First Floor #237, Part 1 – The More Things Change...
First Floor #237, Part 1 – The More Things Change...
a.k.a. Thoughts on the music press and its latest narrative switch-up, plus a round-up of the latest electronic music news.
I’m never taking a week off again.
That not true of course, but SO MUCH has happened in electronic music during the past two weeks that I’ve often felt like I was drowning during the past few days. I think I’m now (mostly) caught up, but while preparing today’s digest, I came to a realization:
There’s no way I could fit everything I’ve got into a single newsletter.
Given that, I’ve divided today’s edition into two parts. Think of this first one as your news update, as it rounds up a massive list of reading links, new release announcements and other electronic music happenings that you might want to know about.
Another thing you might also want to know about is an article I published earlier this week, which takes a look at the changes that have been implemented in recent months by the new editorial regimes at Pitchfork and Resident Advisor. Both publications seem intent on communicating that “THINGS ARE DIFFERENT NOW,” which isn’t surprising in the wake of major staff changes. But it is entertaining to watch this messaging unfold, especially considering that these outlets previously spent years championing things that they’re now attempting to distance themselves from.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
That’s not necessarily a knock on either Pitchfork or Resident Advisor, as many of the changes they’ve implemented have actually trended in the direction of better, or at least more interesting, music journalism. My essay, as you might expect, gets into a lot more detail, and is mostly a commentary on the funny way that narratives are developed, promoted and ultimately sold by the modern music press.
Anyways, we have a lot of ground to cover. Let’s get started.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Every Tuesday, First Floor publishes a long-form article that’s initially made available to paid newsletter subscribers only. But if you’re not part of the paid tier, now’s your chance to see what you missed! The latest piece is now open to everyone—temporarily—and it puts both Pitchfork and Resident Advisor under the microscope, examining how things how changed in the months since new editorial teams were put in place. Both sites have spun up shiny new narratives—but will their readers buy them?
REAL QUICK
A round-up of the last two weeks’ most interesting electronic music news, plus links to interviews, articles and other things I think are worth sharing.
It’s easy to scoff at Ibiza, and write off its entire club scene as a soulless, grossly capitalistic enterprise, but Carlos Hawthorn has assembled a more nuanced view of the White Isle in a new feature for Resident Advisor. Marked by an impressive level of (mostly) on-the-ground reporting, the article tracks the recent evolution of Ibiza clubbing, and points out that although much of what’s on offer is as bland / corny / ridiculously expensive as you’d imagine, there are also small pockets of DJs and promoters on the island who are attempting to curate something (relatively) deeper and more interesting.
The No Tags podcast continues to churn out high-quality conversations about dance music and club culture, and I was pleasantly surprised when last week’s episode put a spotlight on my friend / former colleague Vivian Host (a.k.a. Star Eyes). Admittedly I’m a bit biased, but Vivian is someone who’s been involved in so many important scenes during the past 30-plus years, and No Tags prompted her to tell all sorts of stories, including some eye-opening tales about her days as a teenage raver in ’90s Los Angeles.
With his long-awaited and emotionally charged debut album, Fragments of Us, having dropped last week, Midland is kind of everywhere right now. The UK producer was profiled by Marke Bieschke for Mixmag, sat for an interview with Safi Bugel for The Guardian and participated in a conversation with writer, critic and Bad Gays podcast host Huw Lemmey for Crack magazine—and in all three cases, he talked at length about his new record, its relationship to queer history and his own journey as a gay man in dance music.
Verraco—who was interviewed by First Floor last year—has seen his profile explode in 2024, and now he’s the subject of Mixmag’s latest cover story. Written by Christian Eede, the piece traces the whirlwind ascent of the Colombian artist and the TraTraTrax label he runs alongside Nyskan and DJ Lomalinda, and it’s also accompanied by a brand-new DJ mix from Verraco himself.
Drum & bass legend DJ Storm popped up in Resident Advisor’s latest The Art of DJing feature, but unlike other editions of the series, it’s not particularly focused on technique. It’s more of a proper interview, and while journalist Chal Ravens does dig into some of DJ Storm’s history (including the tragic loss of her former DJ partner Kemistry), it also lays out how the veteran artist find herself fitting into the contemporary club and festival circuit.
I’ve sung the praises of writer Jaša Bužinel and his Hyperspecific column for The Quietus many times over the years, but his latest installment is definitely worth a read. Aside from the usual litany of top-notch music recommendations, the piece also finds Bužinel musing about the difference between the reliably human way that DJ and club culture works (or at least used to work) in real life, and the vapid, almost robotic way it’s now predominantly being presented via streaming and social media. Like many people in dance music, he’s worried about the yawning gap between those two things, and wonders what it means for the future of the culture.
Nina is on a little bit of a roll right now, and I’m not just saying that because it’s home to my monthly Second Floor column. The site’s editorial arm has increased its complement of artist interviews in recent months, and during the past two weeks alone, has published entertaining Q&As with ABADIR & Nahash, CS + Kreme and Steven Julien.
The revival of the cassette format has been one of the music world’s more enjoyable stories during the past few years, but a recent New York Times article by Marc Hogan explores an unexpected side effect: the fact that even with all of these new tapes coming into the world, there aren’t many new cassette players being made, which can make actually listening to said tapes a rather tricky proposition.
Rhythm Section International is turning 10 this year, and earlier this week announced a forthcoming box set to commemorate the occasion. But for those curious to know more about the London label’s history and evolution over the years, founder Bradley Zero and label manager Emily Hill have detailed the Rhythm Section story to writer Kristan J Caryl in a new Beatportal feature.
Speaking of must-read conversations, a new article by Ransom Note’s Alasdair King pairs up Bristol outfit Jabu with unsung shoegaze pioneers A.R. Kane, who together discuss their influences and the ways their work has been shaped by life in the UK.
DJ Mag this week announced plans to “relaunch” its print magazine in January 2025, which is a creative way of saying that it will soon be switching its publishing schedule from monthly to quarterly. For what it’s worth, the magazine promises that its new quarterly editions will be not just longer, but “collectible,” with each issue featuring three different covers and three full-length features inside.
OBLIGATORY BOOK MENTION
My first book is out now. It’s called First Floor Vol. 1: Reflections on Electronic Music Culture, and you can order it from my publisher Velocity Press. However, if you’re outside of the UK, I recommend that you either inquire at your favorite local bookshop or try one of the online sales links that have been compiled here.
JUST ANNOUNCED
A round-up of noteworthy new and upcoming releases announced during the past two weeks.
The ever-prolific claire rousay—who granted a highly entertaining interview to First Floor earlier this year—has a new release on the way. The Bloody Lady is a reimagined score she wrote for Slovak artist Viktor Kubal's 1980 animated film of the same name. First performed live last year at the Videodroom / Film Fest Gent in Belgium, it’s since been developed into an album, and will be issued by the VIERNULVIER label on November 8. Ahead of that, the song “iii” has already been shared.
Flying Lotus is up to something. After releasing the “Garmonbozia” single back in August, the Los Angeles beatmaker has followed it up with another new track, “Ingo Swann.” Both songs are out now, and have very similar artwork, which seems to indicate that they’re part of something bigger that has yet to be announced. Keep an eye out for that, but in the meantime, what’s perhaps most surprising is that “Ingo Swann” could credibly be described as house music.
Helena Hauff releasing music on Tresor is something that was bound to happen eventually, and she’ll soon be debuting on the iconic Berlin imprint with a new EP called Multiply Your Absurdities. It’s slated to arrive on November 15, but the song “Humanoid Fruit” is available now.
Steven Julien has largely stuck to Warp and his own Apron label in recent years, but next month he’ll be hopping over to !K7 to deliver the next edition of the long-running DJ-Kicks mix / compilation series. Before it officially surfaces on November 22, the label has already shared “Number,” an exclusive new track that Julien contributed to the release.
Fresh off the arrival of her collaborative Jazz Plates full-length with Ulla, Berlin-based ambient / experimental artist perila has unveiled plans for a new double album of her own. Intrinsic Rhythm will be issued via Smalltown Supersound on November 8, but LP cut “sepula purm” has already been made available. (Full disclosure: Jazz Plates was released by my wife label’s Paralaxe Editions.)
Techno architect Kangding Ray has completed a new LP, and plans to release it via his own ara imprint. Entitled ZERO, it’s said to be decisively focused on the dancefloor, and while the full record won’t surface until November 8, album cut “TARO” can be heard now.
Leon Vynehall might seem like an unlikely candidate to experiment with pop, but the UK producer did just that on “SHELLAC,” a new single that dropped last week via his own Studio Ooze imprint. (Anyone who’s distressed by any mention of “pop” should definitely give the song a listen before passing judgement, as it’s very much still something for the club.)
With the latest season of television drama Industry having recently concluded, the LuckyMe label has released the official season three soundtrack, which was composed by Nathan Micay. (Fun fact: back in 2020, First Floor interviewed Micay about his work on the first season of Industry, which was his first major scoring gig.)
Talk of CCL is usually focused on the Berlin-based artist’s otherworldly DJ skills, but perhaps that will soon change. Having recently collaborated with Ciel on the Tilda’s Goat Stare EP, CCL has now unveiled the details of their forthcoming debut solo release, a concept-driven EP called Plot Twist. Featuring a guest appearance by D. Tiffany, the record will arrive on November 15, but its title track is available now.
Does anyone combine grunge and post-hardcore with noisy beatmaking better than Maral? Admittedly, a limited pool of producers are even making the attempt, and the Los Angeles-based artist is quite possibly the only one who’s also incorporating elements of traditional Iranian music. Last week she dropped a new EP, Patience (صبر), which revisits some of her earliest attempts to bring samples of Iranian folk into her work. It’s out now on the PTP label.
The always inventive, polyrhythm-loving Tristan Arp has finished a new album for UK outpost Wisdom Teeth. Completed between Mexico City and NYC, it’s called a pool, a portal, and features “ways of being,” a collaboration with Guatemalan cello extraordinaire Mabe Fratti. That song has already been made available, and the rest of the album will follow on October 25.
Headed up by Mor Elian and Rhyw, the Fever AM imprint has assembled an all-star compilation called It’s Elastic. The tracklist includes a collaborative cut from the label founders, along with contributions from Karenn, Lurka, Peder Mannerfelt, Sister Zo and a number of other bass-loving talents. The whole thing is scheduled to drop on October 31, but one track, “Doomscroll,” which comes from a “previously unknown” (wink, wink) artist named DJ Doomscroll, is available now.
Bary Center is an artist whose genre-agnostic music has previously been covered by First Floor, and he’s also someone who spent a large chunk of his musical life in Asheville, North Carolina. The city and much of the surrounding region was recently devastated by Hurricane Helene, which prompted Center to try and help. In recent days, he’s put together three new releases (12 Illegal Remixes for Asheville, RAVL and Simulant) and has also said that for the foreseeable future, any money earned via his Bandcamp will go towards recovery efforts in Asheville.
That brings us to the end of part one of today’s First Floor digest. Part two is here, and it’s stuffed to the gills with new track recommendations, so make sure to give it a read.
And, of course, thank you so much for reading the newsletter.
Shawn
Shawn Reynaldo is a freelance writer, editor, presenter and project manager. Find him on LinkedIn and Twitter, or you can just drop him an email to get in touch about projects, collaborations or potential work opportunities.