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:  ‘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.