Weekly Column - The Froth!

Track of the week: ‘Melancholia’ by Rebeka (UL/KR remix)

I chanced upon Rebeka as the supporting act to Moullinex when I was visiting Porto last year. How about that eh? She’s got some vocals on her, that’s for sure, and you can hear that here as well. This nice, deep, full voice she’s got. The UL/KR remix does not put the beat in there from the get go, first bringing the atmosphere up to scratch for the first 1 1/2 minutes. After that you do get the beat, but luckily that beat is not that wrecking ball that it sometimes can be. UL/KR do amazing stuff by putting in atmosphere, adding a beat, collecting some extra sounds on the way, and still they make it feel as if everything is subservient to the vocals (which I guess is pretty hard to do if you can add all kind of new things, except the vocals, which will always be somebody else’s). Because of that everything feels as if it is supporting each other, and those vocals do immediately put down the vibe (of Melancholia), and this remix just does its best to get the most of that out of the track.

{soundcloud}http://soundcloud.com/brennnesselrec/rebeka-melancholia-ul-kr-remix{soundcloud}

‘Second Summer’ by YACHT (RAC remix)

I love Yacht because they’ve just got this focused idea of what they want, not to mention that some of these songs are actually pretty amazing even if you don’t take the ideas behind it into account. This RAC remix takes a band that probably isn’t being played at clubs an awful lot and they put a rather poppy beat under it so that you might pull this one out at a beach party or an indie disco. Around 1:50 you get a really nice moment with only Claire’s vocals and a synth. Her voice sound really good here, and I love that little bit of guitar that RAC matches up with the beat for a moment. They strip it down for a while, just having a synth in there really. Then they put the vocals back again, after which obviously the rest of the sounds return as well. If you want a summery, synth-poppy remix, this is one that will have you hopping in the sun as you walk along the waterside.

{soundcloud}http://soundcloud.com/dfa-records/second-summer-rac-remix-1{soundcloud}

‘A French Affair’ by Dimitri From Tokyo

Nothing says disco and dancing quite as much as Donna Summer, unless it's Donna Summer remixed by Dimitri From Tokyo. I love that dude, got several of his vinyl releases to bust out whenever I want to have people having fun and dancing (so, like, always). ‘Spring Affair’ couldn’t get a more timely release with it, well, being Spring, and all... . This is a track for all seasons though (...) as it is just disco up and down and twice around. Lovely little change around 2:22, when you’d expect Donna Summer to blast through again, but Dimitri goes for some subdued horns and keeps the chorus in the waiting room just a little bit longer. Love the very long part that surrounds the five minute mark where we hear Donna Summer waiting to burst out, but Dimitri keeps going for the disco horns instead of the chorus or the beat. The latter which then takes it over to bring this baby home. If you love disco, the original already is golden, and to make it even more dancey and ready for anyone’s latest disco mix Dimitri From Tokyo puts in just the right touches. So be happy and dance!

‘El Sucu Tucu’ by Matias Aguayo

Matias Aguayo made a name for himself with that Ay Ay Ay album that he released in - wait for it - 2009 (that made you feel old, didn’t it?). This year he will release a new album (June people), and this is what we can expect. Starts with some instant percussion, and with the synth you get this really intense, immediate vibe. The talky vocals - in a language I certainly don’t understand - do add some extra rhythm and intensity to it. That is the key feel for the track as a whole, this really immediate sound. Definitely a late nighter and not a set starter this one I would say (depending what you’re going for, of course), but if you’ve already garnered some momentum, this is the kind of thing that could take it over the top. Not if you’re looking for a fleeting, breezy listen this one.

{soundcloud}http://soundcloud.com/comeme/the-visitor-el-sucu-tucu{soundcloud}

‘Get Lucky’ by Daft Punk (Greg Wilson Ruff Edit)

So everybody and their mothers has taken a crack at remixing/editing/whatever the new Daft Punk track, including old hand at the trade Greg Wilson. He gives it a bit of that disco sensibility and he works in a nice and long run-up, not immediately going for the jackpot. When the track, at around 2:15, wants to start, Greg Wilson throws it into a different direction. He takes the vocals and gives them a coating of glitch basically, botching them up a bit and repeating that for so so long, although he does change some things in the music along the way to keep it varied.  Just before the four minute mark he ditches these sounds and goes for unedited vocals with handclaps as to get that beam-of-light feeling that gives. After half a minute he obviously puts the music back in for the dancers to start their little dance again. Though it probably won’t stand out as his seminal work, but if you are a DJ, a track of this magnitude comes out, then this is the way you can quickly drop it in a set while it is still as hot as hell.

‘Black Sun’ by Cuttlefish & Asparagus

Now, there’s a name you’re not likely to forget, is it? From the start it is clear what you, from now on, will connote to this name: namely horns, disco, and funk. That’s how it starts, and after about 45 seconds they put down these amazing old school vocals, as in a choir, who implore you to get Dancing. After that, keep an eye on that bass, because that one is running away with it. The beat also keeps it throbbing forward, and on top of that some of these traditional disco sounds are placed to keep that vibe there at all times. Very catchy, just makes you want to move, which I guess is the whole idea behind this, right? They do switch up the auxiliary sounds on occassion so it doesn’t get too much of the same, and just before the three minute mark they put the vocals in again to really do something different. After that this clips fade away, but it does give you an excellent idea of what one can expect from this EP I reckon.

{soundcloud}http://soundcloud.com/cuttlesparagus/kks-001-a1-cuttlefish{soundcloud}