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:  ‘Ace Of India’ by Masters At Work feat. India (JKriv edit)

JKriv gets the beat out for this one, starting in hard hitting fashion before the little guitar riff comes in after a few seconds. We hear the hustle and bustle of the crowd in the background, letting us know that the Australian is getting ready for a night about town. After about 1:10 he leaves the beat behind, going just for some percussion and guitar sounds as the vocals slowly let their presence be felt, singing To be in loooovvee (as the girls then admit that, yes, they are). JKriv then lets the female vocalist go at it for a moment, singing that Every night is filled with fun and play (oh, they call it, puppy love). At about the 2:30 mark the percussion already finds its way back, and a few seconds later it transmorphs into an actual beat to get this one on the road again. In the mean time there’s plenty to help out with the pace, with at the four minute mark a nifty little bass coming in to shake that booty to. At about the 4:20 mark he strips the rhythm parts out, going with some guitar and handclap percussion, but soon adding some rhythm percussion and the vocals, singing that they are Falling more in love with you. Another stomper from JKriv.

‘Rinse And Repeat’ by Riton feat. Kahio

How about some of that club? Riton gets the club vibe going, with Kahio singing that it is time to make the club go up. And if you leave with her, apparently you’ll be getting it on until the morning, so she’s definitely on the prowl, she is. At the minute mark Riton takes it back a minute, but soon enough he gets the beat going again, with Kahio’s vocals adding to the sex vibe this exudes. So it definitely is time to get your game on with this fast paced mother-of-a-tune, only having one thing on its mind from the get go. Riton sometimes changes the sounds up, like at about 2:25, but Kahio keeps the message consistent, so the main vibe is never in danger. Which also means that we know, whatever  Riton does, he’s ready to drop it down again after whatever interlude he was using. If you want to bring the party to the floor, this definitely is a no-holds-barred way to get it all going on.

Edit Service nr. 61 by Front De Cadeaux

I must admit I do love that I’m A Cliche edit service, providing us with some lovely edits of old tracks, put together by a number of people. This time it’s Front De Cadeaux’s turn, taking on Max Berlin’s ‘Elle Et Moi’. And they do so by starting with some dramatic percussion, which adds a lovely cinematic feel to the whole proceedings. Slowly they build it up, getting this slow grind going, which they both work and expand for a while. That new sound that comes in at about 2:26, love that, and just the combination of that consistent drum along with the bass to provide the rhythm of the grind, that’s pretty lovely. At the 3:50 mark you get some of that film noir saxophone in there, as if the track wasn’t filled to the brim with cinematic atmosphere already. After that they give it a little, subtle punch up, also courtesy of the guitar that is brought in, as in the mean time the percussion is still doing their thing. Lovely, intricate nine-minute addition to the Edit Service.

‘Can’t Figure Out’ by (Dr Packer edit)

Dr. Packer takes to the dancefloor on his new EP, where he takes on four tracks and gives them the ol’ make over. This one gets riding on the bass he puts on, which gets a little bit of help from the percussion and, after about a minute or so, a somewhat harder drum. A few seconds later he gets a nice little riff going, adding some piano to boot. In the mean time we have already heard the girls a few times, though it takes until about 1:40 to hear the gang leader taking a stab at it. Horns have come in as well by this time, giving you the whole disco shebang from top to bottom, left to right. From about the two minute mark he starts to work up to a new segment, going almost tropical at 2:20 with that specific guitar sound as the girls sing I can’t stop thinking about you (that’s right). The main vocalist then goes for it, saying that you are even in her dreams, so she’s having the hots for you for sure (you go get ‘m tiger!). So it’s a disco song about that yearning for love again. At the four minute mark Dr. Packer dials it down a bit, letting the bass run almost solo for a little while, but soon enough all those other elements like that guitar, like the drums, and like the vocals come in again (though later, too, he will return to that bass). It’s one of those uplifting disco dancefloor fillers that will have the house a rockin’ no doubt.

‘Can’t You See Me’ (Krystal Klear Shout To Alex Nut EDIT)

Krystal Klear gets the percussion going at the start, throwing all kinds in there for some rhythm ‘n soul. After a minute he clears it up, sliding from all sets of percussion to a fast-paced bass line and a relatively clear sound, on top of which the vocals soon come in, singing that he knows Our love is real. Love the auxiliary sounds, giving it this tropical feel, especially when those tom-tom percussions come in again. What I really love is the clarity of the track, how that bass functions as the backbone, somehow kicking up enough pace to drag the rest of the track along with it and allowing all those extra sounds to freeflow right on over it to give the track its particular vibe and setting the geographic influences on this one. And how he always manages to slide from the percussion bits back to that clear bass sound, that’s pretty nifty right there. For all those things I can forgive the not so subtle fade-out near the end (even though the actual ending is pretty natural, making it even more bewildering to me. Oh well.).

‘Can’t Keep Us’ by Saine

Let’s get a bit deeper with Saine, having this almost horn-like sound to double the beat, giving it some warmth as we also already hear the vocals coming through a little bit. There’s a bit of guitar strumming to add a lighter element to the proceedings, definitely adding a nice touch as the beat then goes solo without the doubling, soon after which they reverse parts, to then go at it in combination again. In the mean time, the vocals, though their narrative barely audible, definitely fit the tone. Just before the three minute mark they briefly stop it all, just to slide back into this lovely, jazzy deep house sound. Because of the doubling of the beat they can switch between the two sounds, with one having a higher atmosphere rating, but when they then go back to the actual beat, it provides a little bit of a punch. The track is released on the Fools & Fables label, which name is, strangely, pretty apt for this track.

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: ‘Give U Up’ by Alkalino

It’s all about the disco with this Alkalino edit, and it starts with those wonderful horns right at the start, very lush. They aid the vocals perfectly, singing that they Just can’t give u up. Bit later on Alkalino adds the percussion for some extra rhythm. Those disco strings come in during the saxophone solo, and in the mean time you’re still dancing to the main beat. After the solo the vocals come in with the verse for the first time, and those vocals are those lovely, deep male vocals. It’s one of those sexy slow burners this one is, with the guitar, the percussion, and the saxophone really laying down the vibe for this one. Not to mention those vocals, from the solo verses to the la-la-la lines that he throws in there as well. And did I already mention that saxophone? If you like to grind it out slowly on the dancefloor to some vintage disco, this really is it.

‘Do It Again’ by Royksopp & Robyn (Moullinex remix)

Robyn and Royksopp are pretty well-known names I reckon, though for me the draw here is Moullinex. These guys released a lovely album two years ago, and they just know how to make something fun and poppy, with a nice disco tinge to boot. Here again, the multi-layered synths and the drums make for a nice canvas to get you in dancing mode. Robyn’s vocals you could pick out of a line-up, and I just love that sound that is on top of the rhythm (and the top sound when the vocals aren’t there, that mimick the hmmm-hmmm vocal sound Robyn puts in at points). That’s just ace. At one point they strip the drums to, obviously, bring them back again during Robyn’s vocals, as she sings that it “hurts so good”. And good it is. It has got all these nice sounds, Moullinex put in some nice variety in the structure, and then you’ve got pop queen Robyn fronting this thing. A fun loving piece of music this.

‘The Same’ by Riton feat. Irfane

Big start with the percussion here, after which he puts in some deep, 80s synths in there for the new wave vibe. The male vocals sound lovely and desperate as this track veers from dirty club to pop and back. Especially in the chorus it really moves to the more pop end of the spectrum, though the darker sounds do give the other parts of the track a slightly dirty edge. At the two minute mark you get a break, with the vocals and a humming synth, after which a slow drum pattern emerges. The synths, in the mean time, are send up skywards, which is the cue for the more dancey sound to come back again for one last push. The percussion is a nice touch, and what I just find enjoyable about this track is how it mixes these two feels into a three minute track with plenty of 80s, darkish pop vibes to enjoy.

‘To The Bone’ Rayko’s Mystic Tiger Soul edit

You get some nice African vibes here from the start, so you know there’s some rhythm there. And that is before the actual beat comes in after about eighteen seconds. Rayko, this guy sure knows how to make an enjoyable edit, and this is no different. It’s just got all the disco goodness, from the beat to the percussion to, after a good minute or so, the deep bass that comes in to contrast the higher sounds a bit. In the mean time someone is hitting the woodwork with vigour, and after 2:14 you get all the deliciousness of the original song, including some big vocals that he isn’t hiding away anywhere. About four minutes in you get another change up with the drums and two different synths. After that another stretch of vocals, and throughout the song he just puts in a host of different sounds to keep it fresh and exciting. It’s just another class edit, with enough catchiness and vibe to get one out on the dancefloor. Maybe the final stretch goes on a tad too long, though the beat and the percussion is still going, so who’s complaining, really?

‘I Don’t Want You’ by Voyageur

Voyageur really lays down the feel for this one, ominous and dark, which kind of fits his mood from the looks of it. He sings that he might not want you, but he also doesn’t want anyone else to want you. A state of mind we’ve probably all been in, and none of us are really proud of that probably. The vocals are kind of that raspy thing that is in vogue, reminded me a bit of John Newman in that sense. The track, musically, has a nice build up, starting first pretty subdued and dark, but the bombast increases, which also goes for the vocals. At first it is more like an inner mind thing, though the demons start screaming a bit further on into the track. The drums really provide the oomph, and I like those distorted vocals they put in the background after about the three minute mark. To me that kind fits with the feel and the mood of this track.

‘Doves’ by Future Islands (Mike Simonetti remix)

Future Islands’ stock has really risen with their most recent album, the fantastic Singles. I read somewhere that they always use a 4-on-the-floor rhythm, which is a pretty well known term in disco land as that is kind of the basic pattern they use in that realm. So no wonder Italo-disco master Mike Simonetti is taking a stab at this one, and he turns the song ‘Doves’ into a slow burning affair with plenty of wavering, moody synths to enhance the feel. But there’s also a nice beat in there, and some woody percussion to propel this one forward and go get people shuffling on the dancefloor. The percussion forms a nice complement to the higher synth sounds, and obviously the lovely deep and emotional vocals would add to basically anything that you throw out there. Around the four minute mark you get the cymbals in, providing some higher rhythm sounds, and Simonetti sure doens’t ration on the vocals. As we are used to from Simonetti, this song is a really smooth ride, with the synthesizers and the downstated beat really flowing throughout the whole song. This seven minute track gains some extra steam near the end, putting the synths a bit louder and creating a bit more of a wall for Samuel Herring to bounce off of. This remix takes the rock completely out of the original, and turns it into a different ride entirely. Which, surely, is what you’ve got to do when doing a remix.