the guitar do all the work before the floor drum is added to give it some holding-on-to.  At 3:35 they go into real party mode, getting the groove going as the lads sing they want A whole lotta love (as one is prone to do). At 4:30 they shift from the chorus to some major guitar work, having the handclap sounds in the back providing the rhythm before the drums come in and they go back to the dancefloor again via some synths and the like. It’s a 7+ minute marriage between old school rock and some dancefloor fun, making this a lovely live edit to get partying to I reckon.

‘Redo’ by Adeline Michele (DJ Vas remix)

Adeline Michele’s single ‘Redo’ gets the remix treatment, and one of the people taking a stab at it is DJ Vas, who makes sure he gets the percussion in to form the main base next to the beat. Soon though you get this somewhat dark, wobbly synth sound in before the lightness of the original track enters at about the fifty second mark, having a bit of that guitar juxtaposing the DJ Vas dancefloor sounds. This is also roughly the point we start hearing the vocals for the first time, though first scattershot and not really singing anything quite yet. When the track settles into its main rhythm around 1:40 we also get the ladies in the back in to add some vocal prowess, and in the mean time DJ Vas keeps playing with the darker sounds versus the lighter ones, having one taking a backseat to the other and vice versa. At the 2:40 mark there’s a nice little shift by basically covering the main beat to get a different rhythm in there, also making it seem like it ups the pace and getting some momentum going. Something that adds to this feeling of the big mo’ is that he now uses some of the more powerful moments of Adeline Michele, getting some all-out soundbites in there. At 4:20 he slides it into another rhythm again, dialling it down a bit to slowly move towards the end. Another solid outing on the Deep and Disco label.