First Floor #115 – Unpacking Crypto Anxiety
a.k.a. Web3 trepidations, plus a round-up of the week's electronic music news and a bevy of great new tracks.
THE TROUBLE WITH “DON’T MISS OUT”
PLEASE NOTE: This article 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.
How do you feel about crypto? (Or Web3, if you prefer.)
Surveying the online discourse, it often feels like two distinct “pro” and “against” camps have formed, and unfortunately, their conflict has largely devolved into yet another culture war-style battle, with enthusiasts and critics routinely savaging each other’s morals, character and intelligence. At its worst, Web3 boosters are painted as greed-driven techies peddling utopia for a profit (and destroying the planet in the process), while their detractors tend to be dismissed as small-minded Chicken Littles who lack the vision to properly “get” what’s happening.
Where do I land in this debate? Having written a fair bit about crypto and its growing crossover with the music world (and having read a lot more), I feel… conflicted is probably the best word, and this week’s long-form First Floor piece digs into why. Here’s how I described the article on Twitter earlier this week.
I’m guessing that I’m not the only one who’s feeling torn about this stuff, and now that the article paywall has been (temporarily) lifted, anyone interested can give it a read here.
ANOTHER THING I’M DOING
Later today (8 p.m. CET / 2 p.m. EST), I’ll be taking part in a panel focused on “The State of Music Sharing,” a data-driven and survey-based whitepaper I authored last year for audio-sharing platform Byta. It’s part of a four-day online symposium called Rebooting the Music Mainframe: Ctrl+Alt+Del, which has been organized by Byta in tandem with Canadian music festival Sled Island. There’s no cost to attend, and both a registration link and a full rundown of the remaining panels can be found here.
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.
If you read only one article this week, make it this powerful Adlan Jackson piece for Study Hall. He takes a sobering look at segregation within music journalism, and highlights the decades-long marginalization of Black writers, even for press coverage devoted to predominantly and historically Black music.
Electronic music artist RAC has long been one of crypto’s most emphatic boosters in the music space, and while I don’t always agree with his assertions—some of his tweets are linked to in my crypto article as examples of arguments that are unlikely to convince skeptics—he does have a knack for explaining his optimism in plain English without sounding overly evangelical. In this Twitter thread from last week, he lays out how his Web3 advocacy is motivated by a desire to make music—a notoriously volatile (and structurally unsupported) field—more economically sustainable, while another thread from earlier this month addresses many of the most common critiques thrown at NFTs.
Last week’s newsletter included my rave review of Fairfax, a newly reissued album by experimental artist Nate Scheible, and the Ohio-based musician has now been profiled by Sam Davies for Bandcamp Daily. (And though I missed it when it first dropped earlier this month, he was also recently interviewed by Neil Kulkarni for The Quietus’ Reissue of the Week series.)
Humor is often absent from electronic music commentary these days, which made Harold Heath’s snark-filled summary of dance music in 2021—which he wrote for 5Mag—a refreshingly enjoyable read.
Marine Snow, a new, curation-centric music discovery / streaming platform spearheaded by former Spotify employee Tony Lashley—who discussed his work with Mat Dryhurst and Holly Herndon on their Interdependence podcast last year—has now launched in beta.
For all of the love thrown at Bandcamp, complaints about the platform’s user interface and functionality have grown louder over the past year or so. Perhaps that’s why the company made a point to loudly announce the new queueing feature on its mobile app, which will finally allow users to listen to multiple albums and tracks in their collections without interruption.
ADULT. have a new album dropping later this month, and the veteran Detroit electro / goth / punk duo entertainingly surveyed their back catalogue while talking to Dustin Krcatovich for The Quietus.
Brazilian artist and researcher KENYA20HZ has put together a ten-track history of Rio funk (a genre often referred to in North America and Europe as baile funk) for Resident Advisor, tracing the music’s evolution across several decades.
Speaking of genre primers, Shiba Melissa Mazaza has put together a list of the “most exciting” South African amapiano producers for DJ Mag.
Loraine James is the subject of a new Philip Sherburne-penned profile / interview for Pitchfork, in which the UK artist sheds some light on her new Whatever the Weather alias and discusses how both IDM and Midwestern emo have influenced her work.
Mumdance has been largely absent from the electronic music world during the past few years, and last week it became clear why, as the UK producer published a heartfelt statement explaining that he’d previously gone into recovery and was now three years sober. He also shared the news that he’d created an exhaustive online archive of his work, which includes more than 300 hours of DJ mixes he’s done over the years.
This has been out for more than a month already, but I finally got around to the Chris Liebing episode of Vivian Host’s Rave to the Grave podcast. Even if you’re not a big fan of the German techno giant, he tells some great stories and provides some real insights into what the Frankfurt club scene was like during the ’90s (i.e. before Berlin completely took over).
Negroni Nails is a collaboration between Steffi and Privacy, and the two got together with Ransom Note for a wide-ranging conversation that focuses heavily on gear and production, but also explores Steffi’s life in the Portuguese countryside—including her newfound love of vegetable gardening.
South Korean ambient duo Salamanda, whose Sphere LP was one of last year’s colorful delights, have been profiled by Michelle Hyun Kim for Crack magazine.
Rising shipping costs have become a growing pain point within independent music circles, and a new article by Hal Singer and Ted Tatos—which, to be fair, isn’t specifically focused on music and is also very dense—suggests why, digging into Amazon’s relationship with the US Postal Service and highlighting how the sweetheart deal it’s been given has resulted in prices being raised on small- and medium-sized businesses (e.g. indie labels, shops, etc.).
JUST ANNOUNCED
A round-up of noteworthy new and upcoming releases that were announced during the past week.
With relatively little fanfare, John Roberts released a couple of singles in recent weeks, and now the LA-based artist (and former Dial affiliate) has dropped a new full-length album. Entitled Wrecked Exotic, it’s available now through his own Brunette Editions imprint.
Foam and Sand, which started as an anonymous project but was later revealed to be the ambient-leaning alias of Robot Koch, is temporarily offering the newly reissued Full Circle album as a name-your price download on Bandcamp. Also on offer is Full Circle Reworks, a new collection that includes remixes from Slow Meadow, Julien Marchal, Midori Hirano and a number of other artists.
It’s been a few years since Henning Baer dropped new music, but the Berlin techno artist will soon release a new EP, Sui Generis, via the Pinkman label. The record is slated to arrive on March 11, but two of its tracks have already been made available here.
Four years removed from her debut album Beacon, Montreal synth-pop artist Tess Roby has announced that a new LP called Ideas of Space will be released via her own SSURROUNDSS label on April 22. Ahead of that, she’s already shared the album’s dreamy, somewhat Enya-esque title track, along with the song’s appropriately epic video.
NEW THIS WEEK
The following is a selection of my favorite tunes from releases 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
Natasha Bai “Romantiko” (Ransom Note)
“Romantiko” sounds like something a Dutch electro producer might make after gorging on ’80s teen movies for a few days, but Natasha Bai actually hails from Russia, and the song opens her new Transsib EP. (The record’s title is a reference to the famed Trans-Siberan Railway, as her hometown of Novosibirsk is a 50-hour train ride from Moscow, where she currently lives.) Full of shiny synths and melodic whimsy, there’s a distinct pop sensibility at work—which is perhaps a carryover from Bai’s more vocally oriented work as Altai Princess—but the song’s joyous bounce offers a clear nod to the dancefloor, and it’s bolstered by an optimistic spirit that’s potent enough to brighten even the grumpiest of moods.
Zvrra “Sleep” (Self-released)
Zvrra “Raven” (Self-released)
Fresh off last year’s excellent Bizarro LP (not to mention her impressive Array of Light EP), Chicago producer Zvrra has decided to kick off 2022 by diving into her past with ORIGINS, a 13-track homage to the “very beginnings of witch house and dark electronic music in the early Myspace era.” Witch house is one of those genres that always felt like a bit of a joke, even while it was happening, and so much of the music was essentially ultra-stylized pastiche, but Zvrra delivers something substantial here, even as she revels in nostalgia. With its snapping hi-hats, nightmarishly pitched-down vocals and ominously crunchy textures, “Sleep” sounds like a long-lost SALEM cut, while “Raven” takes a more melodic path, layering syrupy R&B vocal snippets and dramatic synth swells atop some seriously oozy bass.
Francesca Heart “L'Inno delle Oceanine alla Bellezza e alla Fortuna” (Leaving)
“L'Inno delle Oceanine alla Bellezza e alla Fortuna” (translation: “The Ocean Hymn to Beauty and Fortune”) is a glittering underwater kaleidoscope from Italian artist Francesca Heart. Released as a standalone single, it’s apparently the first taste of a forthcoming album called Eurybia, and though no additional details have been shared about the LP, the song itself is gorgeous, its bubbling chimes shimmering like sunlight on the ocean surface. There’s an obvious new age influence at work, but while much of that genre exudes a woozy sense of calm, Heart’s approach here is fuller—maximalist even—her music blooming with life as the song’s vibraphone-like melodies frolic with youthful abandon.
BEST OF THE REST
Aleksi Perälä “FI3AC2264030” (AP Musik)
I scan through all of Aleksi Perälä’s releases so that you don’t have to. The Finnish producer and colundi maestro tests even his most ardent fans’ patience with his absurdly prolific nature, but he also continues to drop gems like “FI3AC2264030,” a dreamily sparkling, chime-driven standout from the new CYCLES 5 龍.
Wil Layne “VTEC” (Mechanical)
It’s not clear if the name Wil Layne is supposed to be a cheeky flip of Lil Wayne—I thought artists had stopped doing that sort of thing—but this car-obsessed producer out of Los Angeles has struck gold with “VTEC,” a surging, techno-ish track with a confident strut and a wistful pop heart.
Fear-E “I’ve Got Nothing Left (feat. DAIYE)” (Posh End)
Scottish producer Fear-E has always had a talent for dancefloor slappers, and “I’ve Got Nothing Left”—a collaboration with fellow Glaswegian DAIYE (a.k.a. Dave Shades) off the A New Era EP—is a perky, acid-licked cut that taps into the high-stepping spirit of classic Dance Mania.
Marcela Dias Sindaco “O Que Não Existia” (Fixed Rhythms)
Marcela Dias Sindaco hails from Brazil, but the electro-funk wiggle of “O Que Não Existia”—which opens her new Rio de Janeiro 3025 EP—sounds like something that could have been created in 1980s Detroit. That said, not many tracks from the Motor City incorporate Portuguese-language vocals, and Sindaco’s cool delivery absolutely lends the track some additional flavor.
1-800 GIRLS “Start Over” (Shall Not Fade)
Combine Overmono’s rave throwbacks with the rubbery, pogo-like synths favored by the PC Music gang, and you’ll likely wind up with something close to 1-800 GIRLS’ “Start Over,” an ecstatic, hook-filled highlight of the London producer’s new When U Call EP.
Fort Romeau “Untitled IV” (Ghostly International)
Seven years removed from his last album, celebrated UK producer Fort Romeau—who, in fairness, has dropped a bunch of great EPs in the interim—has just returned with a new LP called Beings of Light, and “Untitled IV” opens the record on a particularly dreamy (albeit still dancefloor-ready) note, elegantly weaving a procession of finely chopped vocal clips into a lush melodic tapestry. (Side note: For those curious about his set-up and production methods, Fort Romeau has shed some light on the topic in a new Stamp the Wax interview with Rosie Cain.)
Iro Aka “Fukushia” (Self-released)
True to their Mediterranean roots, Barcelona duo Iro Aka prefer relaxed rhythms to hard-hitting bangers, and “Fukushia”—the slow-burning closer of their new Ametrine Horizon EP—is a celestial, prog-tinged number that evokes images of epic sunsets and the Catalan coastline.
Lucy “Lucy - Wanton Witch 4 - 5 (Lament Ceremony - Looping Projection Of You)” (Stroboscopic Artefacts)
Stroboscopic Artefacts has long existed on techno’s experimental fringe, but the Berlin outpost has recently pushed even further afield. On Lucy Plays Wanton Witch, the industrial crunch of the Malaysian artist’s 2021 album is maintained, but label founder Lucy also strips back the chaos, with occasionally glorious results. This static-glazed rework of both “Lament Ceremony” and “Looping Projection of You” has a notably dramatic arc, barreling towards catharsis over the course of five emotionally intense minutes.
Suso Sáiz x Menhir “Alike” (Spirituals)
No stranger to minimalist soundscapes, Spanish ambient artist Suso Sáiz has teamed up with Madrid duo Menhir on the collaborative Just Before Silence album, and the expansive “Alike,” a wafting suite of gentle pads, softly strummed guitars, warbling syths and pensively emotive vocals, is the record’s quietly rapturous centerpiece.
Trentemøller “Veil of White” (In My Room)
Trentemøller “No More Kissing in the Rain” (In My Room)
Trentemøller has always been difficult to pin down, moving between various strains of (relatively minimal) house and techno while also folding in elements of shoegaze, dream pop and the dour corners of new wave. On his new Memoria LP, the Danish veteran embraces those latter styles more strongly than ever before, particularly on opening track “Veil of White,” which splits the difference between Beach House and distortion-loving ’90s outfits like Chapterhouse. “No More Kissing in the Rain” exists in a similar space, but goes a bit bigger, swaddling its breathy indie-pop vocal in swooning, M83-style synths and a warm blanket of distortion.
That brings us to the end of today’s newsletter. Thank you so much for reading First Floor, and as always, 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.