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: ‘Slow Motion Cowboy’ Hot Toddy vs. IPG

The percussion gets this one started, putting the rhythm in tight before the wobbly industrial sounds come in, including the emotionless robotic voice. But at the minute mark he moves away from that, putting in a big bass to get that boogie going, helped out by some horn sounds and a bit of that woodwork percussion rhythm. The voice comes back though, including the other computer sounds, but again, Hot Toddy dives back in there with some solo blues and jazz sounds moving on top of the horn and bass that bring you the bounce. So he is really marrying those two feels, but above all the base of the track is just really danceable, really is a hip mover for sure. And on top of that, taking from both worlds, he brings in a core set of sound from which he adds and subtracts, and adding plenty of new stuff in there on occasion (like around the 4:15 mark with that change-up to move to the more mechanical again before returning to the bass). A near 8 minute corker from the Nottingham man.

‘Wonderland’ by Earth Wind & Fire (Late Nite Tuff Guy muscle mix)

The label Midnight Records offers a chance for a “free” download (for a tune and a whistle) of a LNTG muscle mix of that ol’ Earth, Wind & Fire classic. Just one that all y’all know, all them dancers in the club know, and which moves along so smooth and tightly that how anyone can not start doing their disco thang is beyond me. LNTG brings the vocals from the get go, telling you to Dance, and Boogie, falling short of adding the “wonderland”, but you know that is coming. You know it is coming for sure when the track starts building it up with the horns, and there it is, at about 2:30, long and drawn out, followed by more horns and piano. In the mean time the track keeps the disco dancing at full throttle as they add the male verse after the three minute mark, doubling the line with the female vocals before they dive into the chorus again. The bass is amazing, the edit super smooth, and the recognition factor is through the roof. A great mixture of the original and the current dancefloor, not losing either one’s essence in the process. The spectral of the NY sweat clubs reigns supreme in the current discotheque right here.

‘The Look Of Love’ by ABC (Moonlight Matters Rework)

Moonlight Matters always know how to get that party going, and they start this one no holds barred. There’s the galloping rhythm, and then the string section giving you the feisty as well. At the 48 second mark they turn it around slightly, taking the beat out of there, but even without it there’s still a sense of up speed manic right up until the 1:22, when they strip almost everything aside from the synths and the disco horns that they allow to enter the fray. At 1:50, bam, there come the old school vocals singing the title line supported by an incessant beat, but also the percussion rhythm, the strings, and all those sounds that link the early Eighties with that disco sound from them NY clubs. A change-up like at about 3:30 gives it a playfulness, a cheekiness that fits (in my mind) in that Eighties aesthetic, before going a bit more darker and New Wave at the end to hit this one home.

‘I Can Never Be Myself When You’re Around’ by The Chromatics

The audio of this one has been floating around for ages now, but really gearing up for their release The Chromatics thought they’d throw a video out there as well. Good thing for me, because I’ve been just about obsessive with this track the past few weeks again. You’ve got the stabbing, high tempo synths, then the beat and drums come in to give it the tempo, and the vocals juxtapose it with their wispy, dreamy, alienated voice singing that Baby, it’s not that easy, I can never be myself when you’re around. Which, precisely, is that whole The Chromatics vibe that you love and that hits home straight through the heart. There’s the guitar in there as well, primarily adding to the atmosphere. It’s pretty much up tempo, and, moving through that, the emotional coming to terms as they tried To reach so hard, but still we hit the ground. There’s a sense of resignation, the smile to each other that you love and tried all to get to that perfect place, and the tear that, as if fatalistically, you just don’t quite manage to get there. It’s an absolute gem, and I can’t wait for the album to drop (and I need to restrain myself to write the rest of this column and not just hit repeat over and over again).

‘A1’ by Prins Thomas (Gerd Janson Prinspersonation mix)

Both Prins Thomas as well as Gerd Janson are veterans on the scene, so they won’t be holding back for sure. The track starts out peppy and weird, with the space synth coming in at about the forty second mark, relatively deep to announce the arrival of the dark forces. Next to all the synth stuff there’s a beat in the background, which is relatively deep as well. At about the 1:35 mark the track gets a kick in its rear end, speeding up a bit also thanks to the lighter percussion sounds that arrive. Throughout the track it hits patches where the weird and cosmic take over, but always, like at 3:45, sliding back to the dancefloor by a change of pace or focussing more on the rhythm again. 4:20, again, has a nice change-up waiting for you as well. The track has a nice flow to it, a bit of a spacey vibe, and it’s just what you’d expect really from a team up like this one.

‘Jazzy Days’ by Cisco Cisco

Cisco Cisco bring it down, especially at the start, bringing a bit of that Jazzy nightclub vibe in there. Then they bring a little rhythm in with the cymbals, though it takes until the 35 second mark before the actual beat arrives. Even that one, though, is lower paced, giving this a drug fuelled slowed down vibe for the after hours with a martini somewhere. On top of the bass sounds there is an instrument continuously solo-ing it up, and then around the two minute mark we get some vocal work from ‘Born This Way’ (the old disco classic rather than the Lady GaGa one, just sayin’). The edited vocals sing they are Happy, I’m carefree, as in the mean time the hypnotic rhythm keeps moving on. Around 3:30 they get the beat out there for a minute, but soon it comes back with a slight bounce in its step. This track will be released later this month and includes a remix by Ron Basejam, which I’m sure will be well worth your time also.

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:  ‘Full Moon’ by Private Agenda

Private Agenda first put in a relatively melancholic synth before they get the funk in and the rhythm up with a forceful bass sound and some major horn action. This all is aided by percussion and, a short while later, a synth riff that is entered. At about the minute mark we get the vocals, telling it to Take it in your stride. As the vocals keep going the bass makes sure there’s always the rhythm to lean back on, and as the song moves into the chorus the synth riff return. Just before the three minute mark there’s a slight change up, including some '80s movie soundtrack vibes that I actually kind of like. The track really bets high on the main bass sound, with the vocals a good second (and even getting a minute in the spotlight at the four minute mark). Next to these things there’s always some sort of percussion or synth combo to help out. It’s a lovely, fun track with some nice hints of other genres to add to the good vibes.

‘Colours’ by Roosevelt (Prins Thomas diskomiks)

Prins Thomas knows how to get that dancefloor feel, and here, too, he gets the beat going from the very beginning to make sure there’s something for everyone to shake their hips to. But he overrules that sound for an even faster rhythm part, upping the tempo and the momentum until shortly after the minute mark, where he continues to ride it but with additional synth sounds. More piano is added, really giving you the full monty with this one. Every so often, a slight change in the track, for example pushing the synth sounds forward, making that one louder and louder over the deep rhythm sounds, and then the shift to a new sound in the foreground. It keeps it fresh, and it gives this sense of momentum. At 2:40 we get the Roosevelt vocals for the first time, and just after the three minute mark Prins Thomas even slows it all down so we can have a good listen to that. Then, first, he brings back the synths, going for new rhythm sounds just moments later. And we know Prins Thomas can keep this up for the entire length of the track, giving you 8 1/2 minutes of dancefloor music with all kinds of rhythm & synth mixtures and the occasional dash of Roosevelt, of course.

‘Martin’ by Matthias Zimmermann feat. Olivia Merilahti

First thing we hear are the vocals of Olivia Merilahti, saying that Everyone is lying, lying, lying to themselves. Zimmermann first gives you the synths, and then the beat, culminating into the electro-pop feel that is the main stay of this track. The vocals have a melancholic tinge to them, with the beat almost tropical and the synths providing these light touches. The pace is up-tempo though, and especially in the chorus it does get a sort of party vibe going. So there’s definitely some dancing that can be done. At 2:45 the beat is stripped for a short while, but for the last stretch it makes sure to make a comeback. A four minute electro pop track that makes sure to pack a punch.

‘I Keep Forgettin’ by Rayko Moscow Discow Rework

Rayko gets the deep synth sounds in, on top of a steady beat, for this ol’ Michael McDonald classic. Whose vocals, by the way, are immediately audible right from the get go. But, from a distance, still a tad hidden. Just like the piano sound, something which I believe I also remember from the original. Rayko gets the looping going, for a long time definitely going for the “I keep forgettin’” part, seemingly inching closer and closer to the chorus before moving away and starting all over agani. Which is cleverly done, just adding that one syllable every time. In the mean time, one can keep dancing to the deep synth, the beat, and the looping vocals that keep adding the heartache of a man that Keeps forgetting that things will never be the same again. It’s one of my favorite tracks, and this looping louie of an edit gives it a new twist on top of all the edits that are already out there. And more ways to consume a classic, that’s always welcome, innit?

‘Messin’ by Gap Band (Kon Remix)

The Gap Band is just one of those classic boogie-till-you-can-boogie-no-more bands that is always good to throw in there if you want to funk the place up. Kon starts out easy though, but after the thirty second mark we get that boogie-bass, the classic horn sounds, and the steady drumbeat to make sure you’ve got something to hang your hat on to. After the minute mark we get the vocals, singing that they Don’t know what to do. And those vocals, they bring that classic soul vibe, they are just lovely. We are also treated to a nice guitar riff, working well with the horns and the rhythm section, with some extra percussion throw in there after the two minute mark. Kon makes sure to put the emphasis on that slow-to-mid paced boogie rhythm, moving along also thanks those hand percussion sounds. The vocalists sing that There you go, messing with my mind, something which this track definitely doesn’t do. This rework is ultra smooth, super clean, and a nice treat for those wanting to do a little dance in that pace range.

‘Zenith’ by Kasper Bjorke feat. Null & Void

Kasper Bjorke starts with some piano on top of a beat that moves from regular to rapidly firing the sounds off. That speediness gets juxtaposed by the slow, deep synth sound that enters. The idiosyncratic nature of the drum is repeated by the glitchy computer sounds Bjorke then adds on top of a regular drum sound. Then, the synth and beat come back in, giving this track its backbone again, showing what is the main stay there. At about the halfway point a lot of the sounds are stripped again, but obviously he works his way back to them, even adding some pace for the second half of the tune. There are no vocals to be heard here, then again, most Bjorke albums seem to have a fifty-fifty split in terms of instrumental vs. songs with actual singing in them. Especially with the sounds underneath you hear the Bjorke signature, the dark synth and the mood that one brings. And that signature is always a good thing to have in there as far as I’m concerned.