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: ‘Stop’ by Nicholas feat. Madafi Pierre

Nicholas knows how to do a bit of that house thing, and here he gets the rhythm going with a nice, dulled out beat, a slightly less dulled-out synth, and then a clear sounding percussion; all to get the Detroit on. Then you get these lovely senses-being-dulled vocals, pleading to Stop stop stop playing with my heart. Nicholas turns the cymbals on to give the track a bit of a kick, and they really light up the Christmas tree because it is a pretty clear sound compared to the beat. The vocals also do some spoken word, which is a nice bit of variety, and it always lends this bit of gravitas I find. It really says, All right, listen up, let me tell you something. He dials down the sound a bit around the three minute mark, obviously coming back in with all the rhythm & house sounds shortly after to get the dancing going again. If you, for instance, just look at the sounds at 4:22, this delicious combination of that beat, the more up-front percussion, and this auxiliary sound that so delicately weaves its way through the two rhythm aspects. Then, shortly after, the spoken word again, then the singing comes back, and you’ve got the cymbals delivering the punch again. It’s a super nice bit of house music from the man who has so consistently been churning these out in the past few years.

‘Why’ by Tim K & Honey Dijon feat. Nomi Ruiz

A team consisting of Tim K, Honey Dijon and vocalist Nomi Ruiz take on the old Nile Rodgers track ‘Why’. So you know there’s a little guitar riff in there, along with some almost Jamaica influenced percussion. After about a minute in the vocals come in, first with a la-di-da-di-da, then wondering Why does your love hurt so much, a lyric which fits right in the Ruiz oeuvre. At 1:40 the percussion stops for a moment, and then it’s just a piano and vocals combo, which brings in a nice bit of variety. I like how one of the instruments basically doubles Ruiz’ her vocal line of la-di-da-di-da, and everything does seem to gel really well. It’s got a nice, laidback atmosphere to it through all the wondering of the way love works (and other assorted mysteries of life). As the track draws to its close you get a bit where the bass gets a moment in the spotlight, which is a nice way to draw this one to its ending. Lovely cover from this team of musicians.

‘Talk System’ by Jacques Renault

I’m a complete sucker for Jacques Renault’s dancing tunes, so always looking forward to new work from this guy. The synths come in at about the thirty second mark, the vocals say a thing or two, and in the mean time you just feel he’s building up to the beat, which comes in just after a minute with a kind of military step rhythm. There are like three different layers of rhythm at work there, which is pretty awesome. The speedier, lighter one, the more bass-like sound, and just a regular ol’ beat to take time. Just before the three minute mark he dials most of that down, letting the vocals go on for a slight bit before all that rhythm goodness comes back in again. Which gets an additional kick around 3:28 to make sure that all those lovely dancers get this little jolt of energy again to keep on working it. Renault just knows how to keep that house feel in there, later on the track going for a prolonged stop of the rhythm sounds to then dial it back up one more time with that little bit more pazazz, ending it with that military step percussion. Just some of that good ol’ house music, y’all.

‘Heartbreak Reputation’ by Zimmer ft. Polina

Zimmer is readying his new release, the EP Coming Of Age, which will be out later this month. I love how he starts with those vocals, so dreamy and sweet, and then you slowly get the synths under there. Though it is the percussion element that dictates the (slow) pace at first, which nicely complements the vocals. The synths build and build though, and after about a minute you get the beat & synth combo for a slow synth-pop jam, accompanied by the vocals. After basically a vocal-led chorus the synths come in with a nice hop in their step, with a positive, feel-good vibe, which gets some extra flavour from the aaaaahhh-ing female voice which is a nice bit of extra to have in there. One of those summerday tracks, which is good listening in the heatwave that is happening as I’m writing this one at the moment. Maybe going to see him in a couple of weeks when he’s playing Buiten Westen in Amsterdam, something which I hope will fit in our rigerous schedule of dancing, shimmying, and all-out working it.

‘Coule’Ba’ by Analog Players Society (JKriv version)

JKriv takes on the Analog Players Society’s ‘Coule’Ba’, throwing in some of his strutting guitar play in there to go with all the percussion, beat, and African vocals they’ve already got going there. As well as a nice bass synth to add some of that boogie rhythm to it all. The vocals, though obviously not understanding a word of it, have a nice immediacy to the delivery, and I like how JKriv sometimes stops the proceedings for a bit of that guitar riff goodness, to then slide it back to the boogie again. Which sees the addition of some new instruments in the second go around, including a piano and some less identifiable sounds. Throughout the whole song the immediate vocals put a stamp on things, and the percussion and assorted accompaniments that weave in and out make sure there’s a little boogie there as well. As always, JKriv manages to mesh everything together nicely, so it is all sounding nice and smooth, bringing this little boogie-of-a-tune together nicely.

‘Is This It’ by Kenny Loggins (KB’s SChrebergarten Edit)

This time it is Kim Brown’s turn to get some of that lovely old stuff out there on the dancefloor, bringing the classic Kenny Loggins’ song ‘This Is It’ to a discotheque near you. She carefully builds up to the beat, which jumps in there at about thirty seconds with a nice, soft percussion vibe to it. On top of that there’s the original sound on loop, with just after a minute another one of those sounds which is used as a tease, as she doesn’t quite go to vocals just yet, instead turning back to the rhythm aspects to let all of them people dance some more. And she is in no hurry to get there, too, even doing a bit of playing around with that guitar riff before she turns to Loggins at 2:30. Now that she’s there though, she lets him go at it, with the vocals clear and up front in the mix, doing the whole first verse before she goes back to the guitar loop and rhythm beat combo to dance to. And it is like the chocolate equivalent of the dancefloor, just nice and tasty and filled with a flavor everyone knows. Plus, there are just some of those guys like Loggins, like Michael McDonald, that are just shoe-ins for a disco treatment like this. McDonald who, by the way, rears his head a bit later for the ultimate recognition moment when the chorus is used. The kind of thing I always love, and done in a nice, patient, catchy manner, but with the cheesy chorus pay-off at the end with Loggins doing the works. Which, for me, is a good thing, just to make that clear. Who doesn’t like a repeat of the chorus after having been patient for a good five minutes or so?

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 Want You’ by Marvin Gaye (DJ Snatch rework)

I love how this one starts, so easy on the ear with just that understated beat, some percussion, and that little smooth synth line. The pace is on the slower side of the dancefloor, but all the vibes more than make up for it. Just before the minute mark two good things come in, namely some horns, and we get our first little taster of the vocals. And who doesn’t want to hear some Marvin Gaye just about always? In the mean time DJ Snatch has upped the auxiliary sounds, getting some piano in there as well, so the track becomes more layered without it starting to sound convoluted. At about the three minute mark he kicks the track in a slightly higher gear, with Gaye at this point preaching as all get out, getting some emotions in there, for example at the four minute mark. Also love how the vocals are being played off of the horns, that’s nicely done. But Gaye is feeling it, singing that you shouldn’t Play with something that you should cherish for life (oh baby). Take that greener-pastures-people! This track keeps slow jamming it up for a good ten minutes, and as said, it’s got all the goods you want from a track like this. It’s got the horns, it’s got the vocals, it’s got multiple-yet-changing layers, but also there’s the percussion and the beat to give you something to nod your head to. Apparently based on an earlier edit by none other than Mr. John Morales, who knows how to do it right. Nice work out of the Get Down Edits corner yet again.

‘Call Girl’ by The Right Now (JKriv remix)

Wow, that dirty bass sound that comes in after a few seconds, so fitting. And does set the tone for a song called ‘Call Girl’, that’s for sure. Got to love that bit of sleaze. JKriv also adds some of that Caribbean percussion though, and a slightly melancholic sounding synth, just to make sure that it doesn’t go down that black hole of nightclubs and smokey back rooms completely. That synth line just before the second minute mark is quite a lovely thing, especially if you combine that with some of those horns like he does. In the mean time the base is still being formed by a bit of that bass and beat, just to make sure you can keep on shaking that boot-ey a tad. There’s this bit at the three minute mark where he uses predominantly deeper rhythm sounds, and the way he then slides this lighter, melancholic synth in, that’s pretty awesome right there. The female vocals fit that synth line in terms of tone, so they form a nice team to make sure the track doesn’t veer to one side too much. There are also some cameo performances in this track, some instruments that pop up for a little stint, and those are always a nice surprise, and fitting to boot. JKriv delivering some quality again, and as a Free Download too!

‘Jackie’ by Woolfy vs. Projections

The third album of these Permanent Vacation stalwarts is coming up in August, and here’s a slice to see just why you want to be eyeing that release. It starts with some synths, but soon they slide some beat and bass in there. Nice and deep, of course, because it is Permanent Vacation stuff, though it doesn’t veer into deep house too much by any means. Also thanks to the vocals, which narrate a tale of love lost, and the synths and auxiliary sounds they add, which are lighter than the deeper rhythm instruments used. Not that you cannot dance to this though, as the base is constant and keeps prodding along (sometimes together, sometimes bass and beat separately). Meanwhile the boys are pondering to leave everything and just walk away, and there’s this tinge of sadness in their vocals, which suits the way they set up the tone instrumentally just fine. At one point, the rhythm sounds are stripped away for a moment, with haunting synths forming the backdrop for the words My heart’s breaking. After that they make sure the track returns to dancing though, with all kinds of lovely layers that either help out with the rhythm or with the atmosphere they want to create. The bass, then, rides out this nice preview to their upcoming third LP.

‘Hold On’ by Roosevelt

This one starts off with a bit of that grainy, garage-y guitar sound, but you already hear the funky rhythm in there. No place to hide funk, no need for hiding it either. Not even in this track, with the dreamily blase-produced vocals. Don’t let that fool you though, as the rhythm of the guitar is nice and funky, and there are horns in there as well. Don’t think I won’t notice any of those good, disco vibed things! There’s even a kind of dancefloor-party-build-up just after the two minute mark, where he even adds a quite thuddy beat to it as he sings that you need to Hold on to your lover, as you need to Make it work. After that bridge he adds a light piano to add the fun in the party, ending it with a little boogie bass to make sure to remind you that, yes, this is secretly a dance track disguised as some of that attic-diy-dreampop music.

‘Hot As You Want’ by Lane 8 feat. Solomon Grey

Almost from the start I know I’m going to get a nice slice of summer, and Lane 8 definitely delivers in that department. There’s quite a pace-y beat there, with the vocals already doing their thing in the background, as multiple vocal layers overlap each other. After the minute mark you again have this thudding, euphoric beat to dance to on some rooftop as the sun is setting. The second go around sees the vocals, courtesy of Solomon Grey, in verse mode, being more up front in the mix. He’s singing about how you are all he needs, All he sees. In his mind, that is, as she is Far from here, so there’s this sadness in his voice. And we all know you got to dance the blues away, and that’s what Lane 8 makes sure you can do to this little party number, upping the beat and the pace at the right moments to give the dancers some momentum at points to get the hands up and the feet off (and on) the floor.

‘Now is Tomorrow’ (Superbreak Disco Edit)

How about the drums to start off this one? Add to that the percussion, and after thirty seconds the bass, and you’re boogying down your front lawn in no time. At about the fifty second mark the track starts to take the shape of the song, and you even get a first taster of the vocals, going “ooooh” in a nice, high pitched disco way. Soon there’s a bit of that ol’ disco guitar, some of those funky horns, and shortly after the first singing appears, saying that “tomorrow is now”, which apparently the horns then verify. I love the kind of chorus part, where the vocals rapid fire their way through the lines Gotta boogie, gotta do it, gotta say it, gotta do it right now (or close to that), after which the bass lays down a bit of that slow boogie style to give you the opportunity to do just that. At 3:30 you get some loveboat horns, some of that ol’ disco cheese that we all love, though on the whole this is primarily a boogilicious track to get funky to at whatever party you happen to be.