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The Weekly Froth! - 20161202

  • Published in Columns

 

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: ‘Used to Hold Me So Tight (Dr. Packer rework)

This starts out as something that you’ll be wanting to dance to, giving you the kick, the drum, and, a tad later, some of that bass to kick up that pace. Then, shortly after, the vocals, singing the title words, reminiscing about those good times when you Used to hold me so tight. And then, at 1:50, there comes la lady Houston, giving you some of that vocal prowess right there, letting you know who is the lady in our midst. Quickly in, the horns, giving her to work something off against. Then the verse, laying it out, laying it down, before coming back to the title words again, with Houston herself riffing up some magic as the backing singers mention again that there used to be a time where You used to hold me so tight. It’s just one of those beautiful disco mixes for a good night out on the dancefloor, and add those kind of vocals in there (and use them, like Dr. Packer does) and you know it’s all going to be quite all right.

 
 
‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’ by Prince (Rayko Super Disco Lover re-edit)

Now, who can get enough of Prince, really? This one starts with a booming, slow bass, but the little guitar riff gives you the balance, with the drums kicking in at about the thirty second mark. Rayko rides those sounds for a while, occasionally crashing a cymbal, adding something else in, before smoothing it out until changing it up again at 1:40. And he does that a few times, keeping the bass at its core around which the rest give you a little bit of that slow down funk right up until all the deep sounds are booted out and the high pitched vocals of Prince come in, saying that he needs your lovin’, That’s all I’m living for. And then, obviously, it works up again for the rhythm section to barge in, with the bass and the drums giving you that dancing thing again to ride this one out.

 
 
‘Pacify’ by Kauf

Kauf starts this one oh so quiet, oh so still (kind of in keeping with the title then perhaps), bringing you something that, in a way, resembles bird sounds to me. Then the heavier, somewhat grainy deep instrumentation comes in, providing the canvas for all the lighter instruments to appear and shine on (white works better on black after all). At about the 1:20 mark you get some of that tropical vibe going, with the vocals coming in as well, singing that You forced me into the sun, with the vocals being a bit more slowed down, contrasting the instruments nicely in that. Those vocals get a bit of room to work, with just the smattering synths, after which the rhythm and tropical come back in for a bit, for some of that closed eye dancing with a drink in the hand.

 
 
‘Canyons’ by Clubfeet

They build up a bit of that wall of synth to start, but soon the drums break through it, giving you the dancing rhythm and the slightly detached male vocals. The other vocals, heavily worked, are a bit more immediate, a bit more punchy, giving you that different kind of feel. When the male vocals come in we get some extra percussion, making sure there is a clear thing to dance to there, a base of the track they are sure to not let up on. Although, for a few seconds, around 2:20, it’s just vocals, but quickly the bass is put in there, but it’s the only deep sound against the lighter vocals and instrumentation surrounding it. The band is releasing an EP late January, including this track, so that’s a 2017 thing already ready and rearing to go (with a pick-me-upper in terms of pace at 3:20 again to do the same to you when listening to this).

 
 
‘1 Of These Nites’ (LNTG remix)

Someone’s musical taste, surely, one way or another, is influenced by their mum and dad (whether it stays and remains or heads fleeing out the door), and the Eagles are certainly something I remember from my growing up days. LNTG gives you all the high pitched marvels in that track, and boosts a bit of that bass in there, bit of that rhythm, especially at the two minute mark, where he runs with it, powered by the guitars as the beacons through which the ships pass. Then we really get into the track, with the verse, with the the plurality of guitars, and then the high pitched chorus again, doing the Oooooh, coming right behind you, swear I’m going to find you one of these nights. After which he quickly returns to the ruggedness of the verse. I mean, it’s not a nostalgic dancefloor thing, but it is a nostalgia thing, and LNTG makes it a dancefloor thing, and growing up listening to this track I’m sure getting a kick out of this (especially when that screaming guitar comes in at about 4:20).

 
 
‘I Still Reach Out’ by Lenny Williams (Alkalino rework)

Four seconds in you already hear the former Tower Of Power frontman working it, with one of the better voices this side of the atmosphere. In the mean time the bass is getting da rhythm right, with the little guitar riff coming in at the forty second mark to finish off that funk thing they’ve got going on. The ladies in the back also rear their heads not too long in, helping out the man in the middle who is taking a backseat to the rhythms of the night. He himself only returns after 2:30, yelping out some Ahh babies, but, with that voice, so that makes a difference probably. Alkalino then briefly dials it down before he gets all the bass and the drums running again with the girls in the back leading the way. Short but sassy funk number, with some drippings of Mr. Williams vocals as the icing on the cake.

 
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The Weekly Froth! - 20160916

  • Published in Columns

 

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: ‘RockMeLoveMe’ by Tiger & Woods

I love the loopin Louie’s that are Tiger & Woods, chaining all those loops together just right to get that whole dancefloor momentum going, giving it the hypnotic movement thing one can’t sit still to. Here, too, they get it going with this kind of spacey synth sound, which they, at one point, start riding, and not letting off. Which is, really, what we’ve come to expect. Especially as, continuously, things are added and subtracted, like the piano at the two minute mark, immediately changing the feel of the track a bit as the tone of the instrument is unlike other things that are making up the track at that point. There are also some vocals, not surprisingly repeating the same words over and over, which give it a nice funky vibe. With that and the piano it does get a funk tinge, which balances the inherently more mechanical feel of the way they build the track together. The piano is, naturally, not the only instrument that does it’s thing, with a clear and distinct percussion line moving through there as well to get that extra rhythm in. Apparently they are gearing up to release a new album, which is only something I can get excited about! As you quickly come to understand by the way, it is a preview, and the hammering home of it is really the only annoying thing about the stream of this track, but all the more reason to strengthen patience and just wait for the minty freshness of a newly released LP.

 

‘Tranquillo (Melt My Heart)’ by Carly Simon (Young Pulse edit)

This one starts out pretty minimal with a steady beat and just some synths to build mood. After that, a piano riff comes in, the vocals are already apparent in the background, and then the bass arrives to give a bit of boogie to it. Add the horns, a little guitar riff, and a minute in the track has fleshed out to a nice disco edit asking you to Melt my heart (why don’t ya?). At 1:40 a short break before all the rhythm elements return with, this time, Carly Simon singing the verse. It’s a real disco kind of tune here with all the horns and other disco touches, with Young Pulse doing all them things to make it just this sweet and smooth ride. At the four minute mark he even works the instruments a bit, though he always returns to the chorus and its horns. And that’s the way we like it, really, don’t we?

 

‘Mediator’ by AlunaGeorge

AlunaGeorge starts this one out with the orchestra, before breaking with the drum and her sweet vocals arriving on top, singing that she doesn’t think This is fixable. There’s a little guitar riff in this slow burning R&B track, that adds some synths when the chorus comes in, with AlunaGeorge upping the emotions a bit. After the chorus there is a short instrumental interlude, after which she continues to lay out her role as Mediator, upping the pace in delivery slightly as she asks to let Me talk to him, let me be your friend, he’s no good to you, he don’t need your help. It has this lovely, slow old school R&B vibe, with a bit of class and a bit of sass.

‘Building A Beginning’ by Jamie Lidell

My goodness, I remember seeing Jamie Lidell just after releasing ‘Multiply’, which skyrocketed him up in the popularity rankings. Soon, the soulful singer is coming back, with this being the opening track, a sad sounding soul turn that talks about Building a beginning (with you). It’s a slow burner, with the band in the back laying down the groundwork with the drum and that little guitar that lets out a short solo every now and again. It really sounds as one of those bands in a Jazz cafe doing their ditty, a bit of rhythm, a bit of straying and improvisation, as the singer croons on top of it, with plenty of oeeh-hoo’s, improv lines, and the like. Some old fashioned craftsmanship at work here. Lidell showcases his impeccable voice again here, and the band vibe gives it a nice vibe that probably announces the sound of the album pretty clearly I reckon.

‘Remember Red’ by Chris Malinchak

I was turning on a stream of a festival this weekend, and luckily dived in there just in time to witness the set of Chris Malinchak. The comments on SoundCloud confirm what I already was thinking, huge sampling by Madonna, and who can blame anyone for going that route? But, understated. The start, too, just a bit of that rhythm, some vibe sounds are used to get that dreamy, floaty thing going, but no hard beat, no punches. And just before the minute mark, a little bass that gives you the idea you’re being seduced at some beach in the Caribbean somewhere. The track has a lovely flow to it, some enticing Ahh-ha-ha-haas in the vocal background, luring you like the sirens just offshore. Near the end we get some spoken word, telling us to remember that these are Maybe the best of times. And certainly, when listening to this, good vibes all around.

 

‘Somebody’ by Whitney Houston (Rayko Super Disco Rework)

It is always a good time to get back to that ol’ Whitney Houston powerhouse, and really, what is a better dancefloor filler than a good edit of her amazing vocal turn in ‘I Wan’t To Dance with Somebody’? Rayko, over some hand percussion, first goes for Whitney repeating the Don’t you want to dance line, after which he moves her a bit to the background in favor of the percussion and rhythm, putting the emphasis on that instead of just throwing Houston’s vocal prowess out there. This change in balance gives it a refreshing feel, as the vocals don’t overpower the track, you are still steered by the rhythm percussion that Rayko provides in there (along with some of those synths), but it is still very much clearly THAT Whitney song which basically means you just have to dance (coppers will come out and arrest you for not doing it, ya know?). Rayko also chooses for the repetition in the vocals, picking up mostly the same words to repeat, and all other lines then Don’t you want to dance seem even more de-emphasized. Fun edit by a real master of it, with as source material just one of those darling things.

 

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