First Floor #107 – Help! There's Some Pop Music in My Techno.
a.k.a. The shifting attitude toward pop in "underground" electronic music, plus a news round-up and a big batch of great new tracks.
REAL QUICK
A round-up of of the last week’s most interesting electronic music news, plus links to interviews, mixes, articles and other things I think are worth sharing.
Virgil Abloh, the groundbreaking designer (and occasional DJ), passed away over the weekend, succumbing to a rare form of cancer after privately battling the illness for several years. Countless articles and tributes have flooded the internet in recent days, but here is the New York Times obituary.
It was recently announced that another edition of MDL BEAST—an EDM and electronic music festival literally sponsored and organized by the government of Saudi Arabia—would be taking place this month in Riyadh. I actually wrote about the first edition of MDL BEAST back in January 2020, so I’ll spare you all another essay about it, but it’s fair to say that this year’s edition of the festival has generated even more backlash.
It’s also prompted widespread calls for the artists on the lineup—which includes a wide span of acts, from Major Lazer and David Guetta to Ricardo Villalobos and Kevin Saunderson, along with dozens of others—to drop out. Most of those calls have gone ignored, but last week Jeff Mills defended his decision to perform at MDL BEAST in two Facebook posts, both of which he’s since deleted. (For those still curious to read some of his words, DJ Mag España published a Spanish-language translation of his second post on their site.)
Back in 2008, the San Francisco collective Honey Soundsystem launched the Honey Potcast mix series, and last week, it was officially brought to a close by Midland, who delivered the celebrated series’ 400th installment. For those interested in exploring the Potcast archive, more than half the episodes (i.e. the more recent ones) can be found here, while the series’ earliest chapters are here.
Throughout the year, Beatportal has published a series of features chronicling the histories of dance music’s most pivotal genres, and the latest piece, authored by Arjan Rietveld, offers a “Definitive History of Trance,” one of the most loved (and hated) electronic music variants of all time.
Last week’s newsletter included multiple mentions of Parris, and now that his (excellent) debut album has done the rounds, the London artist has not surprisingly been popping up in other media outlets as well. Resident Advisor featured him in the latest installment of its Breaking Through series, which was written by Katie Thomas, while Bandcamp enlisted Ravi Ghosh to put together their own profile.
Tristan Arp’s recent Sculpturegardening album on Wisdom Teeth has been almost criminally overlooked, but the Mexico City-based artist has been profiled by Chandler Shortlidge in Beatportal’s latest Introducing feature.
Curious what kind of gear Eris Drew is working with? Rosie Cain spoke to the Chicago veteran about her setup—which is literally located inside a log cabin in rural New Hampshire—in a studio- and production-oriented feature for Stamp the Wax.
DJ culture has all kinds of traditions, but one that rarely gets discussed is the art of playing records at the wrong speed. Harold Heath dug into the topic last year for Attack Mag, and now he’s penned a sequel, specifically diving into genres like new beat and chopped & screwed.
Jockey Slut was one of the UK’s most influential dance music magazines during the ’90s and early 2000s, and now, 17 years after the publication shut its doors, its creators are looking to start something that follows in the same tradition. A new magazine, which will go by the name Disco Pogo, is already in the works, and though the launch date is still TBD, an online crowdfunding campaign was recently set up to help them get off the ground. As it turns out, the deadline for donations is tomorrow (December 2), so move fast if you’d like to support.
WRESTLING WITH POP EMBARRASSMENT
PLEASE NOTE: This piece was originally published yesterday and made available to paid subscribers, but the paywall has now been temporarily removed for the next 24 hours. If you’d like exclusive first access to long-form First Floor pieces—and unlimited views of all newsletter content—then please sign up for a paid subscription.
Over the past 40 years, electronic music has largely been framed as an “underground” phenomenon, something that existed apart from—if not in direct opposition to—the music and cultural mainstream. In reality, that wasn’t always quite true, but for many electronic music fans who came of age during the ’80s, ’90s and 2000s, pop music was regarded as something to be sneered at and dismissed, at least if you wanted to keep your credibility intact. However, as time has gone on, pop tropes have increasingly crept into the culture—just as they have in practically all variants of independent music—and during the Spotify era, whatever imagined creative boundaries existed between the mainstream and the “underground” have essentially been obliterated.
Older heads may not like or understand it, but younger listeners—and more importantly, younger producers—just don’t have the same hangups when it comes to pop music. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re making radio-ready earworms, but it does mean that vaunted labels like Ostgut Ton and Hyperdub are now releasing music that openly (and sometimes proudly) references pop aesthetics of the past and present. What does that mean for the culture and its traditions? Does the “underground” still exist? Does that term even make sense anymore? Did it ever? Is pop simply an aesthetic, or is it something more?
As usual, I had a lot of questions swirling around my head, and I’ve done my best to explore them in a long-form piece for the newsletter. For anyone who’s built their identity around independent and “underground” music, pop has long been a thorny issue, and I’m guessing that a lot of readers (especially the ones over 30) will relate to what I’m talking about.
To read the complete essay, please click here.
JUST ANNOUNCED
A round-up of noteworthy new and upcoming releases that were announced during the past week.
Keeping track of Shed and his dozens of aliases is basically an impossible task, but the veteran German producer has just today released a new techno-oriented 12”, Infinite / Scattered Blue, under the name DD 2 on his own The Final Experiment imprint.
John Talabot’s Hivern Discs label has unveiled a new sub-label, Pensaments Sònics (“Sonic Thoughts” in Catalan), which is said to be “born from the necessity to release albums from a sonic perspective.” The new imprint’s first offering will be Music for Melted Floors, an LP from Italian artist and Gang of Ducks co-founder Sabla. Ahead of its release on December 10, one track from the album, “Safe Journey,” has been shared.
Suso Sáiz, a pillar of Spanish ambient music, has completed a new full-length. Entitled Resonant Bodies, it’s slated for a January 24 release via Music from Memory, and previews of its tracks can be heard here.
Berlin label Vaagner, which recently issued music from Perila and Ulla, has lined up a new album from Turkish artist Ekin Fil, whose haunting, Grouper-esque music has previously been featured here in the newsletter. Her new LP is called Feelings, and it’s due to arrive on December 3. Ahead of that, a stream of one track, “Little One,” has already been shared.
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.
Giancarlo Toniutti La Mutazione (Broken Flag)
Hello. I wrote about Olivia Block recently, and so I was really charmed by this story about her that I came across whilst reading The Wire yesterday. During her 20s, she put an ad in the Chicago Reader to connect with other artists, and as she describes in the article, “I listed my influences, and I remember one was Giancarlo Toniutti, who was this weird Italian sound artist who was making these beautiful records, but they were very rare. So, Jim O’Rourke answered the ad, and I picked up the phone and he was like, ‘how do you know who this Giancarlo Toniutti is?’” So now I’m sharing some of his music here with you. His work is not as rare these days—Black Truffle reissued La Mutazione in 2015 (it was originally released in 1985)—but it’s still powerfully dark and foreboding music that is part kosmische and part industrial.
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 they 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 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
DJ Andy “Rise Up” (TempoSubs)
Jungle and drum & bass were born in the UK, but it’s long had a massive following in Brazil, with trailblazing artists like DJ Marky leading the charge. DJ Andy is someone who’s been around just as long; during the ’90s, he was one of Brazil’s prominent drum & bass DJs, he began dropping tunes of his own during the early 2000s, and “Rise Up,” a cut from his new EP The Truth, puts his decades of experience to excellent use. Simply put, it’s a banger, the sort of rumbling, klaxon-filled monster that’s seemingly designed to purposely make clubbers stop what they’re doing, turn towards the DJ booth, and say to themselves, “Holy shit. What the fuck is THIS?” Lots of jungle tunes go big, but “Rise Up” offers more than just air-raid sirens and wobbly crunch; it’s also got groove, as DJ Andy has built the whole thing atop a rolling bassline that purrs like a kitten but ultimately has the strength of a panther. It’s a formidable production, and ought to be played—loudly—as soon and as much as possible.
Internazionale “Birds of Paradise (feat. Mareld)” (Janushoved)
Internazionale “Stronger Together” (Janushoved)
Internazionale “Vestiges of Nature” (Janushoved)
Feeling hopeful and feeling melancholy are usually two very different emotions, but Vestiges of Nature, the latest cassette from Internazionale, brilliantly captures those moments when sadness and optimism converge. The music is meant to be heavy—the Copenhagen artist was literally inspired by “the reality of witnessing the acceleration of the sixth mass extinction”—but there’s still a sense of lightness to songs like “Birds of Paradise” and “Stronger Together,” which quietly (but persistently) twinkle beneath their shrouds of static.
At times, Internazionale occupies a space that’s similar to what someone like Holy Other is doing, but rather than cribbing from emotive R&B, his melodic sensibility appears to be rooted more in the work of artists like Tangerine Dream and the dreamy synth-pop that often soundtracked 1980s cinema. There’s a real tenderness to his songs, even as they portend a looming sense of doom. That balance does veer more towards the latter on the album’s title track, which starkly opens the LP with cascading sheets of groaning strings and woodwinds. It’s beautiful, and just as filmic as the songs that follow, but its brooding tone makes clear that Internazionale is contemplating something bigger than our average everyday worries.
Martinou “Thunder Road” (Nous’klaer)
Is “headphone techno” a genre? Perhaps it ought to be. It’s not that Rift, the debut album from Swedish artist Martinou, isn’t sturdy enough to keep a dancefloor moving; it’s just that he’s created something patient and finely detailed, a record that’s more likely to tickle the unconscious than rattle skulls. Listening to the LP, artists like Efdemin come to mind—his massively slept-on New Atlantis album in particular—but Martinou has an even stronger melodic sensibility. On “Thunder Road,” he overlays the song’s aquatic chug with the kind of sweeping, subtly triumphant pads that ’90s new age artists once put to good use. It’s cinematic, but never grandiose, ultimately existing as a sort of peaceful oasis that warmly invites listeners to wade in and relax a while.
BEST OF THE REST
Imaginary Softwoods “Asparatus Court Garden Loop” (Self-released)
First issued as a limited-edition release on the newly launched (and crypto-based) Nina platform, “Asparatus Court Garden Loop” has now found its way to Imaginary Softwoods’ Bandcamp page. The former Emeralds member is known for his astral synth adventures, but this tune offers something more serene, its gentle chimes and flickering melodies conjuring images of a pristine botanical garden.
Mess_Montage “The Garden of Earthly Lights” (Shimmering Moods)
Sticking to the idea of peaceful gardens, Mess_Montage’s new The Garden of Earthly Lights album was literally inspired by the Japanese concept of kachou fuugetsu, which refers to the act of finding oneself in nature. The entire record is an impressive exercise in calm, but the Berlin-based Georgian reaches a real high point on the LP’s softly fluttering title track, its warbling tones and emotive strings tenderly coalescing into a sort of quiet epic.
Emmanuel “Hope” (ARTS)
If you could take an old rave track and run it through the wash a few times, it might sound something like “Hope,” a slightly faded (but still quite stirring) standout from Emmanuel’s new Force of Nature album. With its bright, jagged-edged melodies leading the way, the track isn’t far off from the work of someone like Nathan Fake, but Emmanuel’s willingness to hold things back—just a bit—and never go too big gives the song a sense of wisened elegance.
Delphi “Silicone Emotion” (T&W)
It’s been a while since Delphi (a.k.a. Valerio Del Prete a.k.a. one half of Tiger & Woods) stepped out on his own, but the Roman artist suddenly has two new solo efforts, the Clutch Play EP on Skylax and the Unleashed Tapes Vol. 3 EP on T&W. “Silicone Emotion” kicks off the latter, and it’s a bouncy, Italo-flavored romp, its neon synths channeling all of the garish, Miami Vice-style glamour you’ll ever need.
Zaliva-D “End of the Sky (Skyshaker Fem4Fem Edition)” (SVBKVLT)
Remixing one artist is tough enough, but Skyshaker (f.k.a. Sky LaBeija) has reworked songs from 10 different SVBKVLT artists—with their permission—on the new Novox 10 collection. This “Fem4Fem Edition” of “End of the Sky” opens the record, and while it maintains the spooky vibe of Zaliva-D’s original, Skyshaker’s version moves the proceedings firmly onto the dancefloor, infusing the track with a steppy beat and a wiggly, muscular bassline that evokes the early days of grime.
Eversines “Digital Plant System” (De Lichting)
As much as dance music relies on structure and order, sometimes a bit of chaos is what makes a tune really pop. “Digital Plant System,” the lead track on Amsterdam producer Eversine’s new Solvation EP, is essentially a skippy techno cut with a few electro adornments, but it’s the vocals—which sound like the unintelligible mutterings of a malfunctioning android—that truly give the song its trippy allure.
Shinichiro Yokota “Detectors” (Sound of Vast)
Although he doesn’t get as much shine as his Far East Recordings co-founder Soichi Terada, Shinichiro Yokota is another one of Japan’s unsung house heroes. Like Terada, his music often has a twee, almost 8-bit quality, and “Detectors,” a playful highlight of the new Time Lapse EP, is a colorful gem that both clubbers and video game diehards will surely enjoy.
Kerrie “No Imitation” (Dark Machine Funk)
Producers these days have all sorts of digital trickery at their fingertips, and while that can occasionally be quite exciting, I have a real respect for artists who go the opposite direction, stripping their music down the the studs and simply letting it rip. “No Imitation” is the propulsive opening track on Kerrie’s new Inner Space PT2 EP, and it’s a feverishly pulsing, no-frills stormer that showcases the Manchester producer’s talent for grotty machine rhythms.
Dustin Zahn “Tangie Groove” (Rekids)
Dustin Zahn is one of those low-key techno heroes, the kind of guy who likely lives in his studio and prefers to let his music do the talking. The Midwestern native (who resides in Berlin) has been dropping solid records for nearly two decades, and “Tangie Groove” is a smokey highlight from his new Gain of Function LP. With its floaty melodies and sultry vocal clips, it’s got a definite late-night vibe, but the track’s sturdy kick is strong enough to keep the dancefloor bumping, no matter how late it is.
Scratchclart “Tapped” (DRMTRK)
Scratcha DVA isn’t looking for reviews—a point he made clear when I interviewed him earlier this year—but it’s hard not to celebrate his work when he keeps putting out tunes like “Tapped.” Like many of the inventive London artist’s recent productions, the track takes major cues from the wonky rhythms coming out of South Africa, but it’s also got its own unique strut, with pert strings and a chunky walking bassline driving the song’s compellingly seasick (but undeniably funky) groove.
S.Kid “Oasis” (Fabric)
Vince Rollin “Greed and Prejudice” (Fabric)
Given the prevalence of online mixes these days, official mix CDs make for an odd fit in today’s music ecosystem, but their continued existence in the digital era does have one major benefit: the individual tracks almost always get released in unmixed form, providing trainspotters with a chance to pick up some of the DJ’s most potent tunes. UK selector Sherelle’s new Fabric Presents mix is a thrilling ride through jungle, hardcore, techno and rave, and though S.Kid’s “Oasis” and Vince Rollin’s “Greed and Prejudice” both sound like thundering old-school classics, these rumblers actually first came out just last year. Jungle’s golden era may have happened nearly 30 years ago, but its rowdy spirit is clearly alive and well.
Diessa “Trans Femme Mecha Cult” (SZNS7N)
The lead track on Diessa’s new ASCII FANTASY EP, “Trans Femme Mecha Cult” wields bassweight like a sledgehammer, its sternum-crushing low-end paying homage to the wobbly traditions of classic dubstep. That said, it’s not just some DMZ rehash, as the Sheffield producer employs cracking snares and razor-sharp percussion, her robotic precision clearly primed for the dancefloors of the future.
Princess Diana of Wales “Still Beach” (A Colourful Storm)
Laila Sakini has never exactly been a high-gloss artist, but the London-based Australian explores a satisfyingly stark, lo-fi aesthetic with her Princess Diana of Wales moniker, occupying a space somewhere between woozy, Portishead-style trip-hop and the emotive slow burn of HTRK’s most recent LP. “Still Beach” is an obvious highlight of the new self-titled album, its persistent crackle and echoing warbles serving as a backdrop to Sakini’s soul-tugging vocal lament.
Marco Simioni feat. Banrat “Cognitive Distortion” (Mille Plateaux)
Many artists these days will rush to release a track as soon as it’s finished—and based on what I’ve heard on most Bandcamp Fridays, some producers aren’t even waiting that long—but Marco Simioni takes a more patient approach. His new Zeitgeist release with fellow Italian Mattia Saviolo is a collection of ambient music that dates back to 2012, but “Cognitive Distortion”—a dreamy tune he made alongside another Italian, Banrat—feels timeless, its bubbling rhythm and subdued neon glow wrapped in a plush blanket of noise and distortion.
Tobias. “The Mirror Blind” (Concentric)
A techno titan best known for his longtime affiliation with Ostgut Ton, Tobias. has taken a more cinematic route on Hall ov Fame, the first “strictly ambient” album of the German producer’s lengthy career. Inspired by a completely imaginary short film that exists only in his own head, the LP functions as a sort of claustrophobic movie score, as even melodic songs like “The Mirror Blind”—whose soaring vocal choirs have a sort of quasi-devotional feel—are shot through with tension and an impending sense that something is about to go terribly wrong.
And with that, we’ve arrived at the end of the newsletter. As always, 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.)
Have a good rest of the 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.