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: ‘Give U Up’ by Alkalino

It’s all about the disco with this Alkalino edit, and it starts with those wonderful horns right at the start, very lush. They aid the vocals perfectly, singing that they Just can’t give u up. Bit later on Alkalino adds the percussion for some extra rhythm. Those disco strings come in during the saxophone solo, and in the mean time you’re still dancing to the main beat. After the solo the vocals come in with the verse for the first time, and those vocals are those lovely, deep male vocals. It’s one of those sexy slow burners this one is, with the guitar, the percussion, and the saxophone really laying down the vibe for this one. Not to mention those vocals, from the solo verses to the la-la-la lines that he throws in there as well. And did I already mention that saxophone? If you like to grind it out slowly on the dancefloor to some vintage disco, this really is it.

‘Do It Again’ by Royksopp & Robyn (Moullinex remix)

Robyn and Royksopp are pretty well-known names I reckon, though for me the draw here is Moullinex. These guys released a lovely album two years ago, and they just know how to make something fun and poppy, with a nice disco tinge to boot. Here again, the multi-layered synths and the drums make for a nice canvas to get you in dancing mode. Robyn’s vocals you could pick out of a line-up, and I just love that sound that is on top of the rhythm (and the top sound when the vocals aren’t there, that mimick the hmmm-hmmm vocal sound Robyn puts in at points). That’s just ace. At one point they strip the drums to, obviously, bring them back again during Robyn’s vocals, as she sings that it “hurts so good”. And good it is. It has got all these nice sounds, Moullinex put in some nice variety in the structure, and then you’ve got pop queen Robyn fronting this thing. A fun loving piece of music this.

‘The Same’ by Riton feat. Irfane

Big start with the percussion here, after which he puts in some deep, 80s synths in there for the new wave vibe. The male vocals sound lovely and desperate as this track veers from dirty club to pop and back. Especially in the chorus it really moves to the more pop end of the spectrum, though the darker sounds do give the other parts of the track a slightly dirty edge. At the two minute mark you get a break, with the vocals and a humming synth, after which a slow drum pattern emerges. The synths, in the mean time, are send up skywards, which is the cue for the more dancey sound to come back again for one last push. The percussion is a nice touch, and what I just find enjoyable about this track is how it mixes these two feels into a three minute track with plenty of 80s, darkish pop vibes to enjoy.

‘To The Bone’ Rayko’s Mystic Tiger Soul edit

You get some nice African vibes here from the start, so you know there’s some rhythm there. And that is before the actual beat comes in after about eighteen seconds. Rayko, this guy sure knows how to make an enjoyable edit, and this is no different. It’s just got all the disco goodness, from the beat to the percussion to, after a good minute or so, the deep bass that comes in to contrast the higher sounds a bit. In the mean time someone is hitting the woodwork with vigour, and after 2:14 you get all the deliciousness of the original song, including some big vocals that he isn’t hiding away anywhere. About four minutes in you get another change up with the drums and two different synths. After that another stretch of vocals, and throughout the song he just puts in a host of different sounds to keep it fresh and exciting. It’s just another class edit, with enough catchiness and vibe to get one out on the dancefloor. Maybe the final stretch goes on a tad too long, though the beat and the percussion is still going, so who’s complaining, really?

‘I Don’t Want You’ by Voyageur

Voyageur really lays down the feel for this one, ominous and dark, which kind of fits his mood from the looks of it. He sings that he might not want you, but he also doesn’t want anyone else to want you. A state of mind we’ve probably all been in, and none of us are really proud of that probably. The vocals are kind of that raspy thing that is in vogue, reminded me a bit of John Newman in that sense. The track, musically, has a nice build up, starting first pretty subdued and dark, but the bombast increases, which also goes for the vocals. At first it is more like an inner mind thing, though the demons start screaming a bit further on into the track. The drums really provide the oomph, and I like those distorted vocals they put in the background after about the three minute mark. To me that kind fits with the feel and the mood of this track.

‘Doves’ by Future Islands (Mike Simonetti remix)

Future Islands’ stock has really risen with their most recent album, the fantastic Singles. I read somewhere that they always use a 4-on-the-floor rhythm, which is a pretty well known term in disco land as that is kind of the basic pattern they use in that realm. So no wonder Italo-disco master Mike Simonetti is taking a stab at this one, and he turns the song ‘Doves’ into a slow burning affair with plenty of wavering, moody synths to enhance the feel. But there’s also a nice beat in there, and some woody percussion to propel this one forward and go get people shuffling on the dancefloor. The percussion forms a nice complement to the higher synth sounds, and obviously the lovely deep and emotional vocals would add to basically anything that you throw out there. Around the four minute mark you get the cymbals in, providing some higher rhythm sounds, and Simonetti sure doens’t ration on the vocals. As we are used to from Simonetti, this song is a really smooth ride, with the synthesizers and the downstated beat really flowing throughout the whole song. This seven minute track gains some extra steam near the end, putting the synths a bit louder and creating a bit more of a wall for Samuel Herring to bounce off of. This remix takes the rock completely out of the original, and turns it into a different ride entirely. Which, surely, is what you’ve got to do when doing a remix.