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: ‘Wash My Chaka’ Jacques Renault’s Adesse Versions (Kon edit)

It is an edit of Jacques Renault (one of my favs) for Local Talk, which Kon thought he’d sprinkle some Chaka vocals over. No complaining here, as after thirty seconds this one gets into gear in style. There’s a lovely house feel to the dance stuff, and Chaka is strutting her stuff right on top over it, singing that she.loves.you. There’s a slight hold at about 1;45, but Renault really wastes no time keeping the energy up with this one, firmly asking the dancefloor people to keep working it as he just goes on. Those vocals, meanwhile, indeed do fit, giving it a high nrg vibe to go with dat house music. At 3:20, then, the beat gets drawn away for a moment, keeping a deep synth sound and some hi-hats before Chaka comes in singing that she thinks she met you Somewhere in my dreams, immediately signalling the return of the beat as well. It’s a dance dance dance thing, with the House music of Renault combined with the disco up vocals by Chaka, giving the dancers this goodie of a track.

‘Believer’ by Dam-Funk (Fingers Deep - Funk remix)

I love the cheeky way the percussion starts. so funky and sexy, it already tells you to huddle up and get down. At about the forty second mark the synths and piano come in, giving it some lounge vibes. It settles the track down a bit, and the lads ride that vibe for a long while. The first major new shift comes at 2:50, where some stabbing synths are introduced, which then get a deeper sound underneath. I love how the soft piano comes floating in at points, providing a nice contrast to the percussion elements that keep on moving down below. At about 5:20 the bass rolls in, giving a bit of that boogie to work up to the next time that piano arrives. Dam-Funk released an excellent album last year, I saw him give an entertaining trip through House music history at Primavera Sound this year, and then there are the tracks he made with Nite Jewel as well. So the man is keeping busy, and busy churning out quality stuff at that. Released by the !K7 label, which knows its good music.

‘Rescue’ (Rayko Boogie Summertime Dancer re-edit)

Rayko, from the get go, gets those summery sounds in for this disco boogie. Soon he adds the percussion and bass as well, and half a minute in it all collides for what really only can be described as good vibes. Then, after a minute, the vocals, lovely cutting through that harsher synth with that honey suckled sweetness. After the first chorus Rayko brings it down, stripping more and more instruments until you basically have a single percussion, the vocals, and a little guitar riff left. At 3:20 the boogie returns, replacing the vocals for a moment before they come back with the chorus line. Everything underneath keeps on rolling as the vocals draw out the plea to Saaaave me longer and longer, before the chorus girls start singing the title line of the track. Just a lovely disco edit, a task which is in safe hands with Rayko for sure.

‘You’re Gonna Love Me’ by B & The Family

Apparently, this is an actual track from the '80s, but never released. The B in the band is Brian Morgan, who recently remembered he had some tracks shelved somewhere and thought, lets give it a whirl. Et voila, here it is, a catchy soul number also thanks to the drums that strut their stuff nicely. Then, the old school R&B vocals, which are helped out by the girls in the back on occasion as she sings that Oeehh, you’re gonna love me. The bass makes sure to be in there to provide some of that base rhythm, and there’s also a bit of that guitar riffing going around (he is, after all, a guitar player, so yeah). But mostly this is a catchy R&B track ol’ style, giving you all those good vibes at that summer cook-out of your dreams.

‘Taking Libz’ by Patrick Topping

Patrick Topping makes sure the beat is understood by all, giving you the marching orders from the get go on this house tune. Then the bass comes in, though it’s the higher pitched sound that dictates this one before it makes way for other fast moving percussion strikes. At the 1:50 mark the beat is taken out for a moment, with the percussion and the frantic synth sounds keeping that punching going on. Then, some deep, male vocals come in to do some talking, though most attention will most likely go out to the return of that beat that immediately follows. Again, at 3:20, a bit of a rest for the beat, and the dancefloor, though there is still the dulled thud of the drum that keeps them hardcore dancers involved. And it is a fast hitting track specifically aimed at that, the 3AM drug infused going of the body, released on the always partying Hot Creations label.

‘Divina’ by Lane 8

Lane 8 starts this one out with a nice main sound which, as the synth atmospherics come in, change to a deeper, more insistent tone (going from an almost guitar sound to a more key heavy feel), basically preluding the beat that is sure to come in. And there it is, after the first minute mark, nice and deep to juxtapose the synths. And this way, a dance feel develops, going for that pandemonium-in-front-of-the-stage feel with this one. A bass sound is added to give it some more rhythm flavor as the drums keep hitting it. Until the third minute mark that is, where only the hi-hats survive to go with the riffing keys and the atmospheric floating sound, which is a bit deeper than the other remaining instruments to provide a nice canvas there. Though that one is an almost tranquil presence, the other sounds keep a certain restlessness in them, signifying that yes, there’s some more dancing to come. And sure enough, at the five minute mark, lets go dancing for one more round.

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: ‘Peace’ by Kenton Slash Demon (Lone remix)

I like how this one starts with that deep synth riff, that then gets juxtaposed by the higher pitched pianos. Then, at 25 seconds, the beat, the bass sound that reminds me of something but I don’t know what (do tell in the comments if you do have it) giving it a bit of that funky, R&B feel. I love how that slower bass gets mixed with, alternately, the piano and the beat, the latter giving it a bit more punch. At 2:20 Lone almost goes full piano for a moment, before the beat comes in to help that out, moving a bit more to the dance side of it. At the three minute mark that bass comes back in to give it some attitude, which it does crazily effective. The mixture of these elements, and also knowing when to put them on, when to turn them down, and when to slow down the pace entirely, is what makes this track so good and great to listen to. After slowing it down the bass comes back one more time, before clearly working it down to a close at the five minute mark.

‘Since You’ve Gone’ by Loframes feat. Anoraak

Loframes start this one with rhythmic vocals, under which melancholic tones emerge. At the 18 second mark we get the drum and a little guitar riff, as the male voice sings that the doesn’t know How to feel at times, as, apparently, someone has left. Slowly a more rhythmic undercurrent is put in (as the original drum sound didn’t have that particular function), as the vocals go from higher pitched to a bit deeper voiced. At the 1:48 mark there are some catchy synths as the track builds towards a moment where they pick up the pace, in the mean time the singer sings that he wants to close his eyes. It’s a lovely track, catchy in the right places, a nice build-up, but also a tad melancholic, not forgetting the emotion already alluded to by the title. Loframes get a bit of help from Anoraak, who I rate highly always, so that’s a sign of quality right there.

 ‘Come Back Lover’ by Fresh Band (Alkalino rework)

Alkalino takes on the Fresh Band, and it is clear where Alkalino is heading from the twenty second mark on, putting that frenetic guitar riff in on top of that steady dancefloor beat. More percussion at the fifty second mark, so that there’s really no mistaken that, yes, this is for the dancefloor, with Alkalino keeping the pace up on this '80s tune. Just after the 1:30 mark we get a nifty bassline in there as well, giving you more to do that boogie to. This is balanced by the horns, first rearing their heads around the two minute mark or so. Three minutes in they go a bit piano on us as well, letting that celebrate some freedom, and thirty seconds later the vocals come in for the first time. And they are singing, nay, pleading, Come back, lover, come back. The vocals, at all times, keep that distant feel, with the instruments remaining the center of attention. Only late, after the six minute mark, we hear a more forceful, less edited vocal sing Come on baby, in a more urgent manner than before. In the mean time the bass keeps rolling, the drum keeps hitting, and the piano/horns/guitar keep providing us with all that goodness to have that dancefloor boogie going on.

‘Set Fire To Me’ by Willie Colon (SanFranDisko mix)

SanFranDisko immediately pumps this up, indicating dance dance dance from the get go. The pace is real high, getting a bit juxtaposed by the synth sound that comes at about 50 seconds in. At 1:10, the vocals for the first time, with at 1:20 Willie Colon entering the verse as he sings that You’re the one for me, take control of me. The percussion and the rhythm of the vocal give it a Caribbean slant for me. And the trumpet at 2:45 as well, which is real fun, because you don’t quite hear that kind of horn sound very often in there. In the mean time the vocals keep imploring to set fire on them as, at 3:35, the piano comes in, which then slides into a bit of funky rhythm with the bass and the percussion. SanFranDisko deliver again on a funky remix that, through its original, gives it a particular slant to get on the noise, get on the funk.

 ‘Chemical Love’ by Animal Feelings feat. Nomi Ruiz

Animal Feelings recently released an album, with this cut being a slowed down electronical track with a steady, low-paced beat on top of which the keys provide the feel for this song. Which is helped by the dreamy, wispy vocals of Nomi Ruiz, which at the minute mark get a moment sans the beat and with some backing vocals as she sings she Can’t resist it. Then Animal Feelings pick it up again, giving both a steady groundwork for Ruiz as well as some additional help with the synths in terms of evoking the right feel. At 2:20, again, the beat gets tuned out, with just the vocals and piano doing some work as, first, the synth is added to Ruiz’ vocals before everything else is added again. At the end, as Ruiz has clocked out, the drum gets a tad more forceful, though the piano balances it out again. A nice, dreamy track, helped in part by the Ruiz vocal turn.

‘Heads’ by Bob James (George Kelly mix)

George Kelly starts with the percussion and a bass underneath, before diving into the beat a little while later. At the 35 second mark we get some higher pitched sounds in, and at about the 50 second mark we get into funkier territory right there and then. He establishes a nice groove, mixing all the parts smoothly, giving you this understated disco vibe to be dancing to (look at, for example, the change-up happening at around 1:55). He throws in some solo piano to boot, giving you something to marvel at as well. By switching and tuning in and out all these sounds Kelly crafts a smooth disco ride from this 70s Bob James track, going all instrumental on us for us to sway a bit in the discotheque.