The Weekly Froth! With Chairlift, Tensnake and John Talabot & Pional

Chairlift - Something

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: ‘I Belong in Your Arms’ by Chairlift (John Talabot & Pional 6.15 AMix)

I’ve always said about that John Talabot album (that amazing John Talabot album) that it is a bit of a walking-through-the-city-at-night album, and by the name of this remix, it seems I’m not too far off with that. It’s classy, nightly, and its got those Pional pianos in there which I really fancy. These two guys just know how to put some cachet into it all. Layered, complex, but completely fitting; it really manages to create this nocturnal atmosphere. I can’t quite recall the original, though I’m assuming it’s from Chairlift’s “recently” released album, but I’m pretty sure it does not quite sound like this. I imagine the original as slightly more sunny and synth-pop like, and the way these two guys manage to flip the mood is pretty cool. Love that sudden change at the three minute mark, that’s nice, and it lasts for about a minute before they put the other sounds back in. If you like something to listen to whilst commuting at night, this is another good one from Talabot & friends.

‘Lose My Head’ by Body Language

Body Language start it off with attitude, which you can find both in sound as well as in the vocals. It is a synth-pop tune this, so something you perhaps might see at an indie-disco, not so much a real dance set. It’s a bit of a mixture between Cut Copy and something slightly more electro in style. It’s got plenty of change-ups in its four+ minute running time, which centers around someone losing his or her head (though not literally, mind you. Or at least, I assume). The variety is fun though, the quick change-ups to keep it slightly hyper for the young crowd, with plenty of bold sounds to keep it going. If you like your synth-pop smooth that kind of thing might be a turn-off, but if you kind of like that brashness and the quick changes, this might be worth a listen.

‘Running Around Your Love’ by Woolfy vs. Projections

I like that it starts with the vocals, I’m a bit of a sucker in that regard. Its got this more minimal, balearic feel to it, where it goes quickly into this understated, hypnotist beat that keeps on rolling. Slight leanings towards deep house (its on the Permanent Vacation label after all), but I also like it that they put those vocals at the forefront as well. Kind of whispery, but still strong enough to leap out and grab your attention. The music behind it is very cool as well. Not too many sounds, not cluttered at all, just all these clean sounds and beats which make you want to close your eyes and nod your head to it whilst your legs are doing a little dance. Perhaps that is also why I like it; these clear, clean sounds mixed with those vocals that do have some colour to them. Its apparently on an album by these guys that has recently been released, so if you like this, be sure to check that out.

‘Everybody Dance’ by Chic (Zimmer Rework)

Chic, of course, is one of the bigger disco outfits (and I believe at least Nile Rodgers is still doing the rounds, so if they come to a town near you, check that out), and Zimmer takes them on in this remix. Zimmer is no stranger to taking on “contemporary classics” — I remember a pretty nifty Tina Turner remix from his hand — so he should know how to do this. He goes out  guns a blazing with an up-tempo sound and, then, beat. After 46 seconds he shifts his gears down for a moment, but he quickly gets back to work again after a minute or so, when for the first time the vocals come in as well. Then again the same shift back, but after that he comes with the real vocals to get that disco atmosphere going. Its just one of those things that, with those vocals, that disco aesthetic, and just the sheer exuberance of the track; its hard to sit still when this comes along in a live set. It is just all out fun, and if you can’t dance on this, then you can wonder why that person is there at all. Fun and disco with a firm, up-tempo beat; lets get that boogie back on the dancefloor.

‘16th Stage’ by Osborne (Tensnake remix)

Tensnake is a fairly familiar name out there probably, and that’s for a reason; namely he usually delivers. This one starts with a nifty little beat, but the real king is that bass sound that comes about half a minute in. That gives the song its initial drive and flavour. Quickly some lighter sounds appear to off-set the deeper bass and beat. Two minutes in you get a little intermezzo, before that beat, bass and the lighter sounds appear again. These two things work beautifully off of each other, and what you get is an easily danceable tune with enough instruments and tricks in there to make it interesting, par example these horns that appear in the third minute and which are just such a lovely surprise. Again Tensnake manages to come up with something which works and which is not just another brain numbing banger.

‘Discoteca Clandestina’ by Andre VII (Bottin remix)

Bottin is someone that you know can get that Italian disco going on. So after a bit of Italian spoken word he gets to work with those Italian spacey disco vibes that he does so well. Nice bass to get you a-movin, then those typical synth sounds jam packed with flavour. I guess those make it Italian, that’s just such a typical sound that is. With that vibe and those instruments the track just keeps on rolling, and I can just imagine a crowd dancing to this in a barely lit club in the middle of the night. Then you get the vocoder vocals in (as if the atmosphere needed some more trademark characteristics to tell you where it was at), which just add to that what is going on. Just absolutely amazing to dance to this, late at night, that beat that gives you something to hold on to; Bottin at his finest I would say.