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.

This seems to be a good moment to look back at some of the tracks that, at the start of 2015, rocked the Casbah.

Track of the Week: ‘Shelter Me’ by Sade (Late Nite Tuff Guy remix)

Sure, this was posted late December last year, but around the Holidays, so 2014 was about all but shut down by that time, eh? So I think we can still count this one for 2015, and anyway, do I really need reasons to post a super nice, super lush edit of a classic Sade track? Late Nite Tuff Guy knows what to do with it, keeping it soft and smooth, with a bit of percussion to help the tender beat out, but it are the synth sounds that lay down the mood of this one. And something like at 1:55, the transition to the bass, that’s lovely. Then some more percussion again, and soon, those impeccable vocals come in, with LNTG knowing that these are the star and giving them plenty of room. They say that they could see it in Your restless eyes, the truth that she was hiding and you could not disguise. LNTG knows when to add the piano in, appearing at all the right moments, as she is coming to the understanding that she needs A miracle to make you stay. A slow groover with exactly the right pace, mood, and amount of heartbreak. And when she yearningly says she wishes that You could shelter me, and LNTG brings in the horns, that’s the ball game folks.

‘The Man Inside Me’ by Thodoris Triantafillou feat. Nomi Ruiz

This track by Thodoris Triantafillou combines a strong back beat, atmospheric sounds, and the ever longing vocals of Nomi Ruiz. After the first batch of vocals you get a nifty synth sound, and when Ruiz goes to a higher pitch we see Triantafillou follow suit with sounds to match that. At one point the vocals get doubled near the end, providing even extra punch as she sings she is Left alone to fight another storm, not being sure why she still loves you. The track is off of an album that came out in January of this year, and it manages to superbly marry those vocals and melancholic lyrics with sounds that both keep this one moving forward, but also add to the feel of the track. Lovely song from the Greek and the former singer of Hercules and Love Affair.

‘Jolene’ by Dolly Parton (Todd Terje remix)

The thing the world was waiting for probably. One of the more gut wrenching country tracks of mainstay Dolly Parton gets the makeover treatment by the disco king Todd Terje to produce a lovely dancefloor killer. Everyone can now finally dance to the country guitar and the desperate vocals of Parton as she sings, nay, pleads, Jolene, please don’t take my man (and only just because you can, girl! What the heck!). The percussion underneath provides the dance rhythm, and the guitar is the thing that gives it both its vibe, its recognisable sound, and it helps along with the pacing as well. At the 2:30 mark the drums make way for a minute as, for the first time, the vocals come in, after which a happy, slappy bass starts to run along with the track. The combination is just magical, with Parton crooning that He talks about you in his sleep, whilst in the mean time the track keeping the dancing going.

‘Just Give Me Joy’ by Elvin Tibideaux

Way at the start of the year one of my favorite House labels, Let’s Play House, released this doozy by Elvin Tibideaux, who lets the bass get it on and who keeps the pace nice and high. After the minute mark we get a little guitar strumming as well in the background as, in the mean time, the speed is still up and away. At the 1:50 mark there’s a bit of room for a breather, but you know that, soon enough, it is going to come back in its full glory. One of those dancefloor speed freaks with deceptive depth with all the sounds that help out underneath the surface. And, you know, the bass, you gotta slap it people, and that certainly is what Tibideaux does here. Before the 3:30 mark it again takes it down a notch, but after that, Oh glory, there come the vocals! And the guitar is a bit more up front. The vocals are screaming it out, yelling that she needs You!, saying a minute later that she gets what she wants (and If I don’t get it, I don’t want it! You tell them girl). In the mean time the bass keeps this one rolling, only taking it down a minute when she insists that you Stay right there. LPH definitely a label you want to keep an eye on if you love this kind of thing (and who doesn’t, really, now).

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

In March The Supermen Lovers posted their edit of Natty Fensie’s ‘Be Love’, giving it the cheeky dancefloor treatment. It just has this lovely Lets have fun vibe written all over its face, with a lovely pace gotten through a variety of percussion and bass in most stretches, and in some there’s a little piano and guitar going on. Natty Fensie, in the mean time, is telling you to Give it, and the Supermen Lovers do, at 3:20 by going all out on the synth for example, with the bass providing the boogie underneath. It’s just a lovely fun romp, with enough pace to get down and flirty to on the dancefloor. And, at the end, even giving you a little surprise with some of that cosmic jivin’ guitar as it slows it down for its final minute or so.

‘All U Writers’ by !!!

!!! released an amazingly fun dance album with loads of catchy tunes to get all your dancing moves out, and this bass heavy little number they released at the very start of April, already laying down the groundwork for what was to come. The vocals turn deep at first, but then go up a notch as also the female vocals come in. The bass, meanwhile, is still doing all that ridin’, with some guitar strumming getting in there for good measure. And, at about 2:45, it is that guitar that gets a bit of working room before the bass comes back in to claim its domain and to get all the dancers dancing again. First, though, some vocals, some working up to the inevitable fall, and then, at 3:40, there it is, for all y’all to get that boogie on again. Nice and deep in terms of sound, yet surprisingly upbeat and fun in terms of feel, just one slice of the joy !!! brought with their latest LP outing.

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:  ‘Just Give Me Joy’ by Elvin Tibideaux

The label is called Let’s Play House, so what  exactly are you expecting honey? It’s got the bass beat down from the get go, has the looping sample going on as well, and the playing with volume and pace is right there too. That’s, mind you, just the first minute, after which the bass comes alive even more, and those base sounds get some help from, for example, a nifty little guitar that moves up in the mix as the looping goes on and on. They dial it down just a little bit before the two minute mark, after which the thing jumps back up again to get the dancefloor dancing. That bass sound, that’s really what this one is all about for me. That and the loop give it this continuation momentum, and then you’ve got the guitar to give you that little bit extra. The real extra comes around 3:30, when the sky opens up and that major vocal turn comes screeching out from the balcony. “I need you” indeed, and full throttle at that. It gives this one the naughty and the nice for sure, bringing a complete punch-out to cap this one off. Always good to keep an eye on this label, and Elvin Tibideaux doesn’t disappoint when it’s his turn to deliver.

 ‘Gratte-Ciel’ by Patrice Mondon (Pilooski & Glb’R edit)

This one gives you a little guitar riff before it goes into retro '80s space mode with a nice little bass  which dictates the rhythm of the track. If the space vibe hadn’t gotten through to you yet, there are the vocals, there are the synths, and the deliciously soundtrack-y auxiliary sounds that give it this pop bigness. After the peak of that pop sound the track dives back into the bass the first time around (which is a nasty little piece of business, let me tell ya), and the guitar sound the second time around (after which the bass comes in a few seconds later). The third time it’s the vocals they turn to, and I just love the way this thing is structured. It’s got this space opera feel, but it also has that little dancefloor bassline that makes it such a successful edit. The original is from 1982 I believe, and if you love a bit of dancing and the whole atmosphere of it all, then it’s really to infinity and beyond on this one!

 ‘Enemy’ by Kelela ft. Tosin Abasi

How about a little nightcap with this lullaby from R&B artist Kelela? Featuring Tosin Abasi on the eight string guitar, the sweet voiced Kelela brings a tear in her vocals as she sings that she has given up for their “love is not enough”, and that it just isn’t a “remedy” for their aches. This is the kind of track you just love to have as the closer on an album or a set in my opinion. Just the vocals and a minimum of arrangements, and together these two bare-boned essentials just bring forward the exact right feeling of sadness and longing. Don’t think it too sweet and sugary though, as there are one or two f-bombs in there. However, even they don’t break the melancholy of the song. One of those to have on at night, looking out of your window, glass of something strong in your hand, to cheers! and salut the days end.

 ‘You Can Shine’ by Andy Butler feat. Richard Kennedy

Butler has always had an inclinition with the tech side of the dancefloor (some of his and Kim-Ann Foxmann’s remixes were already very much veering into that direction), though this one still rubs its shoulders quite firmly with the Hercules and Love Affair sound. Which, you know, is to be expected, as Butler obviously is the driving motor to that, and the big, booming vocals of Richard Kennedy give it this guest-turn feel that Butler’s  troupe also has. This one is decidedly aimed at the dancefloor, so you’ve got the beat, the percussion, etc. to bring the rhythm, and it’s got the vocals singing that he knows that he is loved, and they work nicely to build some of that feel-good momentum. If you not only like his Hercules stuff, but the remixes that he has done as well, then this is a good combination of both worlds probably. And he knows how to hit that bulls-eye in terms of his vocalists, that’s for sure!

‘Lost U’ by Rangleklods

Rangleklods released their debut a few years back, and I quite fancied that one. ‘Lost U’ is their first original material in a little while, and the starting electronics are more aggressive than anything that I can remember from the album. After that start you get a piano & female vocal combo, which is bigger and more pop than earlier work I reckon. It is also a work that perhaps is a tad more dancefloor-ish, which gets a nod anyway as the talking is apparently done by the pitched down voice of a girl from a rave documentary from the early 1990s. Don’t expect a straight up dance track though, as there’s still plenty of electronics in there that is a bit off of the beaten track (thank goodness). The Danish duo have changed their source of energy I’d say, and curious to see if they come up with an album’s worth of that, or if this is an expansion of their arsenal instead of a complete shift. Debut album still one to have a listen to if you have never had the pleasure yet, and sure enjoyed them live as well.

‘Wicked Game’ by POP ETC

I truly apologize, but Chris Isaak just is my weak spot. Don’t blame me, don’t judge me, it’s just the way this is. This time it is POP ETC, formerly known as Morning Benders, who take this classic tune on, doing this one subdued and with an acoustic guitar, though there’s still this deep drum to propel it forward. The chorus boys that back him up, that’s a nice little touch, that sounds so church like that it’s kind of nice. I mean, what is there to say? If people keep making them, I’ll keep posting them, it’s just this wicked thing I do. By the way, I saw them live when they were still the Morning Benders, and that was a good time out, so there you go.