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: ‘Free (From Social Narcotics)’ by VinylAddicted and Sleazy McQueen

VinylAddicted and Sleazy McQueen get the rhythm moving, first arriving with some all too familiar beats and drums, and then throwing in a deliriously delicious bass sound that will get the house a rockin’. The piano enters the fray too, giving you the light next to all the rhythm sounds. At the 1:50 mark we hear a male voice say Free, which is also the cue to go back to the bass and drum sounds that were running the campaign earlier. Then, more vocals, dialling down the volume on all the other sounds so they can be loudly heard exclaiming that, yessir, the most dangerous narcotics are the Social narcotics. In the mean time, this tune is moving like a motherflipper, giving you a lovely smooth rhythm base to keep you riding that horsey. The talking male vocals are a nice counterweight, adding a bit of gritty, a bit of an edge. I’d throw this in a set any time, really, such a smooth ride with plenty of momentum in there to have everyone gobbling it all up for the entire meal.

 ‘Fever’ by Roosevelt

Roosevelt gets the summery synths out, before moving to the steady beat a few minutes in. After that, even more summery synths, giving you that festival vibe. All those good vibrations are shared by the percussion sounds. Roosevelt takes it down just before the minute mark, as he puts the vocals in, giving it this more dreamy air. Funnily enough, the chorus is all about the instrumentals, and not even so much about Roosevelt singing Bring back the fever again. But it’s the uptick in pace and festive tones that really leave an imprint on it all. The song clocks in a little over the four minute mark, giving you a lovely slice of pop for the beach festivals this summer, even giving you a bit of that guitar at the end.

‘Sly’ by Polographia feat. Winston Surfshirt

I love that gentle guitar riff that comes in right at the start, at the same moment the band introduces the drum kick in the back. It’s got a bit of that dream gazer feel to it, though at the minute mark they give it a little bit of an oomph. The vocals remind me a bit of MGMT, singing that they want To funk. Some of the instrumentals give it a slight exotic vibe, whilst the bass and beat keep the song on the straight and narrow. When they dial it down they focus on the vocals, with some beach-y synth sounds in the back. I like the laidback feel of the track, all the while making sure the rhythm doesn’t let up or gets too loose. Naturally, you could’ve known that, if a track features someone called Surfshirt, you’re going to get that Dude kind of vibe going on, on a little bed of rhythm.

‘Don’t Play Games’ by Nite-Funk

I, personally, had loads of fun at the Dam-Funk gig at the Primavera Sound festival this year, and that Nite Jewel record is none too shabby either (definitely have a listen to that one if you haven’t yet). This track, though, goes a bit darker, a bit choppier, and a bit more night-time-in-the-back-alley, turning slightly away from their Soul, House, Synth-Pop type bands to a more dark R&B heavy turn. Especially thanks to the aggressive feel of the drums, contrasting nicely the more soft-spoken vocals by Nite Jewel, whose delivery follows the drum, rubbing some of its aggressiveness off on it. In the mean time there are some synths in the background, giving it a slight spacey feel, though it’s primarily the bass that is doing the works back there. I love the spunk that this track has, and it shows that sometimes when people come together they can really come up with stuff different from their own works.

‘Heavy Danse' by Tom Of Brooklyn

I love how it first gets the percussion going, and then the rhythm, giving you that African flavor with the drums. Then the female vocals come in, singing that they Like it, with the bass then providing some extra rhythm for good measure. Around the minute mark they dial that part down just a tad, just to come back with a little more oomph. Next to all the rhythm elements the percussion plays a big part in the feel of the track as well, not only there to guide the dancers’ motions. At one point other female vocals come in, singing the ooh-hoo-hooo lines even sans the rhythm, though quickly a deeper base drum enters the scene, after a little while accompanied by the whole percussion works. It’s a hypnotic rhythm tune, giving you all the percussion you can handle next to the core dance base that it keeps on handing you as well.

‘People On The High Line’ by New Order (LNTG Can’t Get Any Higher remix)

New Order’s people called Late Nite Tuff Guy asking if he could do a remix of ‘People On The High Line’, the new single by the iconic band. It takes LNTG about sixteen seconds to get the main beat in, adding the bass at about the half minute mark. This combines with the lighter percussion sounds, that are there from the get go and get more and more company from deeper rhythm sounds as time goes by. At about the minute mark we hear the vocals for the first time, courtesy of Elly Jackson of La Roux fame. At 1:40 LNTG ticks the track more to his signature sound, and at the two minute mark he goes for that festive dance feel that he always does so well. At 2:40 we go a bit piano house, letting the keys do most of the work on top of a minimal beat, with the deeper sounds (including the bass) coming back shortly after to accompany that piano sound (that will be ditched moments later). Like LNTG is prone to do, it’s super smooth, with a lovely rhythm, and if I have one minor thingamajig, then it’s the addition of the male vocals. I mean, I know it’s New Order, but this track would’ve been served better with just Elly’s vocals in my opinion. Other then that, lovely jam to do some dancing to for sure.

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.