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: ‘Satisfy’ by Bicep (John Talabot remix)

You know two things when Talabot does a remix, it will be nice and deep, and it will have plenty of atmosphere. He starts with the latter, getting the rain to pour down on whomever is listening to this one. After he’s got the water in your brain he gives you the beat, which is, as expected, pretty deep and lovely. The synth provides a lovely counterpoint to that, and together they soon have you hypnotized. Just before the two minute mark he mixes it up a bit, adding some muscle (...) to it to give it a bit more bass for the dancefloor. In the mean time he’s not forgetting the details though, still bringing you all the little bells and whistles to make sure there’s always enough atmosphere for you to understand that this still is mister John Talabot you are listening to. Take that lovely sound just after the three minute mark for instance, which just cuts through all the dancefloor sounds like a knife through warm butter. At about 3:30 he gives you the ol’ stare down, building up to the re-introduction of the beat. But, again, not in any ordinary way. He’s got the synth wavering, ready to go, but in the mean time he almost gives you this cinematic interlude with plenty of vibes and images, just so that after a mintue your body will start to automatically dance again when the bass comes back in. It’s Talabot, what more can you say? It’s deep, it’s hypnotic, but it still has plenty of vibe to go around. And there’s nine minutes of it to boot!

‘Take Shelter’ by Years And Years (Onra remix)

Years and Years is fronted by Olly Alexander, someone who surely has a fabulous voice. So no wonder that’s the thing Onra focuses on and runs away with. Basically, the whole first minute is a showcase of the vocals, with only a piano that manages to squeeze out a bit of that attention. After that you get some percussion beats and a synth line, but the vocals are still out and up front. The original is a relatively fast paced pop track, especially compared to this remix, where the beat slows it down, which is emphasized by a deep, lazy synth sound that arrives around 2:30. I love the comeback of the piano at around 3:10, that’s nicely done, and this one as a whole certainly gives you a totally different kind of angle than the original track. Years and Years doing some touring this Autumn, so if you fancy the voice (which also featured on a fairly recent The Magician track), pop in and have a look.

‘Calling Out’ by Midnight Magic (Bell Towers remix)

Midnight Magic is readying a second album I believe, so they are dusting off some old tracks and they’re putting them out there again. This is a Bell Towers remix of ‘Calling Out’, a cut off of their lovely What The Eyes Can’t See EP that was released a few years ago (and was a free download, I believe at the time). That first sound you hear, that’s the main asset this remix gives you, putting that one underneath a lot of the original stuff to provide you with the Bell Towers signature. It gives it a sort of clubby vibe, which the lovelornly sung original does not really have. “Calling Out to you, I am”, she sings, as the vocals are left behind for some clubby electro sounds. Which doesn’t mean they are cutting the vocals out, not at all, they are still allowed to shine, which I would consider a very wise move. I would be lying if I’d say that I’d prefer this to the original, but the more mechanical sounds of Bell Towers do provide a different background for the vocals, making for a nice contrast. The last couple of minutes they kind of ditch Midnight Magic and they run with their own thing aimed at the dancefloor, really indicating a clear break from the disco sound of the original.

‘One More Day’ by Sven Weisemann

If you kind of know Sven Weisemann you know he’s kind of an all-around guy. He’s got his DJ stuff going on, but he also likes to veer into the more classical side of the whole music business, and this is a good example of that. Not short on atmosphere this one, as one has come to expect from him. He’s just one of those guys whose got an ear for music and who can seamlessly weave sounds in and out of a song at the exact right time. It’s like the piano version of something like Nicolas Jaar this, the kind of music you put on after midnight as you’re walking around through all the city lights. All the different sounds, from the piano to the voice (no real vocals though) to all the sound effects, they blend together perfectly to create this beautiful atmosphere. It goes from slightly melancholic and dark to, at around 3:30, the opening of the heavens and the seeing of the light (whether that is a good or bad thing I’m still debating, as it can be an epiphany or the putting-your-troubles-at-ease-forever kind of thing). And as everyone who reads this column faithfully could’ve guessed, he had me at the horn sounds.

‘Sun Down’ by Tricky feat. Tirzah

Tricky is one of those guys whose name will be forever linked to the Trip Hop hype, and here he teams up with Tirzah who provides some actual singing to this track. With Tricky doing the talking, of course. I just love how this track works, when those strong instrumentals come in and when they disappear into the background. They definitely give the track something ominous, something immediate. And that vibe definitely seems to fit with the lyrics, with Tricky saying that she makes him “run round” and asking “where is the fun now”. Just a prime example of how music and story can really enhance each other, even when, at one point, the music pierces through Tirzah’s vocals, presumably out of anger and frustration. New album coming later this month.

‘Sunrise in Paradise’ by Satin Jackets

There’s already that sole drumkick that helps the piano move along, but after twenty seconds you get the full rhythm in, which after another twenty seconds gets some help from the synth to keep ‘r moving. Slowly but surely more instruments are introduced until about 1:15, when all the drum sounds get stripped for a moment as a lead up to some brief vocals. Soon, the percussion comes back again, not scaring the vocals away, and the track really gets into its feel good groove. It is the kind of soft disco track I would play at the end of a set in summer time. You know, sun already rising again, at no point during the night was there any cold whatsoever, and you are trying to get everyone going home in a good mood. The piano certainly helps with that, as in the middle of the track that takes over from the beat for a moment before, obviously, the latter comes back again to give everyone the opportunity to do some more dancing. It’s just got this happy-go-lucky vibe to it, where you breathe in the fresh summer air and are like, Yeah, this was another good day. After having typed all this, I certainly see why they named the track like they did. Not too fast paced this one, not too much of a floorbanger or something, but a gentle kiss into that ol’ goodnight. With the percussion at the end having a bit more kick to it than at the start to make sure everyone can put their last bits of energy in.

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: ‘Across 110th Street’ by Bobby Womack (Alkalino Rework)

You know that, at one point, this track is going to give you that characteristic sound of those Bobby Womack vocals. Before any of that though, Alkalino sure builds this one up smoothly and sweetly, and even the first introduction of Womack’s vocals are sweet with a string of subdued “whoooo-oooooeeehh”s. Then you get those grated vocals so typical to Womack, saying that he isn’t saying (...) that what he did was all right. So it is confession time here, with this track having been used for the 1972 film of the same name. In the mean time, Alkalino is giving you this nice disco ride underneath all the lyrics, love the gentle guitar in there, as well as that bass that is so smoothly integrated into all the rest. Naturally, there’s a little beat going on to provide the backbones to this whole operation, but that, too, isn’t intrusive at all. It’s all smooth as all get out, even when the horns come in at about four minutes in. The chorus gets a bit more pace with both how Womack sings as well as because of the extra strings, and around the five minute mark Alkalino starts working the dramatics with plenty of sounds to give you some extra oomph, just to slide you back into that soft disco of before a little bit later. Lovely smooth ride with a blast from the past with the title song to that 1972 crime film. Soundcloud seems to not be working for this one so see the Media section below for the bandcamp version.

‘Night Flight’ by Midnight Magic

I really like Midnight Magic, the New York disco collective which released an album a few years ago that included some ace singles like ‘Beam Me Up’ and ‘Drop Me a Line’, which are just disco behemoths as far as I’m concerned. Here they tone it down, take you back into the night a bit, not as all out party as the two songs I just mentioned. More the soundtrack to your stroll through the NY city streets after midnight. Love the bass they’ve got going there, which combine nicely with the brass that comes in every now and again. On vocals you’ve got Tiffany Roth, whose got a real power voice that she manages to turn into something elusive and dreamy here as she prods you to Fly, fly, fly, fly to the future. In the last minute you’ve got some double vocals going on, with Roth doing some singing over a vocal line of doob-doob-doo-oeh, which was already present in the song from the very start. They’ll be coming out with a new 5 track EP, and this single will get a bunch of remixes from the talented lads of both PillowTalk as well as No Regular Play, so it’s just the gift that keeps on giving, really.

‘Inga e som vi e, hogt over marken’ by Little Jinder & Melo (HNNY remix)

Now, I don’t know any Scandinavian language, and chances are that unless you are from one of those countries, neither do you. That’s okay, as HNNY’s remix of this track originally by Little Jinder & Melo gives you plenty of those dancefloor vibes that you won’t be thinking of what the heck they are singing. Some lovely house elements with this tinge of R&B for flavour, the percussion is very catchy, with the steady snare to provide the base here. The vocals, though I’ve got no idea what they are singing, have plenty of soul in them, so it’s a joy to listen to them anyway. And for a long stretch before the third minute mark you get plenty of opportunity to do so with the vocals being basically the only thing out there. After that you get a nice bass, and really all the dancing HNNY provides is just spot on. That guy, I just love his work (If you have never heard his edit of TLC’s ‘No Scrubs’ check that one out!), so smooth, and he always manages to keep plenty of flavour in there. This one, it’s a free download, so if you’re feeling like adding to your Scandinavian collection, this one is a worthwhile addition I would think.

{soundcloud}https://soundcloud.com/hnny/inga-e-som-vi-e-hogt-over-marken{/soundcloud}

‘What They Say’ Darkside

The Darkside project will go on indefinite hiatus, with the lads doing just a few more shows and then its curtains for at least a while. That’s too bad, as I loved the combination of Nicolas Jaar’s electronical wizardry and the piercing guitar of Dave Harrington. It had always seemed like such an underused combination, and these guys went into it with full force. Here, at first, the rhythm is dictated by both the electronical sounds as well as Harrington’s plucky guitar, which he, about 1:55 in, makes come out a bit more prominent, as a caged tiger waiting to burst out. You feel the slow build-up from the atmospherical start, waiting for it all to come out running. This happens at about 2:50, where they add a deeper bass sound as the base layer, a light, springy electro sound to give the perception of pace, and it rides those sounds for a while until about 4:20, when some auxiliary sounds come in to give it a little extra flavour. Near the end drawn out synth sounds and the guitar wind it all down with some extra atmosphere. I wouldn’t say this instrumental cut was their very finest track, but in terms of aesthetic you get a good idea of what the project has given us. The album is spectacular (if you get through those first five minutes of noise that is...), and live they boost the beats for the dancing and that live momentum you want to build. Glad to have seen them earlier this year when they were touring.

‘Sunsplash’ by Luke Million (Jacques Renault dub remix)

I’m a big fan of Jacques Renault, and here he comes with a dub mix for Luke Million’s track ‘Sunsplash’. Certainly the dubby beat is there, though it is the bass that will have people swaying on the dancefloor. After about fifty seconds the light piano takes over, a little later on getting combined with the bass again for the ultimate effect. At about 1:40 you get some extra synth lines in there which work well. It is a nice mixture of the beat and the bass for the lower registers, and then all the synths, pianos, whatever giving you that summer party vibe. Especially those transitions like around about 2:50 are fun, where he slides into that quicker paced piano, that’s lovely. At 3:20 he strips the higher sounds for a string of percussion which, soon enough, get that bass as a companion. He mixes that with all kinds of synth sounds, waiting for over a minute to get those piano lines back in there. It’s a lovely remix, a nice mixture of the bass to dance to and the lighter sounds to add this feeling of fun to it. Add to that some moments with a bit of extra percussion and even a piano solo, and it’s an agreeable affair to have a little dance on no doubt.

{soundcloud}https://soundcloud.com/futureclassic/luke-million-sunsplashjacques-renault-dub-remix{/soundcloud}

‘Bother’ by Les Sins

Les Sins is Toro Y Moi, and now that talented young man is gearing up to release a new album under that moniker, which you could say gives room to his more house urges. The album will be called ‘Michael’ (as in, Jackson?) and it will be out on the 4th of November, with this being the lead single. He certainly isn’t one to waste time, as this song starts right in the club. You’ve got the “crowd sounds” in the back as one guy is saying that they shouldn’t bother him, he’s working. Probably he’s working it on the dancefloor and not in the office, as with that punchy beat Toro Y Moi makes no bones about how this album will differ from his general output. He also adds plenty of percussion in there, and a little melancholic piano to give it some feeling as well. Really enjoy the transition at about 2:15, where he moves back to the main beat, that’s a nice momentum builder. At about 2:30 he turns down the house, and goes to church for a minute with some sounds that, in my mind, are accompanying who someone is descending from the heavens or something like that. Just before the end he does go back, not to the beat, but to the guy saying that he is working, to make it all go full circle. I really like this guy, seen him live, he’s awesome, so really intrigued by this project. And I do like this track, though out of the album context it does sometimes feel a bit as if he tries to cram all his house ideas into a 3:45 song. By doing that he still gives you plenty to enjoy here though, so all’s good.