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:  ‘Double Talk’ by Jaakko Eino Kalevi

Jaakko Eino Kalevi is back, and here he starts with a little bit of guitar, some forward moving drums, and some melancholic snare instrumentals to accompany the ditto vocals. Which, by the way, get a bit help from some female vocals as well, doubling the lyrics. In the mean time the rhythm lines keep throdding this one forward, giving the thing a nice sense of pace. The synths take care of the atmosphere part, with the vocals singing that I like the words you use, and You think you’re in control. The funny thing is, that when he starts using “we”, the female vocals come in to do the Double Talk (getting that title now, eh?), which is a smart touch. It’s really the kind of track I like, with the dreamy, somewhat distant vocals, but still this sense of pace because of that bass and all that. Definitely a release to keep an eye on, I reckon.

‘Yes It Is’ by B-Jam

All that drums sure lay down the funk, especially when the guitar line comes in, that immediately lays down the law. Add to that those vocals, which sound lovely dancey and soulful, and you’ve got a nice dancefloor track going on. The fragmented, loop-y feel gives it this nice discotheque vibe, with the vocals doing that '80s pop-funk thing a la Janet Jackson. Not that it is her, mind you, as this is a rework of ‘Cest Toi (It’s You)’  by Angela Winbush, which was released in 1987. And B-Jam sure knows how to handle that one, giving it some extra attitude whilst keeping those vocals doing their thing. I love a good rework like this, and I love how he handles that combination of the repetition of the instrumentals and the layered continuity of the vocals. B-Jam also knows how to keep that soul alive in a rework, definitely showcasing that ability here yet again.

‘Solsidan’ by HNNY

HNNY immediately tries to build in some vibe by flipping the channels at the start, eventually settling for some of that percussion to get the funky going. The way he slides into this new sound, with the airy vocals doing a day-dreaming “tu-du-du-du-de” line, that’s awesome. Especially if, moments later, he does the old switcheroo, adding an understated little bassline to it all when the vocals are taken away for a moment. In the mean time, still, the percussion doing its thing, making sure this one keeps moving forward. The great thing about HNNY is that he always manages to infuse his tracks with some of that soft, warm flavour, and here he definitely does that as well. There are some jazz vibes in there too, and I just love how it has this breezy quality, but still with this funky undertone. Did I already mention that this has been released on one of my fav labels, Let’s Play House? That’s two marks of quality, right there.

‘Lights Down’ by The New Sins (Waze & Odyssey Remix)

Certainly, nothing breathes club music more than this cut. It already starts with the robotic, female vocals saying “Me and you, in the club”, you’ve got some old school house synth sounds coming in at about the 45 second mark, and the title is “Lights Down”. I mean, really. Something like at 1:10, when it strips away all the instrumentals and you only have those vocals saying “lights down” in ever more robotic fashion, that’s dance music 101 as well. Not so much that, as the fact that obviously you need to get back to the beat and bass and stuff, and that’s a momentum moment right there. Living alongside the robotic hypnotic vocals is a more soulful male voice, though even that has some production on top of it. It’s easy on the ear this one, very accessible, and if you want to make a wider kind of crowd do some dancing, this has all the tools to achieve just that.

‘Heartbeat Speed’ by Cyclist feat. Jocelyn Alice

Cyclist has enlisted Jocelyn Alice to do some of that talking, feeling that her beau has a lover that she wants to be. That is established before Cyclist contrasts all those emotions by doing a nice, bouncy synth and beat combo that has a bit of that piano house vibe to it. At 1:45 he ups the volume a bit, adding some guitar in for the punch-and-a-half. When the guitar fades, Jocelyn comes back in with her rhythmic vocals, though also featuring a hint of emotional heartbreak. Just before the big three:00 mark Cyclist kills the percussion for a minute, using a short synth stint to work its way back to the beat. Cyclist then combines the guitar and the vocals, giving the end this sense of going-all-out, which he has build up to nicely. Lovely track, and very easy-on-the-ear to boot.

‘Baby I Just Wanna Love You’ by Jonelle Allen (Alan Mooney’s Edit)

How about some of that slow burning disco, eh? This one starts with a nice & slow bassline to get that groove going, with Mooney upping the pace a bit after the minute mark as he brings the vocals in first, and the beat in second. The lines of the vocals succeed each other in rapid succession, singing that they Wanna love ya, over and over, with no time being spared. Alan slows it down a tad  againat about the three minute mark, dialing the vocals down so you’ve only got those slow grooving elements again, though he does add some of them drum beats in there to give it a bit of a body, and to make sure the people can do a little slow dance to it. Obviously he works his way up again, and give it a minute or two (and enjoy that little guitar line while you’re at it), and sure enough those vocals come right back in. If you like that old school disco feel and you love a sloooow burning groove, this is one to bring some of that lovin’ to the discotheque.

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: ‘TNR’ by Kasper Bjorke feat. Jaakko Eino Kalevi

Kasper Bjorke is readying a new album, and for this song he has enlisted Jaakko Eino Kalevi, who recently released an album of his own. I happened to catch him not too long ago live as well, which was well fun. Here he lends his dreamy, airy vocals to Bjorke’s equally dreamy, yet darker arrangements. Especially the part after the vocals, like the one just after the minute mark, has a sense of deeper trouble. And not only the synth tapestries cause that, but also the way the drums are used. When Kalevi sings there’s a deeper bass sound that keeps the balance in those moments, and the synth and Kalevi seemingly reverse roles in the verse thereafter where he drops his voice and where Bjorke ups the synth. I really like Bjorke, his singles are always pure ace and as always I’m curious to see what the album is going to be like. Here you just see his ear for sounds, the way he alternates the deep sounds with the higher pitched ones, how he switches things up, and how he manages to create a mood through all of that. He’s doing some London DJ dates in September, around the release date of his album, which will also feature, amongst others, Nomi Ruiz on vocals.

‘Tiny Stars’ by Leo Zero ft. Candi Godbold

Leo Zero is coming with a new album, and this is a new cut off of that. It starts with a nice bassline and, what seems to me, plates that are being shattered. The rhythm builds, the synth comes in, and all of this is happening as the backdrop for the vocals of Candi Godbold, which have this minor Bjork quality to them, very atmospheric and whispery. When the vocals get a rest you really notice the bass that effortlessly gets this track to the next vocal bit. During the vocals you get loads of synth sounds to assist her, and for the parts without the vocals Leo Zero lets the rhythm do the talking, with the bass as his main priority. So if you like your bass sounds, this one is there for the dancing. I also like the deeper vocals going ooooohhh-hooooo-ahhh-haaa for the atmosphere, though the bass takes the cake in this seven minute affair, with Godbold’s voice giving it extra uniqueness points.

‘What Goes Around Comes Around’ by MJ (Young Pulse Rework)

Never not a good time to bust out an MJ (as in, Michael Jackson) track, as it is something that gets everyone dancing. Young Pulse takes an oooooldie, with MJ’s voice still oozing innocence over a plethora of strings. Young Pulse knows when to take back some sounds and just make it some conga’s as rhythm, because at times you just want to make sure that MJ gets the room to shine. At about 2:40 there’s a break in the action in terms of the vocals, and there’s a jazzy interlude that Young Pulse has decided to throw in there with some solos and stuff. It’s a pretty smooth ride, no huge drops or anything like that, which is probably the way to go. All the transitions seem natural, and with the percussion and extra keys in the interlude parts it gives it something festive and holiday like. So happy vibes all over, which I guess is the right kind of feel for an early MJ track, even if the King of Pop sounds a bit shout-y at times. Young fellas need to get heard though, right?

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‘Party Lights’ by Jam Master

Jam Master immediately gets the funk and the handclaps out on this one, with the old school build-up arriving at about forty seconds in. That one ends, fittingly, with some horns, after which that typical bass sound takes over again. He lets those ride for a while before returning with the horns and, this time, the vocals. They’ve got a nice soulful ring to them as they ask you to boogie along with them as they “turn those party lights on”. I love the transition into the chorus, so smile-inducingly old school, after which they immediately announce they are going to boogie. At about 3:10 there’s this break in the action, with just some handclap sounds basically, and what I guess is the horn section who collectively shout out to “turn up those party lights”. I mean, it has that kind of vibe, three-man horn section in the back, playing those damn things to boogie the place up, and then during the drop they have their horns by their side as they sway back and forth and yell in the microphone to get those party lights on. The title says it all, it’s a funky party track with some delicious old school happiness to it.

‘Everything We Are’ by Slow Hands

Slow Hands will release a new EP through the Wolf+Lamb label, and this is a luscious track off of that. It’s got some nice, incessant drums that pop up on occassion, and that whispery voice certainly adds some mood to the whole thing. In the mean time something is going wrong in love country, with the lads singing that There’s nothing left to say and that you are The one that got away. I really like all those additional sounds they put in there at exactly the right moments, like that high synth, and those drums do give it a nice tinge of immediacy that go along well with the dramatic reading the vocalists give. Wolf+Lamb records always manages to churn out some quality, and this EP surely will be no different. Also comes with a Cameo Culture remix of this tune.

‘Got Me Moving’ by Sinden presents The Crystal System feat. SYF

"Party track!", that’s what this one screams right out of the gates. It’s got a punchy beat and some wavy, deep synths that the lads throw out there, though it are the piano and those vocals that are this track’s biggest strengths from the get go (even if I do think there’s something to that wavering, deeper synth that seemingly just lives on its own). That 1:30 momentum builder is build for the masses I do think, and SYF starts repeating the line “you got me moving” quicker and quicker before the track returns to normal again. This all is quickly followed by another drop, after which the track picks up some pace to give a bit of a jolt to those on the dancefloor. I would be lying if I said this is my favorite track SYF has worked on this year, but those vocals can get me to listen to an oral history of the aubergine on tape if that’s what he puts out. Sonny Fodera is one of the guys doing a remix on this though, and it seems like an album will be coming out some time, some place, so there you go.