Weekly Column: The Froth!

Track of the week:  ‘It’s All Over’ by Blanc 1

Blanc 1 is a new series of vinyl releases on John Talabot’s label. And after Fin he is definitely a guy to keep an eye on. It has got this bit of a minimal vibe, with first the beat all on its own, and then suddenly those deliciously characteristic vocals. They’ve got a bit of a waver in them which I kind of fancy. The beat keeps riding on as auxiliary sounds weave in and out to give the track its vibe, and one of the things that definitely does that is that major African percussion thingy that sometimes appears. After that you get some synths in there along with some rhythmic percussion, and to complete it all the vocals come back. Love how it is build up. All these elements are almost individually introduced so you know what they sound like, and then when they all come together you still clearly hear them all, but this time in cohesion with each other. Some ghostly synths add another layer in the texture, definitely giving a bit of oomph to the emotional aspect of the song. New elements keep coming and going, all clearly audible and clearly contributing to one aspect or another of the track, whether it is aesthetic, emotion, or rhythm. Those vocals fit perfectly with the type of track this is, almost spectral in appearance. To kick off this series of vinyl, I’m not sure they could’ve found something better to represent it.

'A Safe Return’ by Marcello Giordani

Giordani starts this off with a deep beat and some alien noises, while in the background we hear some sort of 50s newcast or something. At least it sounds like that, one of those warning for this E.T. invasion kind of thingies, which I’m also thinking because of that ominous sound that comes in just about then. With the lighter sounds it gets more dancey, especially after the two minute mark, even if we still hear the aliens coming in the background. But aside from that vibe it has turned into this dancefloor deep house track, especially when you’re three minutes in when he adds the percussion and more. He throws some extra spoken word in there, but this time clear and modern sounding, though I can’t quite place where it is from (suggestions appreciated!). Near the end Giordani takes it back a notch again, going with the deep beat and the aforementioned synth sound to ride it out. Nice song with a specific vibe and, in the middle, all the characteristics of a song for the dancefloor.

'Light Out’ by Javelin

Light and open sounds from Javelin, definitely going for that good weather vibe. The high pitched vocals add to that, putting this into that synth-pop realm that you’d kind of expect to be hearing during the summer festival season. Not that this is a dancey affair, though on the drums you can do a little slow dance. But it is not like Cut Copy gone crazy, quite the reverse actually, it is quite a lower paced affair. And even despite all the high and open sounds it still has this kind of understated feel to it. The chorus goes something like Pa-da-pa-da-pa-da-pa-da, at least that is what I’m hearing, which I hope it’s true, not because otherwise I would be hearing it wrong, but because it kind of sums up the song for me. If you like things open sounding without immediately having to go into magnificent dancing mode, this is one to go to during the summer festivals.

‘Ruza’ by Decibels (Munk Remix)

Munk gets this one on the way with quite a harsh beat, but luckily after fifteen seconds in it already takes a backseat to some deeper sounds that I find more agreeable. Before the minute mark you can already hear Munk working up to something, and that something turns out to be the vocals, which are lovely. After the vocals are done they get replaced by the synth, and then they swap roles again. All this on top of a nice beat to do some dancing to. Munk throws in one of those major dancefloor break-down-and-returns, basically stopping the track completely before the beat and the piano sounding keys return again. Like how he puts in those keys, that’s a nice variation on the sounds earlier. After that, for a moment, just vocals and handclaps, then again a complete halt for what sounds like a couple of seconds, after which Munk comes back with the vocals and beat. The last few minutes are a combination of all the elements we’ve heard before to ride this one out. With the deeper beat it is a nice one for the dancefloor, and I guess it is aimed at that with those stop-and-go’s, which kind of are there to get people go bonkers, though personally I’m not much of a fan of those (especially not full stops and not twice in an eight minute span). With that said, lovely beat, some nice variation also with the keys and vocals, so definitely worth the listen.

‘Love of a Life’ by Keljet feat. X Ambassadors (Mighty Mouse remix)

Though I don’t live in a major arts city, I guess I’m lucky enough that there are some nice dance nights here (though not always my genre to be fair), and since only a short while these kids have a night of their own. Keljet I remember for dropping some remixes early on in their career of LCD Soundsystem tracks and stuff, and this one borders on kind of that indie-electronic vibe and more disco and house sounds. Also thanks to Mighty Mouse perhaps, for he is on remix duties on this one. Definitely a catchy one you can dance to, and it has some high pitched vocals there as well. Despite some nice piano house type of lines in there, it does get kind of overpowered by all those major dance sounds. The second half of the song it kind of picks up for me a bit. First there is a moment of basically just the beat and vocals, and after that they ride it out in a less in-your-face manner with some nice and catchy sounds. If you like your remixes to have all the sounds of the world blended into a full throttle mixture, this is one to jump around on. Personally I would’ve liked a treatment that is less loose with all the sounds that they throw in there.

‘Magic Song’ by Heikki Sarmanto & Jeannine Otis

For me, what the beauty is of internet, you get all these interconnected things, and if you follow the lines there’s so much to discover. Going on the website of Juno.co.uk, following some of the charts of some of my favorite artists, I suddenly arrived at this track. This track being by the Finnish composer Heikki Sarmanto and vocalist Jeannine Otis, who recorded this funky little number in 1980. Getting a new release, this has got that lovely funky vibe down pat, not in the least because of Otis vocals, that sometimes sound really schooled and trained for a genre with more standing and allure. Around the three minute mark you get a lovely horn solo there whilst in the background you hear the piano and the percussion on the bongo’s, or something to that effect. For people who love (re)discovering that lovely funky disco sound, this is again one to savor.