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: ‘Odds Are Good’ by Anoraak

This is a track from a compilation disc curated by Eskimo Recordings revolving around the colour Orange. Just saying, in case you get that quintessential Orange-y vibe and don’t know why. I love this track. It starts with a bit of noise, but then it slides into this melancholic slow burner, throwing in so much atmosphere there with such ease. That combination of the slow beat and the synth is just lovely, and shortly after you get these detached-yet-warm vocals singing that he dreams that he falls for you. At this time there’s a quicker, lighter synth that has come in, which is the cue for the track to kind of move towards a sort of chorus with a more “band like” sound. As in, not just the beat and the synth, but as if an indie-rock band is playing the track. For the verses they move back to the slow beat and synth combo, with the vocals on top. The mixture of both is nice, and these two elements get tied together effectively by this dreamy feel, parts in thanks to the vocals as well. Just another good Anoraak tune, like they manage to do so regularly.

‘The Don’ by Michael The Lion

The always fabulous Razor ‘N Tape label comes with a Michael The Lion edits EP, giving you four tracks to do some dancing to. One of those is ‘The Don’, a take on the 1984 Magazine 60 song ‘Don Quichotte’. And if you, like me, love some of that cheesy, cheeky Italo Disco, than this will get you smiling whilst dancing (and vice versa). First you get some of that bass action going, that cheeky, Italian stallion bass for some over-the-top posturing, and Michael The Lion knows to ride that thing. If that sound doesn’t make you wish you have that kind of mustache and some weird, leathery cap on from those '80s vids, then I’m not sure what will (or if you’d want to, anyway). After about 1 1/2 minute you get some lighter sounds in there to increase the party vibe, and then you get those crazy vocals. First the male talking, asking if he can speak to Mr. Don Quichotte please, after which the girls reply "No no no no no signor", with Michael The Lion sliding in some guitar action before the girls start singing about Don Quichotte in a language I’m not fluent in (but, probably, you won’t gain much of an emotional impact from the lyrics if are. Just guessing). The rest of the track, again, still geared towards having fun on the dancefloor, and I’m a big believer in that theory (shocking and wild, I know, I know).

‘Shutters’ by Citizenn

Citizenn is inching towards releasing his debut record (out in June), and this is a nice taster off of that. It is packed with atmosphere, starting not with the beat, but with some vocals and surrounding sounds. After that some rhythm elements are brought in before moving towards the beat and a nice atmospheric synth. It is warm-yet-deep, especially when the bass comes in around the minute mark. At the 1:35 mark the beat is taken out for a brief moment, that moment introduced by one of those male “yeah’s” that you so often hear in house music. This moment, though, gets its gravitas from the female “vocals” and the kind of Eastern-sounding flute sound. After that, he picks up the pace a tad on the front side, but with the bass as its core the actual pace of the track stays grounded, with the deepness still giving it this atmosphere. And that feel of the track, deep-yet-warm, and with a hint of gravitas floating around, combined with the more exotic sounds makes it a track that is definitely intriguing me for a full album listen.

‘Words Gone’ by POPOF feat. Arno Joey (Jamie Jones remix)

I like that starting sound, this nice, deep bassy synth, that immediately sets the tone for this one. Then those vocals come in, which fit the sound in terms of production, and in the mean time the kick drum enters to get this one on the road and moving forward. After the minute mark the track doesn’t explode, instead it opts for this singular synth tone to be added, a bit later coming with a kind of fiddling piano underneath. At the 1:50 mark the starting sound gets sidelined for a moment, to give it this dancefloor feel a bit, though soon it comes back in to dictate the atmosphere. I like the variety, though I won’t lie and say that the track shines when that sound is there, so good thing that they don’t go prolonged lengths without it (aside from at the end, but you’ll just mix a new track in early, who’ll know?). It is the driving force behind the song, especially when combined with those lighter sounds that they sometimes bring in and which counterbalance the deeper sounds a bit. The track is created by Popof from Paris, who is gearing up to release an album. On remix duties there’s the always strong Jamie Jones, who again delivers here. Out on Hot Creations, a superb label.

 ‘1 2 3 4’ by Samantha Urbani

Samantha Urbani is a singer who is part of Blood Orange, with Dev Hynes at the helm. On this funky R&B tune Hynes is helping Urbani out a bit, though apparently from vocals to synths there’s a ton of Samantha herself in there as well. The track has a nice pace to it, also thanks to the bassline which keeps a nice little riff going in the background. But also the vocal delivery really puts a stamp on the track, mixing it up between verses and the chorus. At 2:12 there’s a nice instrumental intermezzo started, with plenty of nice flavours including some of that hand percussion. At 3:20 the instrumental passage is still going, but takes a turn into something a bit more darker, which is a nice switch in tone. It also is kind of fitting, as even though there’s a nice funk and dancey pace to this, it is Urbani’s punch-and-blow to cheaters, singing that “The cheater never wins”, adding that despite the “fun” (quotation marks mine, not quoting) you might be having, “The liar never knows love”. So honey, in the end, you’ll be a miserable old sod when you can’t get it up no more, and I ain’t there to love you. And how do you feel about cheaters dear viewers, post your reactions in the comments below, and don’t forget to like this video if you want to see more videos about love and other, nastier things.

 ‘Rugburn’ by Quell (Palace remix)

How about some of these party sounds? The Greek producer Quell gets it going on this one, with beats and even heftier beats from the get go (aided by Palace on remix duties). Just after the minute mark they strip the beat for a minute, giving us our first taste of the female vocals. After a quick soundbite from her, though, we immediately get back to the dancefloor vibe, with people able to jack it up on these quintessential house sounds. At about the 2:10 mark they opt for just the bass beat, with the one-line soundbites of the female vocals having being upped in frequency. The track has a few clearly identifiable elements, and they add or subtract them to keep some variety going. The clarity is it’s strength though, giving it a real clean feel for the dancefloor. At times a new element is added, sometimes to indicate a brief change of pace, but don’t expect anything too wacky for this clean-cut dance track. It’s being released on Waze & Odyssey’s label, and based on the tunes of those fella’s this track is right at home 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:  ‘Jolene’ by Dolly Parton (Todd Terje remix)

Now, who hasn’t been waiting for this? ‘Jolene’ is just one of those songs that I’m always wanting a good edit for, and leave it to Todd Terje to bring the bass & groove out for this one. Add some of that percussion, and then slide it into that little country guitar about a minute in so that everyone knows what we’re talking about here. That guitar and the bass then form the base of the groove, and then it’s just waiting for madame Parton to enter the scene to narrate her tale of jealousy and love as she tells Jolene not to take the man she adores, Just because you can. It just is one of those tracks that secretly has that disco touch, that Girl-stay-away-from-my-hubby-because-flaws-and-all-I-love-that-man. The vocals, obviously, are amazing, and they just have that right slant for this track. Terje, in the mean time, keeps that dancing groove going, as well as that guitar line which he keeps looping to keep the track firmly rooted in its, erhm, roots. One of those edits I’d play anytime, any place, anywhere.

‘What Kind of Man’ by Florence + The Machine (Nicolas Jaar remix)

Mr. Nicolas Jaar has been keeping himself busy. Scoring a short film, scoring a feature length film, and then he’s here with a remix of Florence + The Machine. He gets the percussion going immediately, short and snappy, which then gets juxtaposed by that bassline to provide this lazier groove sound. After about a minute Florence her vocals come in, heavily distorted, sounding both electronical-yet-emotional, which is a nice contradiction to work with. In the mean time the bass is still going, and it gets some additional drums to keep that dancefloor vibe intact. In that sense, the base is not like a Jaar track as you have heard from either his debut album or his Darkside project, as the bass gives it more of a funky groove sound. Yet, it still is very much Jaar, as the auxiliary sounds as well as the moments he dials the bass down (like at 2;30) you get that industrial, that urbanite soundtrack that you have come to expect from the man. And then at the three minute mark he puts the dancefloor back in, to make sure you don’t forget to move your body in this twelve minute affair. Those lighter sounds he drops at 3:40, those are super sweet, and Jaar is just one of those guys who understands how to create this excellent soundscape. As said, it is a twelve minute affair, but rest assured, there’s plenty of variation in there (just head to 5:28 for a complete change-up for instance), Florence rears her head enough to really call this a remix, and both the vibe and the dancing are a-okay. So definitely worth the full listen.

‘Sirens’ by Antony & Cleopatra

It starts with some sounds-of-the-streets, but then you get the atmospheric synth in, even though the real addition are the oooohh vocals. those two combined give off this delightful '80s vibe, but the beat draws it back into the (deep)house after-3-am-club feel soon enough. The female vocals do the spoken word first, and then get some rhythmic singing going on, with an R&B slant to them I reckon. In the mean time the beat has lightened up a bit it seems, and the male vocals are more soulful than bariton as well. And now, at about two minutes in, it has become more of a catchy dance-pop song than the deephouse club vibe you got at the beginning. And that feeling gets an extra oomph by the horns-alone moment that they add as well. So from 80’s and deephouse to 90s R&B in terms of the details, though in essence it is just a really catchy tune where I like the rhythm of the vocals a lot.

‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac (Late Nite Tuff Guy version)

Because you can’t really get enough Fleetwood Mac, Dreams, or Late Nite Tuff Guy in a day, now can you? LNTG gets the bongo percussion out for that Florida disco vibe, but soon the bass and the Dreams synth line come in to provide you with that canvas, not to mention THAT sound from the original track (if you hear it, you know what I’m talking about). Sure enough, the Stevie Nicks vocals are in there, wistfully singing that You want your freedom, with the melancholic guitar coming in shortly after to finish the deal. In the mean time “regular” drums have kind of taken over as far as being the kingpin of the rhythm goes, and LNTG sure knows to let the royalty do their thing, almost putting the entire vocal track of the original in there. Thunder only happens when it’s raining, player’s only love you when they’re playing, say, women they will come and they will go, when the rain washes you clean you’ll know. And then that guitar. And that’s the ballgame, really, isn’t it? Seven minutes of this, by the way.

‘Out of Violence’ by Montmartre (Louis La Roche remix)

There is some of that snare drumming going on in the background, but the synth is the king at the start. Louis La Roche then puts a no-holds-barred beat in, as Montmartre narrates his tale with a voice that is powerful enough to hold their own against the beat (while still getting some of that emotion in there). And that is luckily what makes this work, because the beat is pretty big, but the synth and the vocals are not being washed away by any means. Louis La Roche also knows that, at times, it is a good idea to dial that beat down for a moment to give everyone some breathing space, which he does at about 2:20 for a fairly lengthy stretch. And then you get some handclap rhythms, a barrage of synths, and those vocals doing their things, before a slightly different beat seems to come back to provide the rhythm up until the end. A nice four minute affair where the mix is just right enough to make it all work.

‘Be’ by Citizenn feat. SYF

Citizenn gets that alienation going on with those dubby dub beats, though the contrast is quickly put in by those silky smooth vocals by SYF, as well as the synth sounds that come in at about the fifty second  mark. SYF sings “Get to know the real you”, which I guess can be done through dancing, because Citizenn slides some of those house sounds in underneath that original beat to give all the party boys something to be dancing on. SYF increases his repertoire, going from that one line into full verse mode, as Citizenn keeps toeing the line between giving people something to dance to and giving people that quirky, dub drum. At the 4:10 mark it’s just SYF for a minute, with some echoes and double vocal tracks, which is exactly what the track needed, as because it isn’t that straight forward house beat, it is a bit more demanding to listen to. And, besides, I just love those vocals by the former Azari & III singer, so there’s that.