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: ‘Steppin’ by Sandy Barber (John Morales mix)

Another Morales mix taking it to the disco town. Sandy Barber starts out, saying that You think you’re so smart, but you’re mistaking (you tell him, hon!). And, as she does so, she puts on those nice diva disco vocals, announcing that She’s going to do some steppin’ of her own, at which point the bass comes in to get all the dancefloor people aflutter. There’s also a bit of cymbal in there, some a capella moments, chosen at the exact moment that she says he’s a Cheat and a lier. And that’s something Morales does so well, giving Sandy Barber all the room to do her thing, and with that, making sure that disco love story of empowerment comes through loud and clear. Then, the percussion and bass to make sure there’s the dancefloor as well as the attitude. Also some attitude in that bass though, getting some action at 3:50 before some riffs come and help it out along with Mrs. Barber herself. Just one of those bulls-eye disco edits with plenty of vocals and bass to sing and dance along to.

‘Beat the Heat’ by Turbotito & Daniel T

Turbotito & Daniel T get the booty shakin’ right from the get go. It’s got a steady beat working, but also plenty of bass and synth sounds that make sure it’s a hip thing. Then, the vocals, announcing that they Just can’t seem to sleep, can’t make it through the heat. The vocals are accompanied primarily by the bass sound, which, a go around later, get some woodwork percussion for a helping hand. The vocals, by the way, nice and deep, and contrast with the lighter key sounds that are used as a substitute for the vocals. Slowly but surely it changes into this sultry mid-paced burner with techno elements, giving off some of that body heat. Around 2:30 there’s an instrumental interlude started, after which they slowly build it up again, also helped out by multiple vocal layers that start overlapping and synth work that moves to a crescendo. That happens at about 4:20, when bass and percussion help the track towards its ending. Nice slice of deepness to be found here.

‘Good Inside’ by Al Kent

How about some of that slappin’ bass action from Al Kent? The girl in question invites you by saying Come on, baby, and surely there’s plenty of bass to get in action to. After the minute mark we get some of that guitar riffin’ their way through, and then, at 1:30, the girl gets workin’ herself, forcefully belting out that I need you. And she doesn’t stop turning out some of that powerful vocal work, and the bass keeps working it as well to get that dancing going on. You make me feel, Whoo!, good inside, she also gleefully yells out, so no wonder she wants you to Come on, baby. There’s definitely no letting up in this big tune of a House song, and even when the vocals go a bit more low key, there’s always the bass to keep this one going forward. A strong power house, this performance right here I’d say.

‘Mom and Dad’ by Xinobi (Richie Hell Clean remix)

Richie Hell takes on the Discotexas stalwarts Xinobi with this catchy remix, where the bass comes in at the twenty second mark and basically takes this one all over. The other instruments give it this quirky, synth-pop feel, bringing some freshness to the proceedings (you always need to keep it fresh y’all). At the two minute mark the Texas drawled female vocals come in, giving it a nice drawn out quality to balance the bass and rhythm elements. Halfway through Richie dials it down a bit, and at 3:20 the beat and the vocals both come back to aid the bass in getting it on.  I love how that Discotexas vibe is still there, but perhaps this Clean remix takes the synth-pop more into the house dancefloor as well, with enough bass and beat to hang on your hat to. 

‘Do the Right Thing’ by The Revenge (Nachtbraker remix)

After a few seconds in the percussion gets some help from a rather deep beat, which then gets juxtaposed by some keys in the background before, at the fifty second mark, we really go deep house with this one. Not to say the lighter sounds disappear, they stay, but all the rhythm sounds just take a dive into the nightclub. A tad in front of the two minute mark we get some cowbell action in there, also providing a somewhat higher pitched key sound. This turns out to be a prelude to a slight shift in tone, even though the beat that remains a staple underneath to keep it all grounded. And so Nachtbraker doesn’t only add or subtract sounds, but also shifts in tone and (at for example 3:30) pace for this hypnotic, 7:30 minute dance tune. Smack down in the middle there’s a rather lengthy part where all the rhythm parts are tuned out, though around 4:30 there’s a quick turn around, after which this one gets a bit more bombastic with the bass in there. So if you weren’t feeling party before, from now until the end there really aren’t any excuses anymore.

‘Yes We Can Can’ by the Pointer Sisters (Dazzle Drums Block Party edit)

How about a slow burning bass sound to get this one in motion, doing the sexy strut right there. There’s some slight guitar strumming to help out, doing that blues thang, and then they come in, singing that they Try to find peaceful things, and telling all them young girls to Remember you all had mothers. But, they conclude, Yes we can can, as in, We can make it work. In the mean time that bass is still giving that slow funk pace, having a bit of that percussion to help out. The double guitar and vocals, meanwhile, give it all the right vibes and even come together all at the same time. And with the minimal set up it’s all about those two and the bass rhythm for them bunch of hip cats to do a little dancing together to.

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: ‘Fight’ by Nicolas Jaar

It’s always brilliant to hear from the talented Nicolas Jaar, and if you didn’t manage to get in a listen on that first album of his, definitely still worth your while. Here he starts with a piano that, to me for some reason, indicates something not quite right (maybe it’s the contrastive aggressiveness of that last note he hits, or the industrial and increasingly more distorted sounds that float underneath the piano). At 2:10 he starts using his voice, trying to get through, and even when all the instrumentals are stripped away, they still they can’t quite manage to convey what is on their mind, settling for a rhythm role as the bass-functioning synth sound drags it all along with it. Constantly he goes from a relatively clean rhythm sound (albeit already slightly menacing) to something more distorted, to the weird, the flailing, until at one point it arrives at a point of nothingness, which is then picked up again by, first time around, the vocals, and second time around, the vocals preceded by footsteps of him, Him, or anyone coming. Then it settles for the nocturnal peace again, in this case with the voice finally able to utter some words, namely Select your fight. This song is, again, quite the construction, so expertedly put together to tell a story through sounds and soundscapes that one could almost put it in a museum by itself or to go with some video installation of something (of urban unrest, perhaps, or one of the other ideas floating in my mind at this point). Definitely up there with Circlesquare’s ‘Fight Sounds’ in terms of evoking a hazed and dazed night of disobedience out under the city lights.

‘Rockets’ by VYD (Xinobi remix)

Och, that percussion to go with that simmering synth sound, how lovely. Just that woodwork sound is amazing to bring the rhythm in there a bit as well. The atmosphere is expanded by the almost ghostly vocals at the start (which then normalize a bit, as they almost go at it spoken-word), and a sort of trombone sound which is just perfect for here. The vocals, in the mean time, sing that they dance alone Far away from you. After which, perfectly timed, a beat comes in to underscore that dancing. More percussion is added to help the rhythm a bit, though the trombone and the new female vocals make sure the atmosphere is still put in there. In the mean time the male vocalist seems to lose it, almost panting and heavily breathing as he sings No questions baby, as the beat is slid back in to dance on his demise, which is further expanded on by the haunting synth sound, followed by a lovely clear rhythm piano line to round it all off. Love how he strips the beat about one and a half minute before stoppage time, that’s a beautiful moment, and then he brings in the beat and percussion again to get it to the end. Definitely a beautiful remix from Xinobi, who knows how to deliver some quality.

‘Sisters’ by Tweaks

Tweaks released their first single ‘Sisters’ not too long ago, going for the nocturnal with the melancholic piano and the deep, male vocals singing on top of the sparse keys. That sole piano gets more and more help, first adding more orchestral sounds to it, then coming in with the drums for the extra oomph, eventually settling for a little military drum roll to stay as the vocals return. Those vocals tell us to Love your sisters, after which a nice little piano squeaks through in between the different drum and percussion sounds. At 2:30 they dial it back down, amongst some heavy breathing, laying down the percussion for a few seconds to just give the vocals and piano some focus, though soon the drum sounds are back. At about 3:10 we get some haunty female vocals doing a sort of opera ghost-from-the-lake kind of thing, which fits the tone of the track I’d think. Not too shabby a debut I reckon, hitting the nighttime vibe with ease.

‘Dig It (It’s Time)' Young Pulse edit

This one sure starts with a pulsing (ha!) rhythm, getting the drums and beat in early, and after a few seconds they go for the wobbly bass sound. They go a-glitchin’ a bit, doing a little sample over and over with very clear cuts in between, letting us know that we’re rolling the same thing for a while. After a bit of guitar the vocals come in, giving us the whole disco works, which is added to by the horns that also enter the scene. That little bass that gets it on at 2:10 to move it forward underneath the vocals is quite lovely, and the female vocalist sure works for it, as they are singing if it Isn’t time, time, time, time, to change your mind, come to me. At about the 3:20 Young Pulse lets the rhythm do their thing a bit, to which he adds first a guitar, later some other instruments to (including the bass making its comeback). I love the old school disco works of the girls in the back basically telling the tale, and with the main vocalist really going at it. It’s a lovely, funky edit of the 1982 Kasso song, with the clear sampling at start and finish giving it a bit of a modern slant as well.

‘Killer’ by Beato Cozzi (Magic Feet remix)

There’s a hard hitting drum that makes up the first thirty seconds or so, with after that the bass taking over and giving it this slow burning house feel. The grainy sounds give it this modern, industrial touch which is then juxtaposed by a clear piano, almost veering to the disco side of it all. At about 1:45 the clear piano changes its sound, and it gets some help from some tropical percussion, with the distorted electro sounds still running in the back until they aren’t anymore, as  at one point it is just the bass and a singular beat. This soon gets the clear piano added to it, giving it this uplifting rhythm sound that nicely balances the track out. Drums indicate the upcoming change-up, with some extra instruments (including the electro sounds as well as the tropical percussion) there to lend a hand. It’s a nice track where the balance between the modern grittiness versus the clear dancefloor sounds in terms of the piano is just about right, with the bass leading this one to its eventual end.

‘White Horse’ by Shit Hot Soundsystem (rework)

I’m sorry, but whenever I happen to come across a rework of this ol’ tune I just have to post it. Shit Hot Soundsystem ride the cowbell for this one, getting the funky dirtiness of it quite right. After the minute mark they punch it up a bit, and at 1:18 you get that beautiful sound of the original, indicating that, Yes, this is that tune, and Yes, lets get this party on, with all the rhythm sounds doing their thing for the dancefloor. They ride and expand that little horsey (ha!) for a while, and at 2:20 you get the vocals, delivering us the line that If you want to ride, don’t ride the white horse. In the mean time there’s still the drums, percussion, and bass to keep this one going for the dancefloor, with at 3:20 the guys taking a break from the vocals, focussing on that disco&funk dance sound for a moment. Then the lads of Laid Back come back in to warn about riding that white horse, with at 4:20 them returning to that iconic sound of this track. After that some echo laden vocals bring us to the next bit of the track, singing that Riiide, the white pony. It’s just a lovely, up-tempo, funky remix existing to let any disco dancer get down ‘n dirty to. And a free download of 9 1/2 minutes at that!