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: ‘Closing Shot’ by Lindstrom

You know that 8 1/2 minutes of Lindstrom is going to give you plenty of hypnotic dance rhythms to get up (and get down) to. Here, too, the main drumbeat is established right there and then, but those synths at the minute mark, that’s what the good stuff is made of. Also, additional percussion elements, just to make sure the body can join the mind in rapturous euphoria. Which, incidentally, seems to be what Lindstrom is going for, with the feel good sounds all out there. At the two minute mark he gets a bass sound in to help the percussion elements, and the main synth of before is traded in for something lighter and a tad more in the background. But if you could barely recall, well, it’s all coming back to you around the three minute mark. Not the exact same loop, but definitely something in the same realm in the sense it is a (combination of) lighter synth sound(s) eliciting the same feel as before, culminating in the moment at the four minute mark where the coronation takes place. So much to love here, not only in the stretches, but also in the moments, like those sounds that occasionally pop up from the 5:10 mark on, loveliness right there. Lindstrom already had nothing to prove, but if he did, then he just proved the man still has got plenty of game. And euphoric dancing ensues.

‘Action’ by Cassius feat. Cat Power & Mike D

How about some of that hipperdy-hop to get this started, though it is primarily the catchy percussion and the slapping bass that has this one moving. In the mean time it is Cat Power singing and Mike D talking, giving this one enough vocal prowess to hold their own against the rhythm part. Especially that, though, does nasty business here, giving you all you can handle with quick firing spurts looping around the place. At times, like just before the three minute mark, they throw the kitchen sink at ya with some horns, but after that it dives right back into the rhythm again. The track fades out because there’s also a nine minute version, which (I do hope) doesn’t get the same ending. But even if it  does, the nine minute version might just be something to look out for, because four minutes of this isn’t quite enough I’d say.

‘Filmed Message’ by Peza

Apparently, Peza had some stuff lying around that he decided to finish, resulting in this ominous synth vibed electro track with rap on top of it, singing that it is like a jungle sometimes, makes me wonder, how I keep from going under (Grandmaster Flash y’all). Add to that the Numan synths from his ‘Films’, and you’ve got this combo from Peza, to which he adds some percussion and rhythm to make sure this one keeps flowing forward. He knows how to let both sides come to the fore here, with both Grandmaster Flash’s lyrics being clear and audible, and in the mean time there are stretches where Numan’s synths come beaming through. And even in the vocal bits the feel is still very much present. Just before the four minute mark he throws some Upside down, boy you’re turning me in there, this while pumping up the synth action. After that he returns to Grandmaster Flash doing his thing again, though he keeps all of it all coming from all sides. Lovely, crazy mash-up where the fun isn’t forgotten.

‘Laid Back Love’ by Mike Woods

This one really starts at the twenty second mark, where the bass and drums come in. He strips the bass sound for a moment, just to let it come back in about half a minute later for the dancefloor to get funky to. After that, though, he does the same thing for a prolonged period of time, moving some synths in. At 2:20 the catchy really gets going, with some familiar sounds but the rhythm in place as well. At the three minute mark, BAM, the vocals, some Human League action telling you to just resign yourself to what you’re going through. And as they are loving our Love action, we get the familiar synths on a bed of bass, with the vocals definitely dominating the second part of this edit by Mike Woods. I remember seeing The Human League live a few years back, well fun, and this edit makes sure that you get the build-up to a good chunk of that ol’ faithful right there.

‘Touch’ by Shura (Four Tet remix)

Four Tet combines a droning sound with some light piano work to start this one out with, working well with that contrast there. After that he gets breezy with the fast-paced bass and the light percussion works he adds to counterbalance that. Then he enters the vocals, soft spoken but quick in delivery (sped up I reckon). She does have a lovely voice, and in this remix, too, it adds to the smoothness of the sounds Four Tet delivers here. At 2:30, how about taking it down to mainly piano and vocals, adding the bass a bit later to allow some people to get moving again. After that he moves to a double layered vocal construction, which actually works pretty well, and he always keeps balancing the lighter sound elements with the rhythm section. The pace is pretty quick, but funnily enough it is such a smooth and easy listen that kind of belies that. A well done remix of this ace Shura single.

‘Build Me A Bridge’ by Rayko

How about that nice little bass to get funky to? Add a drumbeat in there and some lighter sounds to balance it out, and you’ve got this nifty start in which the bass gets more prominent as the first minute moves on. After the minute mark two distinct sounds come in that give me flashbacks to Eighties pop perhaps even more so than those funky times the bass kind of alludes to. They sure add to the festive mood. After the two minute mark all these elements get turned down for a moment with Rayko going for some piano and vocal action, though he makes sure not to forget about what makes this track nice for the disco dancefloor. I love the bombast with which the backing vocals come in at about the 3:20 mark, that gives it some nice momentum building towards the return of those sounds that were introduced after a minute in. Still, it’s the bass that gives this track its backbone, its core, and he returns to that after the middle saw some boom with the vocals. The singular female voice does reappear though, wondering if You remember, remember at all (if he doesn’t he isn’t worth it honey!). I just love Rayko, he’s so good for just that disco dancefloor vibe with the love lost in here as well, putting out another lovely edit to dance to.

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: ‘The Future’ by Patman (V’s Further Into)

Lets get some bass in, though not before we have the guitar and beat combo first. After that though, you can already hear it for a moment as the pace picks up on the beat and the vocals do their oh-ho-oh-ho. At the minute mark, there it is, in all it’s dancing glory, that bass that works together with the guitar and the percussion to get the people do the ditty. Then the vocals come in, singing that they have seen the Future and it will work! That’s good news (though bad if you consider it is a famous quotation from Lincoln Steffens on the early Soviet society). That all doesn’t matter, we are in Gotham now boy! After the chorus the bass comes back in full glory to get all y’all dancing once more, after which Prince does his singing thing again, which in combination with his guitar thing, and Valique’s ear for the catchy dancefloor stuff, eventually results in a nice, funky groove to get your booty shaking to.

‘Don’t You Want My Love’ by Debbie Jacobs (Alkalino remix)

Alkalino starts with the percussion, though it is the sharp guitar that steals the show early on. That guitar leads the way, with a nice rhythm combo of bass and percussion to follow. Soon enough it goes fast paced and high energy, with a super speedy drum and bass as the canvas to get the handclaps on and, at 1:30, those beautiful disco sounds that are so characteristic for the genre. At 1:45 we get the horns in too, which is always a good sign, and now it is just waiting for those strong, female vocals, which come in just before the two minute mark, singing Don’t you want, my love?. And now, who wouldn’t want your love, baby? After the vocal bit Alkalino dives right back into the bass and beat high energy, making sure the dancefloor has all it can handle. At about 3:10 the vocals return to, again, ask if you don’t want her love in all its basking disco glory, and after this set of vocals it seems as the song speeds up even more, also courtesy of the horns that come in full throttle. And rest assured, Alkalino won’t let up throughout this seven minute affair, giving you that crazy dancefloor goodness from way back when in this Debbie Jacobs edit. And now, who doesn’t want a slice of that lovin’, eh?

‘Ringtone’ by YACHT (Joe Goddard remix)

YACHT just started their European tour, and I was lucky enough to be there when they kicked it off with a set including this track off of their new (ace) album. Joe Goddard gets a nice bassy synth rolling, taking that as the backbone to this one. At 1:20 we actually get a little ringtone there, joining the playfulness of YACHT. At about the 1:35 mark we get a slightly paced up, rhythmic vocal, still accompanied by that bassy backbone. At 2:10 that sound is deleted, instead going for a beat as the vocals change. Instead of the rock-out in the original now we still have those vocals, but with simply a drum that morphs into that bass sound again as the track gets back to the dancey verse. Joe Goddard is from Hot Chip, so he knows how to get the catchy going, and with YACHT you’ve got some excellent material to work with, because those smart, cheeky people over there also know how to get the fun and the catchy into their songs (along with some contemplations on the future and that sort of stuff). Goddard keeps it rolling throughout the track, making it a nice fit for a bit of that dirty dancing in a disco set.

‘Petals’ by Bibio

Bibio starts this short track out with some piano, looping that sound to build upon it. Soon the vocals come in, singing achingly about teary eyes, knowing that it would kill you. The vocals sound nice and removed, working together sweetly with the piano and assorted instruments. The light piano is juxtaposed nicely with some deeper piano tones, and throughout the track Bibio weaves some sounds in and out to colour it all in. You know it’ll hurt you, he sings, and the petals that turn to mush, they Still disappoint you. He’s got such a good ear for what works together, and listening to this it all fits and it all just works together to create a whole, in unity. Even the vocal delivery just matches the whole instrument thing perfectly. Apparently a teaser for a new album coming next year. Then again, how early is next year? Geez, time eh, how fast did you want that to pass? But I guess that’s kind of a theme in this song too.

‘Give It All’ by Foals (Lindstrom remix)

Put on your dancing shoes, because Lindstrom is one of those guys that you can send for a message. He knows how to get that momentum going, that loop in place, and to ride it out until your legs can’t ride it no more. He starts with a nice, full sound, adding some fast paced synths in there at one point to juxtapose the lazier sound that’s already there. Add some piano to colour it in even more, and at 1:30 there’s this nice little moment that says, All right, let’s rock. It also is a cue for the vocals to come in, though only in a whoo-hoo capacity. In the mean time the drum is still laying down the pace, the synth still gives the illusion of a faster tempo, and the little piano in there makes sure it isn’t all about the gung-ho. A bass synth then enters, giving the drums some help in the rhythm department, and then Lindstrom brings in the colour again with some piano and guitar. And this is how he does it people, getting the hypnosis upon you with this fabulous build-up full with sounds and fury, all signifying oh so much when on the dancefloor, though it is hard to pinpoint what exactly. Rest assured, he doesn’t keep that up for the entire eight minutes, bringing it back slightly just before the 4:30 mark, bringing all the rhythm sounds to a halt in favor of some vocal work on top of some keys. They ask you to give him something he has never seen, which Lindstrom apparently reads as bringing some new instruments in to offer up some new options for this fella. At the 5:40 mark he gets the beat back, this time in companionship of the vocals, and as they reach their climax he gets the bass sound in there as well to ride it all the way out. Lovely dance stuff again from one of those guys who, like the mailman, always delivers.

‘Cruel Mistress’ by Crazy P (Hot Toddy Retro mix)

Hot Toddy gets the retro on with a sturdy beat and some retro synth sounds on this lush Crazy P track from his album, which was released earlier this year. Hot Toddy gets some of that Italo Disco in with those synthesizers, on top of which those beautiful, lovelorn vocals come in, contrasting the relative aggressiveness of the synths and beat nicely. And they sing that Every time she talks, and every time she sings, she wants to hear you (she’s losing her head, ya know?). Those more dreamy vocals are such a lovely contrast to the old school synth sounds Hot Toddy throws in there, which he combines with some percussion, some deeper synth sounds, but the thing that leads this is the good use of the vocals. Not drowning them out, but placing them on the right spots, and he knows how to bring in a bit of piano on occasion to help them out (which he does with some other sounds as well). After the vocals Hot Toddy keeps that piano coming, bringing them more to the fore and into the spotlight until he starts to work towards the end, when he goes for the Italo synths and the backing vocals. Apparently this is part of a Remix album based on Crazy P’s Walk Dance Sing Talk album. And, on the grounds of this, it’ll might just be well worth the spin.