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:  ‘Let It Carry You’ by Jose Gonzalez (Holy Ghost! remix)

I always love Holy Ghost!’s disco & synth sound, and here from the get go you get this lovely feel again. It’s got a nice drum beat to it, then you get the rhythm synth, and then a more atmospherical synth sound as the boys show off their hardware. Then the vocals come in, which add a hint of melancholy to the dancey affair. What I also like is how restrained the vocals are, but sometimes at the end of a line there’s this touch of rawness, which is nice. There are also some backing vocals in there at one point, and at 3:20 you have this moment where they’re really building up the sound for a minute just to have it all float back to this understated disco sound. There are multiple moments where you can definitely find them playing around with structure and flow like that. If you like the albums they’ve put out (and you should, gosh darn it!), then this is one to throw in that playlist too. Love the mixture of the tone in combination with this unrelenting drum & synth-for-a-touch-of-dancing action.

‘Holding On’ by Julio Bashmore feat. Sam Dew

The start definitely has this happy vibe to it, like you’re about to have fun. Julio’s got some glitchy looping going on, which is a nice modern contrast to the vocals. Which are, indeed, #broadwalk, as the SoundCloud page indicates. It’s got this old school vibe, but the looping keeps it grounded in the modern. At 1:20 it moves away from that a little bit, with the main sound now being a relatively poppy dance beat, which I can see the whole of America doing these lip dubs to. Also because it has this sense of happiness, and it does have this theatrical flair to it as well (also thanks to the multiple layers of vocals). There are moments where the beat is turned down to go back to those looping bits with the vocals, obviously to shift back to the fast paced pop action again a little bit later. Definitely a catchy tune this, with the different elements nicely keeping this one in balance.

‘Chicken Heads’ by Bobby Rush (Leo Zero edit)

Leo Zero brings the blues back to the dancefloor. He gets a nice little loop going for this edit of a Bobby Rush song, who is one of those blues guitarists from that time when there were still blues guitarists (and ones that were not victims of elder abuse at that). Leo Zero makes sure you get plenty of that blues vibe, bringing in loads of vocals and, more importantly, that nice little guitar riff that he rides and rides as he should. Obviously there’s also plenty of drums and percussion in there, as it is a dancefloor track, and a change-up like at 2:15 makes that abundantly clear (and makes it work, too). Now, I love me some blues, and these fellas know all about bringing some attitude to the mix, and Leo Zero makes sure he doesn’t forget to include that ingredient here. It’s just a really good edit of a blues man that includes the blues guitar, those blues vocals, a bit of spoken word as well, and even something that kind of resembles a chorus with the Let me in, let me in, let me in lines. It’s got the dancefloor rhythm and it’s got plenty of the original as well, and that’s all you want, innit? And for that I’ll forgive some of that production trickery like at 5:35-5:40. Don’t sweat it, just the kind of guy I am.

‘Slip And Do It’ by Betty Wright (Disco Tech Edits)

Got to have some Betty Wright in your life every now and again, don’t ya? And Disco Tech makes sure there’s a bit of a beat as well as a bit of the funk in this edit of Betty’s ‘Slip and Do It’. Just before the minute mark she comes in, with all the attitude she can muster, and the Disco Tech boys make sure she brings a bit of that guitar and some of those horns with her as well. She sings that When it feels so good, will you slip and do it?, which effectively summarizes the age old question of heart over head or not. And, luckily, she doesn’t mind being the other woman, so there you go. At the two minute mark she gets a bit of help from the girls at the back, as Disco Tech makes sure you can do some grooving to the bass that’s getting it on in the background. This is really an edit in that there are so many elements of the original, and Betty gets all the spotlight the world can buy, and that’s what makes it work. But the bass and the beat do make sure you can get funky to it on the dancefloor in your modern discotheque, and that’s all we want on a Saturday night (and whenever we’re at home, alone, with a bottle of whatever at our lips).

‘Once In A Lifetime’ by Talking Heads (Joey Negro edit)

Joey Negro starts this one off with some percussion and big drums, and a big, bushy bass, which seems a bit padded from the original track. That original track being ‘Once in a Lifetime’, from that band that just knows how to bring that city anxiety alive (if you haven’t succumbed to that in real life yet). After the minute mark we hear David Byrne coming out from the back to the front of the stage, with Joey Negro still riding the bass and, now, the line “same as it ever was”. In the mean time he’s having a bit of fun with some anxiety inducing synths as well, but he strips it all down to give Byrne plenty of room to do his verse, bringing the bass back near the end. When they enter the chorus, he introduces the guitar as well, after which we simply get the next verse instead of Joey Negro putting the chorus on repeat. At the three minute mark we get a bit of saxophone thrown in there to go along with the bass and other rhythm elements, which is a nice way to give some extra length to this edit. Not that it ends with that though, as obviously we always need some extra Byrne before the credits roll as the vocals make their encore. By the way, if you have never seen the video clip of the original song, do have a fun time slapping yourself in the face with that one.

‘Alright’ by Church Boy Lou feat. Paul Randolph

Church Boy Lou’s music is deeply rooted in the history of African-American music, both in terms of the piano house it evolves into after about the one minute mark, but also in terms of the humming vocals and the sounds-from-the-audience. I love how the humming seems to multiply, giving it this community feel that has always been a staple in gospel, house, but also blues music. Whilst the vocals and the organ lay down the vibe, the beat and the piano still keep this one rolling for anyone fancying a trip to the club. Near the very end the percussion shifts, which could easily lead one into a new dance track with a new feel to it so that you’re night out will never stop. Now, I don’t know what happens at the two and four minute mark (and there is always the hope that it is an uploading error, however faint), but the rest of the track oozes this atmosphere of hommage and pride whilst still working as something one could be giving a spin at the club.

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:  ‘Two Brothers’ by Hanni El Khatib (Holy Ghost! remix)

Slap that bass, baby! How about that one to get this on the road, eh? Add to that some synths and some '80s soundtrack sounds to big it all up, and you are off to the races with this one. High paced disco for those long summer nights where you can use that extra jolt of hgh nrgy. To make it even more disco-ish you get some horns in too, and there’s also a nice bit of piano to go on top of the beat to keep this one going. A little while after, the vocals come in for the first time, telling us that our brothers, mothers, and children love us, and crazy uncle Randall down in the basement probably loves us a little bit too. More horns after the first run of vocals, and you can never go wrong with those. Then you get this nice little build-up with primarily beat, synths, and vocals, with a dash of guitar thrown in there for good measure, after which around 3:50 the bass takes off with the loot and makes a grooving dash for it. These lads know how to make a catchy, groovy tune, with this one sounding especially disco compared to some of their other work (blame it on the horns and the way they use some of the synths). Again, lovely high paced, and sure to get the people dancing as if on a cocktail of a couple of energy drinks and some lovin’.

‘Rock Steady’ by The Whispers (JKriv edit)

I’m not one to say no to a good seven minutes of disco. JKriv starts out with the beat to get this edit of The Whispers ‘Rock Steady’ on the road. Soon enough, you get some of that bass guitar in, along with the vocals, after which more and more of the original sounds enter the vincinity. And just after the minute mark you get the full back-to-the-disco vibe, with the beat sliding down to the background to get the full The Whispers experience going. Which means some Steady rocking all night long (rocking ‘till the break of dawn). JKriv makes sure to herald the stars of the show here, giving it this lovely slower-to-mid disco pace where the vocals keep going and going. Until the four minute mark that is, when you get some piano solo first, and then a little bit more emphasis on the bass. Soon after though, you get those soulful vocals in there again, talking about how he almost gave up on courting her, before they started to rock, steady! A lovely edit that keeps all of that old school magic right there in the spotlight.

‘Another Way’ by Crooked Colours (Mickey Kojak’s Soundtrack edition)

I love the drums that this one has, gives it some punch from the get go I reckon. Add some dreamy vocals to that, a dash of those space sounds, and you have quite the beginning for this Soundtrack edition. After a couple of seconds in Mickey Kojak dials down the drums for a bit, to bring them back later along with some additional synths firing their sounds off to help them out. I love the added synths around the two minute mark, they give it this nice, little touch that I really like. This carefree line of sound that floats its way in between the heavier weaponry. At the three minute mark it’s a moment of vocals-and-synth only to calm everyone the fuck down for a moment or so, after which you get the drums back, but not before you have this lovely dramatic, theatrical moment of vocals in there, which does kind of gets me smiling. The combination of all these things makes it definitely worthwhile to have a listen to, I’d reckon.

‘Make It Easy’ by Ben Browning

Ben Browning wants us to feel good this summer, and with ‘Make It Easy’ he sure keeps it light and fresh like a nice, cool salad you’re enjoying at the beach to secure yourself that bathing suit/speedo figure. Where Cut Copy - the band he is in - tends to veer towards the all-out dance side of synth-pop these days, this one slides into the jammy, lets-have-fun-together end of it all. He advises to "Make no money, make it easy" (how, exactly, that makes it easy is up for debate), and obviously there is a nifty bassline hidden down there somewhere to keep this one moving forward, along with plenty of auxiliary sounds, most eye-catching of which the guitar riffs that he has put in. This one is the first single off of his debut album called Turns, which will be in shops this summer.

‘All U Writers’ by !!!

Again with the bass, wow, that one immediately lays down the rules of the land I’d say. Nic Offer comes in with a deeeep voice to get that nightclub dirty out there, which gets juxtaposed by that light-pitched synth sound that they float around. Later on we get some more singing vocals, which are decidedly higher pitched, though the bass still keeps it on the down low and grooving forward. There are some nifty auxiliary sounds thrown in there, though none more lovely than the guitar stand-off that starts just before the three minute mark. In the mean time, the heavily worked vocals keep on coming at you from all sides, and at the 3:40 mark you get the bass back in to do some of that down-to-the-ground dancing to. I loved the most recent !!! album quite a bit, and this again is just a great track to be shaking some hips on, with Offer leading it from right up front, no doubt.

‘Heard It’ by Marvin Gaye (Late Nite Tuff Guy edit)

You know you need this in your life, don’t you? Starts out with a flurry of, ehrm, strings? On top of which, soon enough, you get that soulful voice of Marvin Gaye (which, soon enough, you’ll get in stereo, no less). After the initial, theatrical start LNTG gets the groove on with some bass and percussion, some original sounds, and some new, auxiliary sounds to help out as well. And, of course, quite a bit of Marvin Gaye and his backing gals singing that, yes, I’ve heard it through the grapevine (that no longer you will be mine). Love the use of that guitar just before the two minute mark, and about half an hour later you get some of those strings from the start reappearing again. LNTG does a good job pacing this, not going full party mode, but he knows when to take it down a notch for a moment to let this catch its breath before hitting the run+sprint button again. Not that this is fast paced, mind you, it’s got a nice little groove to it, led by that bass. Gaye can be heard a plenty, so fans definitely don’t need to feel short-changed here.