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: ‘Dusk’ by Mighty Mouse

Half a month or so ago, Mighty Mouse released this stomper called ‘Dusk’, which from the get go sounds like a club track begging to be danced to. The move from the generic comes after about thirty seconds, and after another half a minute the sound gets expanded yet again with, amongst others, a buzzing bass, but also loads of lighter sounds, moving it away from this “club” feel for good (though dancing people might still want to do on this one, as it is definitely designed for that). There is still this little bit of dirty in there, especially when the main synth sound is stripped away, then you can still hear a bit of that gritty industrial back in there as well. At the three minute mark Mighty Mouse opens the sound up a bit more, and the female vocals are yet another thing used to juxtapose the grittier parts in the track. I love the pace and the forward-moving momentum on this one. Plus how it looks in SoundCloud, that’s quite funny I find.

‘Wallflower’ by Maribou State (Lane 8 remix)

Yeah, I must honestly admit that I haven’t been listening to a lot of Maribou State, but I am enjoying Lane 8’s output, who has recently released a pretty nifty album. On that album there’s a range of nice, electronical music, enlisting help from people like Lulu James and Matthew Dear, for instance. This remix wouldn’t be a weird fit for the album. There’s a sort of dancefloor sensibility, especially with the build-up just before the two minute mark and the kick & quick-paced synth combo just after. But there’s also a certain restraint, a certain lightness as well, which one can recognize from on the album. At the start they make sure the drums are there, which are juxtaposed by the synth that is floating around to put some atmosphere in it. Those drums tend to disappear on occassion, especially when the vocals are there to fill that void, but they are there when they need to be to keep the pace up and the track moving forward. So there is something to dance to, but with the same kind of feel for melody and a certain lightness that Lane 8 also managed to put on his LP (which, if you haven’t yet, is well worth the listen).

‘RVLTN’ by Pineapple Pop (Bit Funk remix)

This one comes rearing out of the gates, immediately going for it with that bassy beat. After about half a minute he tones it down for a second, coming back with a catchy, summery synth line. He builds on that sound by adding some other synths and a tropical percussion sound, and when that heavy hitting instrument from the start comes back now it doesn’t take over, but instead merges with the more tropical party sound that Bit Funk put in there a bit earlier. So suddenly, it sounds more festive. Just after the two minute mark he dials it down again, putting the rhythmic synth front and center, though a few seconds later he throws the percussion back in to get back to that party vibe. And that’s the main thing about this remix, this sense of having a fun party somewhere, they certainly succeed in evoking that feel. So if you are throwing an after-summer summer party, then this is one that might do well in the rotation, with those typical percussion that lay down the mood for this one. Certainly puts the Pineapple in Pineapple Pop.

'Younger Than Me' - Craig Bratley (K Edit)

This one starts with a club beat, as we’re getting our acid house hats on to get down and dirty to. Love the percussion that comes in at the 48 second mark, and at the minute mark we hear some vocals for the first time, accompanied by a bubbly, drug-fuelled synth sound. At 1:30 this one slides back to focus on the beat again, though that sound quickly gets some help from the vocals, the synth, and at about 2:05 there’s a dark synth sound added to give some extra beef to this one. At one point the beat is stripped away, even to the point the track runs on the holding of a key and the echoes of the vocals. Naturally, though, after a while the dirty house gets back in there, with the hypnotic and drug infused feel of the underground club. If you want some of that deep stuff you can close your eyes and just dance to, then this is a lovely new addition to all that that’s already out there to get cracking to. Free download as well by the way, so what’s stopping ya?

‘Sunny Bigler’ by Leon Sweets (Sleazy McQueen remix)

How about some of that disco percussion at the start, I always really like that. In the background we already hear some vocals, which will inch closer and closer to the fore, even after there are some additional drums introduced which are not shy in terms of volume and punch. After the minute mark there’s also a bass that comes in, and then we get some male vocals to help along the rhythm section of percussion, drums, and bass. At the two minute mark some of those African influences are put more up front, and all that rhythm makes dancing pretty easy. The vocals are lovely, both the female and male vocals fit pretty well on top of the rhythm and beat that’s going on, and leave it to Sleazy McQueen to make one smooth ride out of it. The vocals get plenty of room to shine, even the brief spoken word vocals around the four minute mark, which he strips all the instrumentals for. After that, the rhythm is put back in, this time with a different bass, and the vocals are allowed to shine again. Smooth rhythm and vocals make this one to a dance to whilst savoring the enjoyment.

‘Right My File’ by Dimitri From Brooklyn

How about starting with some in-yr-face vocals, including some call-and-response with the girls in the back? At the forty second mark some instruments come in, and after a minute you get the full monty, with the piano and all, from the well-known ‘Relight My Fire’ (though, unfortunately, not the Take That version. Now THAT would’ve been something!). Dimitri From Brooklyn is firing on all cylinders, going full throttle, pedal-to-the-metal for this disco tune, wanting to ensure dancefloor mayhem. So you’ve got the bass in the background to keep this one going forward, but it’s especially the clarity and the punchiness of the vocals and the instruments like the piano and horns (and flippin’ all, really) that makes this one hgh-nrgy and just all out going for it. There’s also a bit of church in there, especially at that bit around 3:30 with primarily the female vocals, just the timing of vocals and instruments, that’s well done. If you don’t know the song, it’s all about relighting her fire, as Your love is my only desire. At about the six minute mark you also get a bit of a twist, suddenly going for rhythm over bombast, which is a nice change of pace. Dimitri from Wherever really is king, queen, and ruler of all in terms of party disco remixes, and proves that once again here. If your primary concern is partying until-you-can’t-party-no-more, this is one to blast through the speakers.

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:  ‘Sur Une Chanson En Francais’ by Paradis

I always like me my Paradis, and this one is again such a good example why. It’s got a nice little drum beat at the start, but that’s not the main attraction as far as I’m concerned. The main thing that lures me in is that dreamy synth and those ditto vocals. They just give it this terribly fantastic(al) atmosphere, and the French narrative kind of transports it into the Nouvelle Vague realm of it all. After the first round of vocals they add a little, understated bass in there to juxtapose the higher sounding synth a bit, and they keep that one running even as the vocals return. They just manage to keep that atmosphere up so very elegantly, and it really has this wearing-your-trenchcoat-walking-through-Paris-in-graytones kind of vibe, and now who doesn’t love that? There’s this nice little transition around 3:30, where they up the pace slightly. And then, those horns that are added, my goodness! Aside from the tone of it all the track is also so very cleverly and delicately constructed. Paradis definitely hit the mark again as far as I’m concerned.

‘Loop De Li’ by Bryan Ferry (Leo Zero remix)

Bryan Ferry is the singer of Roxy Music, and I do believe a favorite for guys who like to remix, as both his band and he himself always seem to pop up at certain times. This remix is not a dancefloor killer, but rather a nicely forward-trodding affair with that slow pace. It’s the atmosphere that’s key, with the horns, the guitar, and the narrative vocals of Bryan Ferry who tell you that there is No place to hide. It’s a bit of a loungey affair, with the bass being the main rhythm proponent. The horns and guitar are other staples here, though there are definitely enough sounds in there to not make it a stale affair. ‘Loop De Li’ is the opening track of Ferry’s new album Avonmore, and at the very least this remix showcases Ferry’s voice once more. Not in terms of Whitney Houston-like note hitting, but in that theatrical telling voice he sometimes puts on display, and definitely does so here. Leo Zero’s understated remix definitely supports the vocals, with him nailing the tone. There are some nice transitions to be found here as well, and some very smooth introductions of new sounds, so if you don’t mind a track with a lounge vibe, definitely have a look at this one, apparently also coming out on vinyl.

‘Running’ by Blende feat. Gustaph

I like the start with that typical sound, it kind of fits the cover image with all the colours. It’s just got a joie-de-vivre to it I find, though the synth that follows it has a slight melancholic feel to it. Underneath you’ve got percussion to keep this one going forward, with additional percussion being added for some extra rhythm. The next synth has more of a club sound to it, and it kind of is the introduction to the powerful voice of Gustaph that comes in moments after. He’s got this big, gospel like voice which he already put on display with Hercules And Love Affair in the shows they did in the past year. After the two minute mark the track dials it down a bit, and at about 2:55 you get that nice sound from the start back in, which is definitely a fun transition in my opinion. It gives this track a sort of quirky quality which is nice, and that along with the solid execution and the powerful vocals you’ve got yourself a nice track indeed. Though I’m not the biggest fan of those “glitches”, as in, they seem to at points put a sort of one second delay in there that disrupts the flow of the beat. Very modern probably, but not my cup of tea. Enough here to make up for that though, so no real complaining here.

 ‘See Through You’ by Mighty Mouse feat. Ronika

Mighty Mouse immediately puts the beat in this one, so no wasting time here. The real love comes when the woodwork percussion and the bass come in though, those are the things we’re waiting for. Then they add Ronika’s vocals, and the essence of the track is off and running. She’s got this nice, rhythmic delivery which Mighty Mouse makes good use of, for example in the chorus, where they up the bass a bit to give it this funky dancing vibe. Ronika is saying that She’s got 20/20 vision, and can see right through, which gives a bit of attitude to this as well. There’s a nice change-up at about 3:20, where they seem to bring out the violins and, for a minute, lose the bass and percussion. First the latter, then the former find their way back in again pretty quickly though, after which they make sure they ride it out to (almost) the end. It’s a lovely little funker with some nice moments and a little attitude because of the vocals, so definitely worth a little dance to I reckon.

‘Romeo’ by Dan Bodan (CFCF groove remix)

From the get go you already get these pop vibes, and then you get the Dan Bodan vocals along with some finger snapping. Those soulful vocals are really up front in the mix, so they’re really the focus of this thing, which I think is lovely. It’s like CFCF  created an aura around them that kind of keeps the instruments relatively at bay. Until after the minute mark that is, when CFCF turns the groove on by adding that bass line, which he expands on a bit later to get the full groove effect out. CFCF is just one of those guys that has an amazing ear for sound, so you kind of know it is going to be something slightly different (how he uses the vocals), but he’s also going to manage to set out what he is saying he’s going to do (make it a groover). So there come the drums, the rhythm synths, and then the bass again to top it off and get people dancing. So if you’ve been waiting to hear a nice, bass-led groove with some soulful vocals that is pretty easy-on-the-ear to boot, there you go.

‘Keep on Lying’ by Jessie Ware (Pional remix)

I once saw Jessie Ware live, which kind of underwhelmed me, so yeah. But I do love Pional and his piano house tracks, so there’s that. This isn’t a piano house tune, unfortunately. It’s more of a trippy beat thing with an overload of percussion. Now, even though that concert underwhelmed me at the time, Ware’s vocals are still lovely and Sade like, so in that sense there’s no complaining here, as they are clear and audible and aren’t waylayed by the instruments. Some instrumental things are pretty nifty as well, with that percussion bit that starts a bit before the two minute mark, for instance. At 2:45 you kind of get the highlight of this remix, with Pional practically dialling down everything and Ware almost Christmas-Carrolling the line “If this isn’t love, I don’t wanna know”. So still some good stuff in here, though truth be told, it is kind of a one-time listen for me.