First Floor #93 – Do Online DJ Mixes Still Matter?
a.k.a. What an oversaturated market means for electronic music, plus news and the week's best new tunes.
Hello there. I’m Shawn Reynaldo, and welcome to First Floor, a weekly electronic music digest that includes news, interviews, my favorite new tracks and some of my thoughts on the issues affecting the larger scene / industry that surrounds the music. This is the free edition of the newsletter; access to all First Floor content (including the complete archive) requires a paid subscription. If you haven’t done so already, please consider signing up for a subscription (paid or unpaid) by clicking the button below. Alternately, you can also support the newsletter by making a one-time donation here.
THE DWINDLING POWER OF THE ONLINE DJ MIX
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when it happened, but at some point during the past decade, online DJ mixes stopped mattering much.
Perhaps that’s something of an exaggeration. Online mixes obviously still retain some level of cultural cachet—which is likely why electronic music fans are practically drowning in them these days—but in the grand scheme of things, most fail to really move the needle.
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REAL QUICK
A round-up of of the last week’s most interesting electronic music news, plus links to mixes, articles and other things I think are worth sharing.
Proof-of-vaccination requirements have become a hot-button topic within the live music industry, particularly as the delta variant surges and COVID case numbers continue to rise. This Resident Advisor report by Nyshka Chandran examines how different clubs and venues are approaching the issue, along with the inherent challenges of implementing / enforcing new health and safety measures, especially without government backing.
Perhaps these clubs’ efforts will get a boost, at least in the US, in the wake of last week’s announcement by concert promoter AEG (who put on Coachella) that as of October 1, proof of vaccination will be required to enter its festivals and venues. A few days later, Live Nation—AEG’s main competitor, who’d previously left it up to artists to decide about these policies—followed suit, saying that proof of vaccination (or a negative test) will be needed for their events as of October 4. Unfortunately though, these policy changes will only be applied where permitted by law, and several places in the US have specifically banned such restrictions.
Two excerpts from Daft Punk’s Discovery: The Future Unfurled, music journalist Ben Cardew’s new book examining the French duo’s seminal 2001 album, have been published in Mixmag and DJ Mag. Elsewhere, the Barcelona-based writer has also spent several weeks delivering special editions of his Line Noise program for Radio Primavera Sound, with each episode focusing on a different song from the Discovery tracklist.
This is a couple of weeks old, but UK bass manipulator and rave revivalist Appleblim (who currently resides in Berlin) was recently interviewed by Freddie Hudson for Inverted Audio, and spoke at length about his new album Infinite Hieroglyphics.
Maria W Horn—a Swedish composer and musician who Dania has previously highlighted here in the newsletter—was profiled by Jennifer Lucy Allan for The Quietus.
JUST ANNOUNCED
A round-up of noteworthy new and upcoming releases that were announced during the past week.
Back in May, Sherelle launched a new platform / label called Beautiful with an eye toward highlighting Black talent, and now the London artist has shared the details of its first compilation. Beautiful Vol. 1 features new music from artists like Scratcha DVA, Otik, Roska, Loraine James, Kareem Ali, Tim Reaper and several others, and will be released on August 31. In the meantime, “Fragile,” a new song from :3LON, has been shared.
Kenyan ambient artist KMRU—who somehow seems to appear in nearly every edition of First Floor—has curated the newest compilation in Air Texture’s ongoing Place series, focusing on artists from his native Nairobi. All proceeds from Place: Nairobi will benefit The Green Belt Movement, a Kenyan environmental organization, and the compilation is scheduled to arrive on September 24. Ahead of that, one of its tracks, “justfiu” by 7headc0, has already been made available.
The excellence of Adult Swim’s Singles 2021 series continues, as the latest addition is “Morning Glory Waltz,” a new offering from Los Angeles ambient artist (and Leaving Records regular) Green-House.
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith has teamed up with fellow Los Angeles resident Emile Mosseri (who previously did the music for such films as Minari and The Last Black Man in San Francisco) on a new collaborative “two-cycle album.” The first installment, I Could Be Your Dog (Prequel), will be released on September 15 via Ghostly International, and the follow-up, I Could Be Your Moon (Sequel), is expected in 2022. Before the former arrives, the pair have shared LP track “Log in Your Fire.”
In the wake of some recent lighthearted teasing by Scratcha DVA, Funkystepz have dropped a new eight-track release they’re calling This Is Not a Tech House EP. A decade ago, the London outfit was one of the leading names in the UK funky genre, but after their more recent efforts had tilted toward more straightforward house music, Scratcha prodded them to consider returning their roots.
A new album from Black Meteoric Star—one of the many aliases of synth wizard (and LCD Soundsystem member) Gavilán Rayna Russom—is going to be released next month. Entitled NYC Beat Boxx, it’s due to surface on September 8 through the Voluminous Arts label, but several of its tracks are already streaming here.
Hyperdub has signed AYA to its artist roster. The UK producer—who previously made music under the name LOFT and released records on labels such as Tri Angle, Wisdom Teeth and Astral Plane—will be issuing her debut album, which is called im home, on October 22, both in digital formats and as a “hardback clothbound book of lyrics, poems and photographs.” Ahead of that, first single “Emley Lights Us Moor” (which also features Iceboy Violet) has been shared, along with an accompanying video.
Experimental club practitioner Lotic has a new LP on the way, which she describes as “the record I always wanted to write.” Entitled Water, it’s due to appear on October 29 through the Houndstooth label, but ahead of that, the Berlin-based Houston native (and former Bjork collaborator) has dropped the first single, “Come Unto Me,” which also arrives with an eye-popping video.
MY WIFE HAS BETTER TASTE THAN I DO
My wife Dania is a wonderful person, but she has little regard for my taste in electronic music. Head of the Paralaxe Editions label, she often describes the music I like with words like “cheesy,” “simple,” “predictable,” “boring” and, worst of all (in her mind), “happy.” In contrast, I think she has a fantastic ear, and I’m constantly amazed by the obscure gems she unearths, both from record bins and the dark corners of the internet. Given that, I’ve asked Dania to share some of her finds with the First Floor audience. Each week, she highlights something that she’s currently digging, and adds some of her thoughts as to why it’s worth our attention.
Lucy Railton & Kit Downes “Down to the Plains” (SN Variations)
Hello. This morning I’ve been listening to this collaboration between cellist Lucy Railton and organist Kit Downes. Recorded at Skáholt Cathedral in 2017, the venue was selected after the two artists had travelled around Southwest Iceland and visited several churches; they ultimately settled on this particular cathedral because of its warm, resonant acoustics. Although the duo played together that day for three hours, only selected edits have made it onto their new Subaerial album, but they’re still raw, unadulterated improvisations. (There was no post-production.) Listening to “Down to the Plains,” you can feel the almost telepathic interplay between Railton and Downes. Put this one on and let its drone and dissonant harmonics wash over you.
Follow Dania on Twitter, or check out her monthly radio show on dublab.es.
NEW THIS WEEK
The following is a selection of my favorite tunes that came out during the past week or so. The ones in the ‘Big Three’ section are the songs I especially want to highlight (and therefore have longer write-ups), but the tracks in the ‘Best of the Rest’ section are also very much worth your time. In both sections, you can click on the track titles to hear each song individually, or you can also just head over to this convenient Buy Music Club list to find them all in one place.
THE BIG THREE
Rachika Nayar “Clarity” (Commend)
Rachika Nayar “Redeye” (Commend)
Earlier this year, Rachika Nayar released her debut album Our Hands Against the Dusk, an effort which showcased the Brooklyn artist’s multi-instrumental talents. Guitar loops were part of that equation, but they’ve now taken center stage on Fragments, Nayar’s gorgeous, stripped-down new EP for Commend’s THERE series. With no song cracking the three-minute mark, Fragments feels something like a collection of sketches, though its songs aren’t so much incomplete as they are unencumbered.
Largely free of effects and processing, Nayar’s guitar noodlings take flight, especially on “Redeye,” a song which recalls the soaring dream pop of the late ’80s and early ’90s. (There are hints of shoegaze in there too, though it’s more Ride than My Bloody Valentine.) “Clarity” stays closer to Earth, but there’s something similarly cinematic about the track’s rippling melodies, which dramatically float behind Nayar’s steady picking. It’s fantastic work, and hopefully won’t be the last time that its creator offers up something this intimate.
Luke Sanger “Efflorescence” (Balmat)
Luke Sanger “Yoake” (Balmat)
When it comes to the story of Languid Gongue, the headline is obvious: it’s the inaugural release from Balmat, a new label from music journalist Philip Sherburne and Albert Salinas, who heads up the Lapsus label. (The two also jointly host the weekly Lapsus program on Spain’s Radio3.) Given that pedigree, the album arrives with a certain level of expectation, but Luke Sanger himself isn’t someone who should be overlooked. The UK artist has been releasing music—under a variety of different aliases, including Luke’s Anger and Duke Slammer—for more than a decade, and his latest full-length is a compelling collection of dreamy, new age-adjacent ambient tunes.
The sparkling “Effloresence” is an obvious highlight, its loosely Balearic grooves whimsically twanging amidst a suite of pitter-pat percussion and sweetly groaning, Arthur Russell-esque strings. Similarly excellent is “Yoake,” on which Sanger sets the drums aside, creating space for the song’s twinkling melodies and robust (albeit synthsized) horns. Both songs are transportive, and help set a high bar for what will hopefully be more releases from Balmat in the months and years to come.
Stacie-Anne Churchman “Ascension Machine” (3024)
Beyun “Hidden Variables” (3024)
Is Martyn an incredible teacher? Or was he simply blessed with an incredibly talented first batch of students? Either way, his three-part It Was Always There compilation series—which highlights the work of producers who’ve taken part in his 3024 Artist Mentoring Program—continues to impress, and the second volume is even better than the first. Stacie-Anne Churchman’s “Ascension Machine” is a potent breakbeat roller, its percolating drums underpinned by thick sheets of (slightly) menacing bass, while “Hidden Variables” finds success while taking a more relaxed approach. Crafted by Dutch artist (and Vault Wax label boss) Beyun, the song’s skittering rhythms are offset with washy, sunset-ready melodies, disembodied vocal snippets and joyfully wiggly acid manipulations. Both tracks are top-notch, and they’re just two of the many gems that It Was Always There Vol. 2 has to offer. I can’t wait to hear Vol. 3.
BEST OF THE REST
Joy Orbison “Better (with Léa Sen)” (Hinge Finger / XL)
Does anyone reading this really need me to recommend the new Joy Orbison album? Probably not, but Still Slipping Vol. 1—which the UK producer has branded as a “mixtape”—is a brilliant, 14-track tour through a variety of London street sounds, folding in element of house, garage, soul, R&B, hip-hop and more. “Better” is smooth, late-night house cut, with Léa Sen—who sounds a bit like Kelela—cooly cooing atop the song’s pillowy pads and plush grooves.
Brogan Bentley “Never Ending” (Leaving)
Diapason Rex, the long-gestating new album from Brogan Bentley, is rooted in the sounds of club music, but it isn’t necessarily meant for the dancefloor. “Never Ending,” like many of the LP’s best songs, sounds like it’s been steeped in sadness, even as its finely minced vocals hauntingly swirl atop a lively, drum & bass-indebted beat. Although the Bay Area producer has made the track his own, weaving in crunchy bass and a gleaming array of Nintendo-style synth bloops, its ominous sound palette does strongly recall Machinedrum’s 2013 album Vapor City. With any luck, Diapason Rex will provide Bentley with the same sort of breakthrough.
Lila “En Caída” (Nodo)
With its foggy vocals and smeared distortion, “En Caída”—a sultry, scuzzy standout from Argentinian artist Lila’s new Paredes & Pudores EP—sounds like FKA Twigs and Grouper collaborating on a witch house record during the early days of Tri Angle Records.
NKC & MM “Beams” (Sea Cucumber)
Born out of a weekend trip to Ireland, “Beams” is a snarling, industrial-strength stomper that its creators have adorned with a touch of heavy metal flair. Full of sharp edges and jagged corners, the song—which also happens to be the title track of NKC’s new Beams EP on Tzusing’s Sea Cucumber label—has a raw, almost animalistic energy, its whirring flashes of guitar conjuring images of NKC & MM confidently throwing up the sign of the devil as they cut their way through a dense jungle landscape.
She Spells Doom “Jet Black” (All Centre)
For most electronic music fans (myself included), Zambia is a place that rarely enters the conversation, but producer She Spells Doom has done his country proud on the new Rudnick EP. With its sharp crashes and galloping rhythm, “Jet Black” confidently pulls from ballroom and assorted strains of drum-heavy club music, while its distinctive melody harkens back to the Middle Eastern melodies employed by Timbaland in some of his most classic productions.
Benjamin Fröhlich “Escape (Peter Invasion & Gregor Habicht Remix)” (Live at Robert Johnson)
Who else has some ’80s synth-pop 12”s in their collection? Remember how those records would usually include an extended 12” mix? That’s what Peter Invasion & Gregor Habicht’s rework of “Escape” sounds like: an extended 12” mix (or, even better, an extended 12” dub) of a random track from someone like Visage or The Human League. A highlight of Benjamin Fröhlich’s new Club Fantasy (Remixes) EP, it’s bright, synthy and glamorous.
Spaced Out Krew “Dance or Die” (People’s Potential Unlimited)
Another track with some serious ’80s vibes, “Dance or Die”—a song from French outfit Spaced Out Krew’s S.O.K. EP—also folds in some early house sounds, channeling the same sort of ethereal, space-age soul that once powered groups like Dream 2 Science. Granted, “Dance or Die” is much rougher around the edges, but the distorted claps and lo-fi melodies ultimately only add to the music’s charm.
Ike “Inter” (Die Orakel)
The official blurb for Ike’s new Stone Diviner EP asserts that the record is “devoid of today’s retromania,” but lead track “Inter” nonetheless feels like a throwback, its plinky melodies and rattling Amen breaks clearly mining ’90s IDM—in the best way possible—and tapping into the playfully energetic spirit of labels like Rephlex.
Jana Rush “Disturbed” (Planet Mu)
The closest thing to a straight-up footwork track on Jana Rush’s new Painful Enlightenment LP, “Disturbed” wraps its jittery beats in heavily chopped (and heavily emotional) vocals, its frenzied cries of “I need someone” and “I need you” sounding very much like the wailings of a deeply wounded soul.
Walt Clements “Thresholds (Through a Hole in the Fence)” (American Dreams)
After years of listening to cumbia, I probably have a greater appreciation for the accordion than most First Floor readers, but never before have I heard the instrument sound so wonderfully celestial. On “Threshholds (Through a Hole in the Fence)”—one of several stellar tracks on Walt Clements’ new A Hole in the Fence album, and a tribute to his previous days as a train-hopping traveler—the LA-based composer gloriously stretches solemn tones and lightly bubbling melodies across a grey sky, his cinematic composition both tinged with melancholy and brimming with possibility.
Pau Roca “Euphoria” (Pleasure of Love)
“Euphoria” doesn’t reinvent the wheel—its weepy disco strings, rubbery bassline and glistening melodies (which sound a lot like early ’90s Italian dream house) all ring familiar—but Barcelona producer Pau Roca has nonetheless built something gratifying, a breezy, laid-back cut that’s perfect for a sunny afternoon of swaying alongside the Mediterranean Sea.
Li Yilei “Chu / 處” (Métron)
Li Yilei “Kou / 口” (Métron)
Anyone needing a little bit of serenity will find a lot to love about 之 / OF, the latest album from London-based Chinese sound artist Li Yilei. With its softly gurgling synths, twinkling melodies and hints of birdsong, “Chu / 處” feels like a trip to some sort of idyllic, beautifully manicured garden, while LP closer “Kou / 口” takes a grander approach, its sparkling melodies and stretched vocal tones drifting beautifully skyward.
HVL “Lancet mxi” (Self-released)
One of the most talented artists to come out of the Bassiani universe, Tbilisi producer HVL dropped the Vessel full-length over the weekend, and album standout “Lancet mxi” compellingly blends the functional with the conceptual, its tumbling, dancefloor-ready rhythms slowly coming to life as the song’s fuzzy, soft-focus sounds set a dreamily introspective mood.
Foam and Sand “Circle 9” (Trees & Cyborgs)
Foam and Sand “Circle 18” (Trees & Cyborgs)
Bliss is at the center of Full Circle, the debut album from Foam and Sand, a new-ish ambient project that veteran LA-based German producer Robot Koch started up during the pandemic. Minimal in their constructed but still richly textured, songs like “Circle 9” and “Circle 18” bathe their delicate vibrations and chime-like melodies in a film of soft static, soothing listeners’ psyches as the music slowly glides toward the horizon.
That brings us to the end of today’s newsletter. Thank you so much for reading First Floor, and I do hope you enjoyed the tunes. (Don’t forget, you can find them all on this handy Buy Music Club list, and if you like them, please buy them.)
More next week,
Shawn
Shawn Reynaldo is a freelance writer, editor, presenter and project manager. Find him on LinkedIn or drop him an email to get in touch about projects, collaborations or potential work opportunities.