The Weekly Froth! With Richard Rossa, Sleep Over and Van She

Richard Rossa – Midnight Dub (Kelton Prima remix)

By Stef Siepel

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: ‘Midnight Dub’ by Richard Rossa (Kelton Prima remix)

Kelton Prima is one that likes to go deep with the beat (at least the songs I’ve heard of him), and though this is not as deep as cuts of his I already have in my collection, it isn’t quite the by SoundCloud labelled nu-disco either. I would say it is more of a mix of deep house with some lighter elements, including a tingling bell of some sorts and a quite prominent synth. Then the space sounds come in (that I do remember of him, see his fairly recently released song ‘The Dark Side of the Spoon’) and Prima makes it an intergalactic ride through the clubs. The synths give it its air and its contrast, but the thing that keeps propelling it forward is the kind of grainy beat that keeps on going furiously. Like how the drums become prominent for the first time at the tail end of an interlude of some sorts in which the song is stripped down a bit. After that, the synth and space sounds bring this to its end. If you like your deep house (but not too deep) and your space (but not too space), and if you especially like it for a club setting, than not much wrong with this one I reckon. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth! With Late Night Tuff Guy, RAC feat. Penguin and Classixx

Late Nite Tuff Guy

By Stef Siepel

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: ‘Holiday’ by Late Nite Tuff Guy

Nope, this is not a remix of the Madonna song. You’ll be forgiven for thinking so though, I certainly did prior to listening to it. But it’s old school and it’s disco, and that is LNTG’s comfort zone really. Love the beat and bass action to get this song going, nice tempo, sure will come in handy for the dancefloor (which, by the way, this song is perfect for, also with the tempo change at 1:25 which surely must go down well). As always he sure knows how to build something up. Really a lot of patience here, as there are several points where you would expect (and he does tease you with it) that the song will go for the kill, but instead it does another round of catchy bass (and who is complaining?). Finally, at 3:50, in come the vocals, and oh boy, they sure have got attitude to them. A smooth ride, catchy and funky, and some strong voices there: what more do you want from a Change remix? … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth! With Idjut Boys, Tom Noble and YACHT

Idjut Boys - One For Kenny

By Stef Siepel

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: ‘One For Kenny’ by Idjut Boys (Extended Version)

‘One For Kenny’ has this sexy, lets-get-it-on quality to it that I really like. Underground in the club, let’s get down. There aren’t a lot of light sounds being used in the first half of this, which makes sure the song situates itself firmly in the seedy clubs downtown from the get go. Around halfway the synths come out though, and finally this lighter sound comes through to contrast the underground vibe, and it does get a bit more party with that, it gives it a bit more of a pace. So you’ve got two parts, which for a track of more than six minutes isn’t that bad of an idea anyway. And the second part still is club material as well, so don’t worry about that. Lovely track with loads of atmosphere. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth! With Baio, Hot Chip and Tomas Barfod

Baio - Sunburn EP

By Stef Siepel

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: ‘Tanto’ by Baio feat. Matias Aguayo

Matias Aguayo had some people jumping up, down and around with his album last year, and this has him featuring him in a Baio track. It starts with this deeper-than-average beat, but I think the main thing is the kind of exotic sound it has to it. I can’t quite place it, but it is not influenced by European or American sounds me thinks. It does make for an engaging listen, especially with the deep/light contrast it has going in its main sound. Love the peaceful drop back just before the four minute mark, and then with finger snapping and vocal lines it slowly starts to grow back again to its full sound. First Baio introduces a bass to help the two earlier elements out, and after a good minute or so we get back to drums and dancing. If you like to dance to exotic sounds, this is one for you. Nicely executed, smooth ride, sounds you don’t hear too often, and it meshes really well together. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth! With House Of Wallenberg, Joakim and Disclosure

House Of Wallenberg ft Ari Up - 'Sunshine Taboo'

By Stef Siepel

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: ‘Sunshine Taboo’ by House of Wallenberg feat. Ari Up

Released on Permanent Vacation, and it sure wastes no time getting some of the typical Permanent Vacation qualities out there, which basically can be summed up by deep-and-nice.  A deep house beat is the heart of that label (I imagine their heart beating in quite a similar manner, actually), and from that starting point different artists do different things. This song has a bit of an African vibe to it, an African rhythm in especially the vocals. Bit of experimentation in how they use the vocals as well, with the beat as a constant. It’s something you won’t hear every day probably, and the use of the vocals and the overlap and stuff, it makes it all a track that really sticks out from the bunch. Whether it makes it everyone’s cup of tea is a different question all together, but I really do love it. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth! With Elite Gymnastics, CFCF and Air France

Elite Gymnastics

By Stef Siepel

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: ‘Here, in Heaven 4& 5’ by Elite Gymnastics (CFCF remix)

Oh wow, I love how serene it starts, with the piano and the seeming echo and everything slowly intertwining. Immediately I’m just seeing images in front of me, it is very visual this. I can imagine choreographers getting such inspiration out of such a piece. Slowly he introduces a slight beat to give it a bit of body, and slowly these fragile vocals come in which aren’t really there for storytelling purposes but more to further cement the song’s aesthetic. The storytelling is really done by the music and your own imagination. There’s just a stop-animation picture playing in my head on first listen, and that is just marvellous, rarely do I have such a visual reaction to a song. CFCF truly is remarkable. Since the start of this column I’ve been giving props to his output, and to see him continuing to grow is amazing. Well done again. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth! With Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sare Havlicek and Jeremy Greenspan

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Anna

By Stef Siepel

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: ‘Anna’ by Charlotte Gainsbourg (Moonlight Matters remix)

A few weeks ago I was raving about a Joakim remix of a Charlotte Gainsbourg track in this column, so lets see if Moonlight Matters finds the same golden formula with this one. Moonlight Matters make it a dancey, more straight forward synth-pop affair. It’s got a catchy tune, a little beat to help you on your way, and naturally sometimes that’s put on hold for a bit of Gainsbourg’s vocals. I love how they strip it down for her vocals, and then while she sings they start building and building again until you have this kind of summery pop thing going on that I see happening at some sort of beach festival of some sorts. All the while giving Gainsbourg’s voice enough room to work with, so she’s never fighting against the music or anything. So Gainsbourg is quite an inspiring woman I reckon. It might not have the greatness of the Joakim remix, but it sure is a very lovely summery pop tune. … Continue Reading

Now Playing: Madonna (featuring M.I.A.) – ‘B-Day Song’

Madonna - MDNA

Now Playing – twice every week, a roundtable of our writers will give their views on some of the recently-released new tracks. It’s as simple as that! If you want to tell us what you think of the song, feel free to leave a comment below.

Track: ‘B-Day Song’ by Madonna featuring M.I.A.

… Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth! With Marcos Cabral, Jeremy Glenn and LE1F

Marcos Cabral

By Stef Siepel

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: ‘Sweet & Sour’ by Marcos Cabral (Jeremy Glenn remix)

Marcos Cabral is one half of Runaway, and if you know the track ‘Brooklyn Club Jam’, you kind of know what you’re getting at the start of this. It’s a really deep, bit of a tribal beat. Something that, when at a club, just guides you on how to dance. I guess it is one of those beats you would, literally, feel. And then those vocals at 1:30, my goodness, LOVE them. Big love for them. And in the mean time that deep, tribal beat keeps playing. Though the title of this track might sound like something you order at a restaurant (seriously, not sure what they were thinking), this is better served in a club playing at a time when you want people to get sweaty and you want them to get it on. I’m not familiar with the original, so not sure which part Jeremy Glenn is responsible for (are it his vocals? I remember a track of his that, in terms of voice, is similar, though the track itself was a different genre completely), but this is a remix that I, for one, wouldn’t be afraid to play in a club. I love tracks in which a nice, good beat is combined with strong, emotional vocals (see Storm Queen for more of that). … Continue Reading

Thieves Like Us – Bleed Bleed Bleed

Thieves Like Us - Bleed Bleed Bleed

By Stef Siepel

That first song and title track, no wonder it gets a reprise a bit later on, it just perfectly embodies the aesthetic that is so characteristic of Bleed Bleed Bleed. It’s got this lazy beat, this kind of melancholic and detached feel, but it still manages to pack enough emotional punch so that it does not become a clinical exercise of some sorts. Thieves Like Us embedded this atmosphere into the whole of the album, making it a cohesive whole that you can easily put on for its entire length without craving for “the more poppy singles” or whatever one’s fancy is. It’s an entity, and even though I reckon not everyone likes these kinds of midnight city albums, if you like that aesthetic, you’re in for a treat with this one. … Continue Reading