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The Weekly Froth! - 20160819

  • Published in Columns

 

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: ‘Wash My Chaka’ Jacques Renault’s Adesse Versions (Kon edit)

It is an edit of Jacques Renault (one of my favs) for Local Talk, which Kon thought he’d sprinkle some Chaka vocals over. No complaining here, as after thirty seconds this one gets into gear in style. There’s a lovely house feel to the dance stuff, and Chaka is strutting her stuff right on top over it, singing that she.loves.you. There’s a slight hold at about 1;45, but Renault really wastes no time keeping the energy up with this one, firmly asking the dancefloor people to keep working it as he just goes on. Those vocals, meanwhile, indeed do fit, giving it a high nrg vibe to go with dat house music. At 3:20, then, the beat gets drawn away for a moment, keeping a deep synth sound and some hi-hats before Chaka comes in singing that she thinks she met you Somewhere in my dreams, immediately signalling the return of the beat as well. It’s a dance dance dance thing, with the House music of Renault combined with the disco up vocals by Chaka, giving the dancers this goodie of a track.

 

‘Believer’ by Dam-Funk (Fingers Deep - Funk remix)

I love the cheeky way the percussion starts. so funky and sexy, it already tells you to huddle up and get down. At about the forty second mark the synths and piano come in, giving it some lounge vibes. It settles the track down a bit, and the lads ride that vibe for a long while. The first major new shift comes at 2:50, where some stabbing synths are introduced, which then get a deeper sound underneath. I love how the soft piano comes floating in at points, providing a nice contrast to the percussion elements that keep on moving down below. At about 5:20 the bass rolls in, giving a bit of that boogie to work up to the next time that piano arrives. Dam-Funk released an excellent album last year, I saw him give an entertaining trip through House music history at Primavera Sound this year, and then there are the tracks he made with Nite Jewel as well. So the man is keeping busy, and busy churning out quality stuff at that. Released by the !K7 label, which knows its good music.

 

‘Rescue’ (Rayko Boogie Summertime Dancer re-edit)

Rayko, from the get go, gets those summery sounds in for this disco boogie. Soon he adds the percussion and bass as well, and half a minute in it all collides for what really only can be described as good vibes. Then, after a minute, the vocals, lovely cutting through that harsher synth with that honey suckled sweetness. After the first chorus Rayko brings it down, stripping more and more instruments until you basically have a single percussion, the vocals, and a little guitar riff left. At 3:20 the boogie returns, replacing the vocals for a moment before they come back with the chorus line. Everything underneath keeps on rolling as the vocals draw out the plea to Saaaave me longer and longer, before the chorus girls start singing the title line of the track. Just a lovely disco edit, a task which is in safe hands with Rayko for sure.

 

‘You’re Gonna Love Me’ by B & The Family

Apparently, this is an actual track from the '80s, but never released. The B in the band is Brian Morgan, who recently remembered he had some tracks shelved somewhere and thought, lets give it a whirl. Et voila, here it is, a catchy soul number also thanks to the drums that strut their stuff nicely. Then, the old school R&B vocals, which are helped out by the girls in the back on occasion as she sings that Oeehh, you’re gonna love me. The bass makes sure to be in there to provide some of that base rhythm, and there’s also a bit of that guitar riffing going around (he is, after all, a guitar player, so yeah). But mostly this is a catchy R&B track ol’ style, giving you all those good vibes at that summer cook-out of your dreams.

 

‘Taking Libz’ by Patrick Topping

Patrick Topping makes sure the beat is understood by all, giving you the marching orders from the get go on this house tune. Then the bass comes in, though it’s the higher pitched sound that dictates this one before it makes way for other fast moving percussion strikes. At the 1:50 mark the beat is taken out for a moment, with the percussion and the frantic synth sounds keeping that punching going on. Then, some deep, male vocals come in to do some talking, though most attention will most likely go out to the return of that beat that immediately follows. Again, at 3:20, a bit of a rest for the beat, and the dancefloor, though there is still the dulled thud of the drum that keeps them hardcore dancers involved. And it is a fast hitting track specifically aimed at that, the 3AM drug infused going of the body, released on the always partying Hot Creations label.

 

‘Divina’ by Lane 8

Lane 8 starts this one out with a nice main sound which, as the synth atmospherics come in, change to a deeper, more insistent tone (going from an almost guitar sound to a more key heavy feel), basically preluding the beat that is sure to come in. And there it is, after the first minute mark, nice and deep to juxtapose the synths. And this way, a dance feel develops, going for that pandemonium-in-front-of-the-stage feel with this one. A bass sound is added to give it some more rhythm flavor as the drums keep hitting it. Until the third minute mark that is, where only the hi-hats survive to go with the riffing keys and the atmospheric floating sound, which is a bit deeper than the other remaining instruments to provide a nice canvas there. Though that one is an almost tranquil presence, the other sounds keep a certain restlessness in them, signifying that yes, there’s some more dancing to come. And sure enough, at the five minute mark, lets go dancing for one more round.

 

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The Weekly Froth! - 20160617

  • Published in Columns

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:  ‘Full Moon’ by Private Agenda

Private Agenda first put in a relatively melancholic synth before they get the funk in and the rhythm up with a forceful bass sound and some major horn action. This all is aided by percussion and, a short while later, a synth riff that is entered. At about the minute mark we get the vocals, telling it to Take it in your stride. As the vocals keep going the bass makes sure there’s always the rhythm to lean back on, and as the song moves into the chorus the synth riff return. Just before the three minute mark there’s a slight change up, including some '80s movie soundtrack vibes that I actually kind of like. The track really bets high on the main bass sound, with the vocals a good second (and even getting a minute in the spotlight at the four minute mark). Next to these things there’s always some sort of percussion or synth combo to help out. It’s a lovely, fun track with some nice hints of other genres to add to the good vibes.

 

‘Colours’ by Roosevelt (Prins Thomas diskomiks)

Prins Thomas knows how to get that dancefloor feel, and here, too, he gets the beat going from the very beginning to make sure there’s something for everyone to shake their hips to. But he overrules that sound for an even faster rhythm part, upping the tempo and the momentum until shortly after the minute mark, where he continues to ride it but with additional synth sounds. More piano is added, really giving you the full monty with this one. Every so often, a slight change in the track, for example pushing the synth sounds forward, making that one louder and louder over the deep rhythm sounds, and then the shift to a new sound in the foreground. It keeps it fresh, and it gives this sense of momentum. At 2:40 we get the Roosevelt vocals for the first time, and just after the three minute mark Prins Thomas even slows it all down so we can have a good listen to that. Then, first, he brings back the synths, going for new rhythm sounds just moments later. And we know Prins Thomas can keep this up for the entire length of the track, giving you 8 1/2 minutes of dancefloor music with all kinds of rhythm & synth mixtures and the occasional dash of Roosevelt, of course.

 

‘Martin’ by Matthias Zimmermann feat. Olivia Merilahti

First thing we hear are the vocals of Olivia Merilahti, saying that Everyone is lying, lying, lying to themselves. Zimmermann first gives you the synths, and then the beat, culminating into the electro-pop feel that is the main stay of this track. The vocals have a melancholic tinge to them, with the beat almost tropical and the synths providing these light touches. The pace is up-tempo though, and especially in the chorus it does get a sort of party vibe going. So there’s definitely some dancing that can be done. At 2:45 the beat is stripped for a short while, but for the last stretch it makes sure to make a comeback. A four minute electro pop track that makes sure to pack a punch.

 

‘I Keep Forgettin’ by Rayko Moscow Discow Rework

Rayko gets the deep synth sounds in, on top of a steady beat, for this ol’ Michael McDonald classic. Whose vocals, by the way, are immediately audible right from the get go. But, from a distance, still a tad hidden. Just like the piano sound, something which I believe I also remember from the original. Rayko gets the looping going, for a long time definitely going for the “I keep forgettin’” part, seemingly inching closer and closer to the chorus before moving away and starting all over agani. Which is cleverly done, just adding that one syllable every time. In the mean time, one can keep dancing to the deep synth, the beat, and the looping vocals that keep adding the heartache of a man that Keeps forgetting that things will never be the same again. It’s one of my favorite tracks, and this looping louie of an edit gives it a new twist on top of all the edits that are already out there. And more ways to consume a classic, that’s always welcome, innit?

 

‘Messin’ by Gap Band (Kon Remix)

The Gap Band is just one of those classic boogie-till-you-can-boogie-no-more bands that is always good to throw in there if you want to funk the place up. Kon starts out easy though, but after the thirty second mark we get that boogie-bass, the classic horn sounds, and the steady drumbeat to make sure you’ve got something to hang your hat on to. After the minute mark we get the vocals, singing that they Don’t know what to do. And those vocals, they bring that classic soul vibe, they are just lovely. We are also treated to a nice guitar riff, working well with the horns and the rhythm section, with some extra percussion throw in there after the two minute mark. Kon makes sure to put the emphasis on that slow-to-mid paced boogie rhythm, moving along also thanks those hand percussion sounds. The vocalists sing that There you go, messing with my mind, something which this track definitely doesn’t do. This rework is ultra smooth, super clean, and a nice treat for those wanting to do a little dance in that pace range.

 

‘Zenith’ by Kasper Bjorke feat. Null & Void

Kasper Bjorke starts with some piano on top of a beat that moves from regular to rapidly firing the sounds off. That speediness gets juxtaposed by the slow, deep synth sound that enters. The idiosyncratic nature of the drum is repeated by the glitchy computer sounds Bjorke then adds on top of a regular drum sound. Then, the synth and beat come back in, giving this track its backbone again, showing what is the main stay there. At about the halfway point a lot of the sounds are stripped again, but obviously he works his way back to them, even adding some pace for the second half of the tune. There are no vocals to be heard here, then again, most Bjorke albums seem to have a fifty-fifty split in terms of instrumental vs. songs with actual singing in them. Especially with the sounds underneath you hear the Bjorke signature, the dark synth and the mood that one brings. And that signature is always a good thing to have in there as far as I’m concerned.

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