First Floor #134 – Hello Again (Part 2)
a.k.a. Playing catch-up with a giant batch of new track recommendations.
HELLO AGAIN
As you may remember, I took a little break at the beginning of July, which is why today’s newsletter doesn’t have a link to the usual essay or interview. Don’t worry, the long-form pieces will resume next week, but in the meantime, so many things have happened during the past two weeks!
Simply put, there’s just too much stuff for me to fit it all into a single newsletter, which is why today’s First Floor is a special double edition. Part one was solely focused on electronic music news and new release announcements, while this second part contains an extra-large dose of new track recommendations.
There’s a lot to catch up on, so let’s dive in.
NEW THIS WEEK
The following is a selection of my favorite tunes from releases that came out during the past two weeks 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
Caterina Barbieri “At Your Gamut” (light-years)
Spirit Exit, the latest full-length from Caterina Barbieri, may ultimately be remembered as the first album on which the Italian synthesist prominently featured her own voice. It’s a risky proposition—and one that has tripped up many electronic musicians over the years—but Barbieri thrives on the mic, her (frequently processed and time-stretched) pipes taking on the same sort of dazzling sheen that colors her signature synth manipulations. Still, modular wizardry remains the foundation of her work, and majestic LP opener “At Your Gamut”—a song that contains very little of Barbieri’s voice—stands as a powerful elevation of her craft, its gleaming synths and shining arpeggios blinking into existence and elegantly cascading toward the heavens.
“Celestial grandeur” isn’t a descriptor that most artists could wear comfortably, but Barbieri slides right into it, and impressively does so without losing her sense of emotional intimacy. On Spirit Exit, her tunes are bigger than ever, but her core melodic sensibilities—which echo ’70s synth explorations, ’90s trance and numerous points in between—remain reliably uncomplicated and irrefutably human, her glittering tones full of life-affirming wonder. It’s wonderfully potent stuff, and goes a long way towards explaining why Barbieri, at least in certain corners, has become one of modern electronic music’s most celebrated artists.
Deepchild “Fathersong (First Transfiguration)” (Mille Plateaux)
Over the course of the past two decades, Deepchild’s music has often trended toward techno, but on his introspective new Fathersong LP, the Australian producer operates far away from the dancefloor. Designed as an homage to his late father (who struggled with dementia and eventually passed away in an aged-care facility, “behind a security door, in the midst of a pandemic he couldn’t begin to fathom”), the album is practically dripping with grief. At the same time, its contents feels more empathetic than morose; rather than merely meditating on his father’s death, Deepchild appears more interested in imagining the man’s disoriented final days, peppering the LP with moments of confusion and the unique pain that comes with not being able to properly comprehend the world around you.
Those moments—which include the haunted (and not-quite-human) vocalizations strewn across album standout “Fathersong (First Transfiguration)”—do make for a somber listening experience, but the LP isn’t without beauty. The very same track is built around an array of gracefully fluttering synths, and while they don’t quite light up the darkness (and aren’t meant to), they do convey an almost palpable sense of warmth and fond remembrance for those we’ve lost, particularly during the past two years.
Madeleine Cocolas “The Sound Between” (Room40)
In the run-up to her Spectral album (which drops tomorrow), ambient composer Madeleine Cocolas has offered up a pair of teaser EPs, each one populated with additional cuts that won’t appear on the new full-length. “The Sound Between,” which appears on the new Northern Storm EP, is an immersive, 11-minute-long journey through featherlight drone, soft static, subtly spooky sonics and, most importantly, alluring layers of the Australian artist’s own voice.
Patience is absolutely required, as the song pushes the idea of the “slow burn” to its limits—and even after it properly gets going, the track smolders more than it burns—but “The Sound Between” is undeniably hypnotic. Moreover, it’s both creepy and beautiful, and regardless or whether Cocolas set out to create a comforting lullaby or a harbinger of impending doom, the duality of her work is quite possibly what makes for such a compelling listen.
BEST OF THE REST
Jamal Dixon “The Cause (Disruptive Pattern Material Remix)” (FatCat)
The original version of “The Cause” is a sturdy, acid-laced techno cut, but in the hands of Disruptive Pattern Material, the title track of Jamal Dixon’s latest EP takes on an eerie character, stalking its way across the dancefloor with freaky, sci-fi synths that wouldn’t be out of place in an ’80s horror flick.
Huey Mnemonic “Black Manta Corps” (Subsonic Ebonics)
The new State of Emergency EP is meant to showcase the talents of both D. Strange and Huey Mnemonic—both producers contribute two solo tracks apiece, although the release is credited to Strange & Huey—but it’s the latter who shines brightest, with “Black Manta Corps” further solidifying his status as one of Detroit’s most promising young talents. Bearing traces of Drexciya, Afrika Bambaataa and old-school arcade games, it’s a cracking, synth-driven romp, and unlike many of its modern electro counterparts, the tune never forgets to bring the funk.
Cocktail Party Effect “58bethe7” (Sneaker Social Club)
For all of its boundary-breaking fervor and rhetoric, bass music in 2022 does often tend to be a rather polite affair, which is what makes “58bethe7”—a rowdy standout from Cocktail Party Effect’s new Racka EP—so refreshing. Built atop jagged waves of bass, the track swings hard and hits harder, shoving unprepared ravers out of the way and rumbling their guts in the process.
Quaid “Infinity Mode” (Apron)
Specifically channeling Total Recall, Running Man, Robocop and other vintage bits of sci-fi from the late ’80s and early ’90s, Quaid’s new The Algorithm Don't Like My Freek album is a neon-streaked electro-funk expedition, and the cooly strutting LP highlight “Infinity Mode” sounds like Dam-Funk taking a stab at the Tron soundtrack.
Karen Lee Gwyer “Sucreries Meridionales” (Joko Bomp)
Even at her most functional, Karen Gwyer has never been an artist who delivers straightforward house and techno, and on her new L'Envie de Driver EP—the first offering from her new Joko Bomp imprint—she often abandons the dancefloor altogether. The record veers is a few different directions, but Gwyer hits paydirt with the crunchy synth tendrils of “Sucreries Meridionales,” an ’80s-referencing tune that could have been salvaged from a movie where earnest teens save the world from aliens and / or the Soviet Union.
Forest Drive West “Greed” (Ilian Tape)
Although he’s best known as a master of the dub-infused slow burn, Forest Drive West brings the ruckus on “Greed.” A highlight of his new Creeper EP, it’s a moody, hard-slapping jungle cut that brings to mind the work of fellow UK producer Sully.
New Frames “Distant Fire” (BITE)
Taken from New Frames’ Ashes EP, “Distant Fire” initially sounds like a run-of-the-mill techno stomper, but thankfully the word “dour” doesn’t seem to be a part of the German duo’s vocabulary. The track still bangs of course, but rather than indulging in greyscale brooding, it taps into the unpolished sonics and unfettered euphoria of ’90s rave, employing candy-coated synth stabs that gleefully bop across the dancefloor.
Theo Kottis “Night Walk (Extended Version)” (Permanent Vacation)
“Night Walk” is technically a house track, but with its neon flash and moody piano riffs, the song—a highlight of Theo Kottis’ new On Your Mind EP—fondly recalls ’80s synth-pop and Italo, its melodies gleaming like a Ferrari on a moonlit, late-night cruise through the sleeping city.
François Robin & Mathias Delplanque “Dans l'ombre” (Parenthèses)
Bagpipes are usually associated with Scotland, but there’s also a French variant of the instrument, the veuze, which François Robin has been experimenting with for the past 15 years. On L'ombre de la bête—a collaboration with fellow Frenchman (and avid synth explorer) Mathias Delplanque—bagpipes remain at the center of the action, though they’ve been completely recontextualized, with standout cuts like the intense “Dans l’ombre” sounding more like a explosive krautrock freakout than the traditional bleats one might hear in the Highlands.
Rhomb “Dobry Ranok” (Mechanical)
During the early 2000s, a particularly lush strain of downtempo electronic music was all the rage, with acts like FC Kahuna creating hazy tunes that were relaxed enough for chillout compilations, but also constructed enough to not put folks to sleep or scare off the normies. Rhomb—a Ukranian producer who also goes by the name Yan Cook—revives that sound on “Dobry Ranok,” a post-trip-hop gem whose relaxed beats and woozy melodies are deeply soothing.
Gesloten Cirkel “pkbday” (Turbo)
There’s no shortage of electro producers these days, but the mysterious Gesloten Cirkel continues to run laps around the competition, with tracks like “pkbday”—taken from his new Detoon EP—employing epic synth riffs that occasionally sound like an oddly symphonic dentist’s drill and at other times sound like a Van Halen guitar solo choreographed by Jean-Michel Jarre.
Vyvyan “Kali Va” (Me Me Me)
After several years as an anonymous project, Vyvyan was revealed to be Bonar Bradberry (a.k.a. one half of PBR Streetgang) a few months back, and now the UK house producer has offered up the project’s first full-length, Y, which reaches a Balearic high point on the chime-filled “Kali Va.” Does it sound like tech-house version of Aleksi Perälä? Yes. Would it go over at an Ibiza beach party? Probably. Don’t hold that against it. This is a quality tune.
Schmutz “Love Games (Biesmans Remix)” (Running Back)
During the past few years, referencing the sounds of ’80s Belgium—and genres like new beat in particular—has become rather trendy, but Biesmans takes a more literal approach on his new This Is the Sound of B EP, directly remixing a slew of vintage Belgian gems. Kicking off the record is his rework of Schmutz’s “Love Games,” which transforms the New Romantic drama of the 1984 single into a throbbing bit of high-energy synth-pop.
Purelink “Butterfly Jam (xphresh Bad Girl Version)” (UwU dust bath)
Employing a Rihanna sample (especially one lifted from a Drake song) would usually feel like an act of cheap trickery, but in the hands of xphresh—a collaboration between Special Guest DJ & Ben Bondy—her distinctive vocal tones sound downright luxe, cooly gliding alongside the wispy textures and dubby amble of the duo’s spacious “Butterfly Jam” rework. (Just FYI, both the Purelink original and a RiRi-free version of xphresh’s remix appear on the Chicago trio’s new self-titled EP.)
Heathered Pearls “Journey Index” (Self-released)
NYC producer Heathered Pearls mostly makes ambient music these days, but there’s nothing ethereal or lightweight about his work. “Journey Index,” a quietly arresting number that he says is rooted in imagined visions of “watching a train from the distance, maybe from a hill with tall dead grass,” feels deeply pensive, its steady undulations cementing listeners’ feet to the ground, even as they stare off into the distance.
Cooper Saver “Take Your Time” (FourFour)
Just weeks after he stole the show on the FourFour label’s FFR Compilation #1 with the hazy, shoegaze-referencing “Wash Away,” Cooper Saver has arguably topped himself with “Take Your Time.” Both tracks appear on the Vancouver producer’s new EP 1, but “Take Your Time”—a collaboration with Toronto artist Pop District—follows a bouncier, more joyous path, its low-key breakbeat and bubbly bassline gradually blossoming into a celebratory burst of bright colors and glittery synths.
Kali Malone “Living Torch II” (Portraits GRM)
The name Kali Malone is practically synonymous with the pipe organ, but on the Stockholm-based American’s new Living Torch album, she explores a variety of instruments, including the trombone, bass clarinet and even Éliane Radigue’s ARP 2500 synthesizer. The resulting LP—which consists of two long-form pieces—is predictably varied, and “Living Torch II” slowly builds from a whisper to a veritable wrecking ball, its distortion-laced drone epically rivaling the doom-metal crowd in terms of cinematic scope and pure power.
That’s it for today’s newsletter. If you missed part one, make sure to go back and read it. Otherwise, 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.)
Have a good 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.