First Floor #112 – Back to Life
a.k.a. An interview with Huerco S., plus a round-up of the week's electronic music news and new releases.
THE RETURN OF HUERCO S.
PLEASE NOTE: This interview was originally published on Tuesday and made available to paid newsletter 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.
Not many electronic musicians can make it through two separate hype cycles with their credibility (not to mention their sanity) intact, but Huerco S. (a.k.a. Brian Leeds) isn’t the average artist. During the early 2010s, some of his earliest releases were lumped in with the “outsider house” trend, and when he dropped the widely acclaimed For Those of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have) LP in 2016, he was immediately held up as one of the leading lights of ambient music’s so-called “revival.”
Almost six years later, Leeds is finally returning to the Huerco S. moniker with Plonk, a highly anticipated new full-length that’s scheduled to drop next month. Ahead of that, I phoned him up for an interview, during which we discussed the new LP (and why it took so long to arrive), but also touched on the pandemic, what drives his West Mineral Ltd. label, the meaning of “plonk,” audience expectations and two of his biggest inspirations: rap music and cars.
To read the complete interview, please click here.
ANOTHER THING I WROTE
Is DJing and making tracks no longer enough? Has the pandemic forever altered what it means to be an artist? Have any of those new things people tried during lockdown (e.g. livestreaming, subscription services, expanded merch offerings, etc.) actually translated into viable income streams? In a new article for The Bridge (a.k.a. Pioneer DJ’s editorial arm), I wrestle with these questions while speaking with folks like Martyn, Eluize and Elijah, along with representatives from LuckyMe, Shall Not Fade and Triple Threat Mgmt, about the increasingly hyphenated existence that most artists are already facing, and how it will affect their work in the years to come.
REAL QUICK
A round-up of of the last few weeks’ most interesting electronic music news, plus links to interviews, mixes, articles and other things I think are worth sharing.
Daft Punk’s debut album Homework officially turned 25 last week, and writer Gabriel Szatan—who I interviewed a few months back about his forthcoming book on the French duo—marked the occasion with a new feature for DJ Mag highlighting several of the “Teachers” that influenced the group, including Armando, George Clinton, DJ Deeon, Mike Dearborn and others.
Much to the dismay of my inbox, Bandcamp announced that Bandcamp Fridays will return next month, saying that the platform will once again forego its usual 10 to 15% fees on February 4, March 4, April 1 and May 6. Although the news has mostly been greeted positively by artists (and even moreso by the media), it’s interesting that critiques of the initiative do seem to be growing in number and volume, as evidenced by these tweets from artists Khotin and 36. (To his credit, Elijah was raising many of these issues last August, and reiterated them again this week.) For my part, I did broach the subject in my interviews with some of Bandcamp’s leadership a few months ago, but at least for now, the company appears unmoved by claims that Bandcamp Friday may not be as helpful as it might seem, particularly for lesser known artists.
Last week I linked to an article from writer Ted Gioia’s Honest Broker newsletter that asked, “Is Old Music Killing New Music?,” and the piece has subsequently caught fire, even being republished in The Atlantic. It’s prompted numerous discussions about the fate of new music, and what its (supposedly) dwindling influence means for the wider music industry. In a genre like electronic music, which prides itself on innovation, some might perceive this shift as potentially disastrous, but journalist Ray Philp intriguingly pushed back on that idea in his Pitchfork review of Soichi Terada’s new Asakusa Light album, citing the Japanese artist as someone who’s benefitted from a renewed focus on the music of the past.
Holy Other, whose 2021 album Lieve was his first release in a decade, has delivered the latest edition of Crack magazine’s Sunday Mix series. (And in case you missed it, I did interview the notoriously shy UK artist back in October.)
As cookie-cutter as most “hot new artist” profiles tend to be, they often contain nuggets of information that couldn’t be found elsewhere. For instance, while reading Chandler Shortlidge’s new feature on D.Dan for Beatportal, I was delighted to discover that the Berlin-based techno upstart previously went by the name Fugal, and was affiliated with the secondnature collective in North America’s Pacific Northwest. (Maybe it’s just me, but those early Fugal records were excellent, which makes me think that his output as D.Dan—which has mostly been released via the Lobster Theremin label—is worth another look.)
This item isn’t technically related to music, but it is relevant for anyone interested in cultural critique. One of my favorite television writers, Tim Goodman, has launched a new Substack called the Bastard Machine, and his first newsletter discusses how the sheer volume of content being produced these days necessitates a shift in how critics engage with artist’s work, arguing that they ought to move away from simply reviewing everything and instead embrace a more curatorial function. Sound familiar, music fans?
The latest chapter of DJ Mag’s label-centric The Sound of series spotlights the unorthodox story of Bristol dub / dancehall outpost Bokeh Versions. The piece includes extensive quotes from label founder Miles Opland, along with an exclusive mix from BKV Industrial and Giant Swan's Robin Stewart that consists of 100% Bokeh Versions material.
JUST ANNOUNCED
A round-up of noteworthy new and upcoming releases that were announced during the past week.
Is Mosca ever going to release an album? The English producer has been hearing that question for more than a decade, and he’s now finally able to say “yes.” Entitled Mould on Velvet and mainly focused on what he describes as “home-listening stuff,” the LP will be released—in pieces—via his own Rent imprint, with several singles dropping before the full-length is issued as a “long, mixed whole.” A full timeline for those releases hasn’t been shared, but the album’s first single, “You Won’t Stop in Time,” is available now.
Leon Vynehall has been tapped for the next edition of the Fabric Presents mix / compilation series, which is due to arrive on March 25. The full tracklist can be seen here, and the genre-hopping selections include exclusives from Skee Mask, Or:la, Gaunt, Avon Blume and Ehua, along with “Sugar Slip (The Lick),” a brand-new tune from Vynehall himself that’s already been shared.
Courtesy has announced her debut EP. The Berlin-based artist, who sprung out of Copenhagen’s “fast techno” scene and then helped to normalize trance in “underground” circles, has delved into what she describes as “ambient trance” on the record. Slated for a March 25 release via her own Kulør label, it’s called Night Journeys, as the music is rooted in the synth explorations she embarked on while dealing with bouts of anxiety-induced insomnia during lockdown. One track from the EP, “Night Journeys II,” has already been shared. (And speaking of Kulør, tomorrow the imprint is set to release its first book, Leben, from photographer Daniel Hjorth.)
Fennec is someone who’s been featured quite a bit in the newsletter, but the sample-loving American house producer is often criminally overlooked elsewhere, despite the fact that his 2020 LP Free Us of This Feeling was easily one of that year’s best albums. Now he’s readied the official follow-up, A Couple of Good Days, which he’ll be self-releasing on March 11. All of the details are here, and while no full tracks have been shared just yet, Fennec did post a commercial of sorts that includes snippets of the new record.
How long until an electroclash revival kicks in? Perhaps it’ll be kickstarted by the news that Miss Kittin (who now simply goes by Kittin) has re-teamed with The Hacker for a new collaborative full-length, which they’re simply calling Third Album. (The fact that their celebrated First Album came out more than 20 years ago makes me feel very old.) The LP is due to arrive on March 25 through the Nobody’s Bizzness label, but ahead of that, the French pair has offered up first single “Ostbanhof,” along with a video for the track.
NEW THIS WEEK
The following is a selection of my favorite tunes that came out during the last 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 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 Python “Angel” (Incienso)
DJ Python “TMMD (IMMMD)” (Incienso)
Quite possibly the only artist that reggaetoneros and deep house heads can agree on, DJ Python continues to delight just about everyone who comes across his dreamy dembow rhythms. Club Sentimientos Vol 2 is the NYC producer’s latest release, and it opens on a pillowy high note with “Angel,” an intensely chill (albeit still percussive) number that luxuriates across nearly 11 minutes of softly glowing bliss. “TMMD (IMMMD)” hits a little harder, but its steppy strut never overwhelms the track’s pastel melodies and sticky vocal fragments. Both tracks are top-shelf productions from an artist whose ceiling seems limitless. What’s next from DJ Python? An underground reggaeton smash? A collab with Larry Heard? Something pop that crashes into the Top 40? Any of those scenarios seem possible, and that’s what makes him such a compelling figure.
Kush Jones “Ask and Receive” (HAUS of ALTR)
It’s not easy to make a flute sound funky, but Kush Jones does just that on “Ask and Receive,” the confidently cool opener of his new HOA019 EP. With its rubbery bassline and fluttering melodies, the track has an enticing bounce and a real sense of swing, and it’s also housier than many of the Bronx producer’s prior releases, tapping into the same sort of laid-back vibe that made his NYC forefather Ben Cenac (a.k.a. one half of the seminal Dream 2 Science project) such a force during the early ’90s. Jones has released a torrent of music over the past few years, and while high-tempo genres like footwork and jungle continue to be his primary calling card, songs like “Ask and Receive” make clear that his talents will shine through at any bpm.
tape_hiss “La Tirimbina” (Echocentric)
tape_hiss “Fever Dream (I Thought I Saw You)” (Echocentric)
It’s been a strong week for NYC releases, and while tape_hiss hasn’t been showered with as many accolades as some of his Big Apple compatriots, his new Fever Dream EP makes a strong case that the Brooklyn producer belongs in the city’s top tier of electronic artists. Borrowing liberally from ’90s Italian dream house, the sound palette is undeniably retro, but songs like “La Tirimbina” and “Fever Dream (I Thought I Saw You)” are alluringly plush all the same, conjuring images of verdant gardens and picture-perfect sunsets as they scatter soft pianos and soft-focus synths atop sneakily sturdy dancefloor rhythms. It’s gorgeous stuff, as suitable for an afternoon by the pool as it is a hazy late-night dancefloor.
BEST OF THE REST
Lucy Gooch “My Lights Kiss Your Thoughts Every Moment” (Fire)
First released in 2020, UK artist Lucy Gooch’s Rushing EP has now been reissued in a new expanded edition, and while opening cut “My Lights Kiss Your Thoughts Every Moment” isn’t one of the record’s previously unreleased goodies, it still sounds fantastic, its dramatic tones and vocal acrobatics inviting (favorable) comparisons to Björk’s first few albums.
Seba “Public Beauty” (Secret Operations)
Dividens “Paradox” (Pure Space)
There’s no shortage of jungle and drum & bass these days, and while that glut sometimes verges on overload, there are still gems to be plucked from the onslaught of new releases. “Public Beauty” is a soaring, diva-driven standout from Ingaro, the first new LP that Swedish veteran Seba has offered up in nearly a decade. Even with its hooky pop sheen, the track still has a potent low-end rumble, though it can’t quite match up with Dividens’ “Paradox” when it comes to sheer menace. Leaning into the dark, sci-fi stylings of tech-step while thankfully showing some restraint—it’s more of a brooder than a slapper—the song can be found on Proximity II, a sprawling new compilation from Australian imprint Pure Space that also features tunes from Pugilist, Reptant, Moktar and many others, including label founder Andy Garvey.
Boy Harsher “Tower” (Nude Club)
The opening track from The Runner—the new Boy Harsher album that doubles as a soundtrack to the group’s horror film of the same name—“Tower” not surprisingly has a somewhat cinematic bent, but it also finds the Massachusetts duo in a more patient mode than usual, channeling the spirit of Siouxsie and the Banshees as they seductively slither away from the dancefloor and explore the gothier end of the synth-pop spectrum.
Pablo Bozzi “GoldenEye” (Dischi Autunno)
Although the song’s title is likely a reference to the 1995 James Bond film (or maybe the legendary Nintendo 64 game that arrived two years later), “GoldenEye” sounds more like a tribute to the glitz and glamour of ’80s Italo. Opening up Pablo Bozzi’s new Ghost of Chance EP, the track has been beefed up for modern soundsystems, but its glittering neon and dramatic swells are full of vintage camp, making for something that wouldn’t be out of place a Las Vegas stage show—if that show had been scored by Giorgio Moroder.
System 01 “Paralysed Force” (Mannequin)
A collaboration between Australian producer / bassist Johnny Klimek and UK artist Paul Browse (a founding member of industrial outfit Clock DVA), System 01 took shape in Berlin during the early ’90s, quickly sliding into the city’s nascent techno scene and eventually landing on Tresor. Although the group was only active for a few years, much of their output has now been compiled on the new System 01 1990-1994 collection, and the corroded (albeit funky) chug of “Paralysed Force” is an energizingly fun reminder of what industrial- and EBM-influenced techno sounded like before the genre became so damn serious.
Feel Fly “Cosmo Cosmo” (Internasjonal)
Bright, effervescent and unashamedly pulling from the sparkling sounds of ’90s progressive house, “Cosmo Cosmo” borders on silliness, but there’s something undeniably life affirming about the title track of Italian producer Feel Fly’s latest EP. Plenty of dance cuts have a certain pop shine, but this tune is absolutely gleaming, its lively bounce charting a carefree course through a rainbow-streaked skyline.
Guy Contact “Doors of Perception” (Craigie Knowes)
Roza Terenzi & jd “Memories of the Secret” (Step Ball Chain)
The forest-rave vibes run strong down in Australia. Just a few months removed from his widely slept-on Drinking from the Mirage album, Guy Contact has returned with the Ultraviolet Freqs EP, a four pack of equally trippy dancefloor excursions. Opening cut”Doors of Perception” is as psychedelic as its title implies, and ultimately sounds like a long-lost collaboration between The Orb and John Digweed from 1997. “Memories of a Secret,” a standout from Rozi Terenzi & jd’s collaborative Third Nature EP takes a similarly astral approach, with the Aussie pair weaving cosmic flourishes into a galloping bit of progressive house. DJs ought to keep these tunes handy—they’ll both be perfect for your next full-moon party.
Barnt “Fan” (Kompakt)
Words like idiosyncratic are often assigned to Barnt, but even though the German artist has never been someone who neatly fits into any sort of stylistic box, “Fan”—the closing cut on his new ProMetal Fan Decor Only EP—displays a genuinely surprising flair for the dramatic. With its fuzzy, low-end hum and downtrodden synth tendrils, it’s more of a lament than anything else, yet there’s some real beauty in the song’s flickering melodies and open-hearted sadness.
BSS “Westerpark” (Dekmantel)
Formerly a duo devoted to melodic house music, Amsterdam’s Beesmunt Soundsystem has now lost a member, shortened its name to BSS and changed up its sound, embracing a moodier, more spacious aesthetic on the new Suikerplein EP. “Westerpark” is the first track on record, and it immediately shows little interest in the dancefloor, opting instead for weighty, drawn-out melodies, thick waves of bass and a confidently low-key, almost trip-hop beat. Impeccably crafted and disarmingly patient (without ever feeling sleepy), it’s a promising opening statement from this newly retooled project.
Maria Moles “Distant Hills” (Room40)
The closing number of the new For Leolanda LP—which Australian artist Maria Moles recorded during lockdown and has dedicated to her mother—“Distant Hills” is essentially a series of resonant melodic tones. Performed with a kulintang—a Southeast Asian instrument that consists of a procession of horizontally laid gongs—the track is relatively sparse, but that only enhances the music’s poignancy, its gentle chimes rippling across the horizon and warmly bringing listeners along for the ride.
Biosphere “Interval Signal” (Biophon)
There’s no official pantheon of ambient music, but if such a thing did exist, Biosphere would certainly have a place in it. Twenty-five years have passed since his Substrata LP became a pillar of the genre, but the Norwegian producer is still at it, having just released Shortwave Memories, a new full-length that he says is indebted to the work of late-’70s / early-’80s post-punk giants like Martin Hannett and Daniel Miller. That influence isn’t always easy to detect—album highlight “Interval Signal” certainly doesn’t sound like “Warm Leatherette” or the second coming of Joy Division—but there’s still something entrancing about its slow-brewing arc, with swelling strings and soft acid gurgles gradually building into a deliberate (albeit measured) gait.
That brings us to the end of today’s newsletter. Thank you so much for reading First Floor, and I do hope that 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.)
Enjoy the rest of your week,
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.