First Floor #142 – There's More Than One Way for DJs to Do Social Media
a.k.a. An interview with Bambounou, plus a round-up of the week's electronic music news and a big batch of new track recommendations.
A QUICK SCHEDULING NOTE
First Floor will be taking a brief hiatus next week, but the newsletter’s regular publishing schedule in October, with new editions arriving on Tuesday, October 4 (for paid subscribers) and Thursday, October 6 (for everyone else).
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Every Tuesday, First Floor publishes a long-form piece that’s exclusively made available to paid newsletter subscribers. A brief overview of the latest one is below, and its paywall has now been temporarily removed for the next 24 hours. If you’d like exclusive first access to future long-form pieces (and unlimited views of all newsletter content), then please sign up for a paid subscription.
BAMBOUNOU IS A MULTIMILLIONAIRE PRO DJ
Like it or not, DJs pretty much have to be on social media these days. That’s just how the industry works right now, and in a time when follower counts directly affect gig offers and performance fees, it’s no wonder that so many artists are actively working to build their online brand with a steady stream of Instagram posts and other forms of engagement-chasing content.
Granted, that content has increasingly become almost comically cliché, particularly as more and more artists have clogged their followers’ feeds with endless plane photos, cheeky selfies, awe-inducing travel shots and, most important of all, videos of crowds absolutely losing it while the DJ triumphantly drops their latest banger.
Is there another way to go about this? Bambounou seems to think so. During the past year, the French artist has been offering up a tongue-in-cheek series of Instagram posts under the banner of Multimillionaire Pro DJ Tips, in which he assumes the titular role and doles out inspirational quotes and industry “advice” to those looking to follow in his footsteps and make it big.
It seems absurd, but as the months have gone on and the Multimillionaire Pro DJ Tips posts have continued, a simple question has arisen: is it working? Curious to find out, I recently had a long conversation with Bambounou, who spoke about the posts, what inspired them and how they’ve tangibly affected his career. That interview was published earlier this week, and it’s now available (temporarily) for everyone to read in full here.
REAL QUICK
A round-up of the last week’s most interesting electronic music news, plus links to interviews, mixes, articles and other things I think are worth sharing.
When it comes to streaming and its wider impact on music, culture and the music industry, no one has written more thoughtfully and insightfully in recent years than Liz Pelly, and this week the NYC journalist announced that she has a book on the way. Entitled Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist, it doesn’t yet have a release date, but based on the enthusiastic initial response, it’s safe to say that many people are excited for Pelly to take a deep dive into this topic.
Speaking of streaming, Mixmag enlisted musician / activist Tom Gray to pen an essay outlining the aims of his ongoing #BrokenRecord campaign, which seeks to combat the inequities of the music industry and the streaming economy. The piece covers a lot of ground, but at the request of Kwame Safo (a.k.a. Funk Butcher, who edits Mixmag’s Blackout content series), it does make an effort to specifically point out how the industry’s status quo holds back the efforts of Black artists from working class backgrounds.
On the heels of Worldwide FM’s recent announcement that new broadcasts would be paused after October, writer Will Pritchard put together a story for the Guardian highlighting how WWFM and other independent UK radio stations have hit hard times this year, particularly in the face of rising costs and energy bills.
Mercurial Dutch producer / synth wizard Legowelt is giving away a massive sample pack containing 500 WAV samples of his Jupiter 8 synthesizer.
However you feel about digital cover stories—First Floor readers may remember that I find them rather odd—Pitchfork’s new Björk cover story, which was written by Jazz Monroe after he spent a day with the avant-pop icon at her home in Iceland, is an entertaining read.
Kai Whiston—who will make another appearance later in the newsletter—is the subject of a new feature in The Quietus (written by Katie Thomas), in which the UK artist discusses how his new LP was influenced by his unorthodox childhood, ’90s rave culture and his relationship with his mother.
Bandcamp Daily came through in a major way during the past week, publishing the following pieces:
A profile of Lamin Fofana (written by Amaya Garcia) that examines the Harlem-based artist’s recent ambient triptych, which was heavily inspired by the legacy of European colonization and the African slave trade.
An interview with Morgan Geist and Kelley Polar, who speak to Andy Beta about their decades-long friendship and new collaboration Au Suisse. (The article also takes the time to look back at Geist’s varied back catalog.)
An article about krautrock, in which Louis Pattison points out that while the genre’s roots can be traced back to the late ’60s, many of its pioneering figures are still active. He also recommends several recent releases that favorably stack up to the kosmische classics.
JUST ANNOUNCED
A round-up of noteworthy new and upcoming releases announced during the past week.
Floating Points has released his third single of 2022, an ebullient and surprisingly rave-oriented—at least in comparison to much of his previous work—track called “Problems.” It’s available now on Ninja Tune.
Jamie xx dropped a new single this week called “Kill Dem.” Inspired by his experiences at London’s Notting Hill Carnival over the years, the song is available via the Young label.
Veteran UK duo Plaid, whose work during the ’90s helped set the template for both the IDM genre and the Warp Records sound, will soon be returning to the label with their 11th album, Feorm Falorx. The LP won’t be released until November 11, but the group has already shared one track, “C.A.”
Producer and sequencer designer John Howes is perhaps best known as the head of the Cong Burn label—though he’s also previously done several releases under the name Howes—but the UK artist has adopted a new moniker, Paperclip Minimiser, for his forthcoming album on Peak Oil. Built using what he calls “an authentic 2006 studio,” the self-titled LP is supposedly “best listened to on Windows XP Media Player or Winamp,” and will be released on October 14. Ahead of that, two tracks from the record are already available here.
Benedek has a new EP on the way for the Apron label, but before the four-track Zebrano drops on September 30, the LA-based boogie / house maestro has already shared a pair of deliciously soulful singles, “In the Air (feat. AKUA)” and “Emotional (feat. Devin Morrison).”
Slikback admittedly pops up in the newsletter every few weeks or so, but it’s hard to ignore the wildly prolific Kenyan beatmaker when he’s constantly self-releasing (usually excellent) new music—especially when said music is always offered up as name-your-price downloads on Bandcamp. His latest effort is the ALTERNATE_ EP, and it’s out now.
Boundary-pushing techno artists Lucy and Rrose will soon be returning to their collaborative Lotus Eater project, as the duo have announced a forthcoming new album called Plasma. It’s due to arrive on November 11 via Lucy’s Stroboscopic Artefacts imprint, but LP track “Lost Conductor” has already been shared.
Berlin-based American Matrixxman and Berlin-based Italian Kaiser have joined forces on Strapped, a new collaborative EP of barreling techno that dropped last week on the latter’s K S R imprint.
UK bass polymath Otik has completed another EP for his Solar Body label. Extrasense will be released on October 5, but he’s already made available the hoover-filled opening track, “Sometimes the Nights Last for Months.”
NEW THIS WEEK
The following is a selection of my favorite tunes from releases 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 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
Stenny “Wipe Out” (Ilian Tape)
Stenny “Permission” (Ilian Tape)
In last week’s newsletter, I described Stenny’s “Kembow”—his contribution to the Scattered Answers compilation EP—as possibly “the toughest thing the Italian producer has ever released,” but I may have spoken too soon. His fantastic new 12” for Ilian Tape features two tracks that are even tougher. Both “Wipe Out” and “Permission” are ostensibly rooted in 2-step garage, but Stenny has swapped out the genre’s usual R&B whimsy for jagged digital menace, lacing his production with thick, oozy basslines and tension-filled sonics. “Wipe Out” is arguably both the livelier and more brash of the two, its skittering bounce tempered by warbling waves of distortion and an ever-present snarl, while the sci-fi synths and brawny bass bursts of “Permission” bring a welcome bit of drama to the table.
Kai Whiston “Vivienne” (Lux)
A UK producer who’s arguably as well known for his pranksterish (some might say shit-starting) online persona as he is for his music, Kai Whiston has seriously leveled up his craft on new album Quiet As Kept, F.O.G., an autobiographical effort that explores his upbringing in the New Age Traveller community. Coming of age in the UK’s free-party circuit is enough to scramble any child’s circuits, which is perhaps why the LP is such a fractured listen, careening between high-end sound design, intensely hyperactive bangers, morose rap beats, pitch-shifted vocal mayhem and more, often within the span of a single track.
There’s a lot to take in, yet Whiston retains a notable clarity of vision, infusing the record with a consistent sense of emotional weight, regardless of what style or tempo he’s exploring at any given moment. “Vivienne” is especially powerful, with cinematic swells and goth theatrics that intermingle with churning breakbeats and thrumming, grime-inspired basslines. On what dancefloor would a track like this make sense? It’s hard to know, but wherever it’s located, it’s bound to be epic.
Yugen “Toraberu” (Semantica)
Yugen “Liquid” (Semantica)
With a discography that stretches back more than 15 years and veteran producer Svreca at the helm, Semantica has more than earned its reputation as a reliable techno outpost, but the Madrid label does take the occasional turn away from the club, most recently with You, a stellar new full-length from German artist Yugen. Although elements of techno are still present throughout the LP, the music actually hews closer to the off-kilter rhythms and technicolor playfulness of ’90s IDM, particularly on album standouts like “Toraberu” and “Liquid.” The former has a bit more bounce in its step, pairing thick, almost jazzy drums with a spritely array of luminescent synths, while the latter follows a more deliberate path, wrapping its pert percussive hits in dreamy vocal drones and delicately twinkling melodies.
BEST OF THE REST
Zvrra “Illuminance II” (Self-released)
Chicago-area producer Zvrra rarely lets more than a few weeks go by without releasing new music, but despite the abundance of music she has on offer, her new Illuminance EP does feel like a uniquely deep effort. “Illuminance II” is especially strong, its percolating melody and steady techno pulse undeterred by the track’s ever-present haze and ominously groaning textures.
Narciss “ADHDisco” (Eurodance Inc)
As the title implies, “ADHDisco”—a standout from Narciss’ new Return of the Golden Funk EP—is essentially a souped-up disco cut, and while the German artist’s productions are a bit more lo-fi than those of Detroit icon Robert Hood, the track nonetheless recalls (fondly) the more disco-leaning tunes his Floorplan project was turning out during the early 2010s.
Meg Ward “Have Ur Love” (Distant Horizons)
The opening number on Meg Ward’s new Connections EP, “Have Ur Love” is brimming with classic rave energy, and while its blistering pace, breakbeat flirtations and chopped diva vocal all scream “early ’90s,” its insistent throb and electric color palette ensure that this tune isn’t just another paint-by-numbers throwback.
Stone “Glyph” (3XL)
Home to music from artists like Exael and xphresh (a.k.a. Special Guest DJ and Ben Bondy), 3XL—an offshoot of the Experiences Ltd. label—is part of the steadily expanding West Mineral Ltd. universe, and Stone is the latest addition to the family. His new Earth FF album is the UK producer’s first full release under his birth name—he’s previously operated as Mistareez—and while much of the LP deals in outer-world ambient, it hits a particularly high note on “Glyph,” which coats its dreamy, come-hither vocals and dusty, Mo’ Wax-style breaks in a hypnotic trip-hop sheen.
Aera “Prana (Version)” (Innervisions)
Kicking off what Innversions is calling its “new mix format,” Aera has assembled Versions, a long-form effort for which he’s revisited several tracks from his back catalog. The German producer is best known for melody-driven, big-room dancefloor cuts, but on Versions, he cites the work of acts like DJ Shadow and Massive Attack as his primary inspiration. The retooled “Prana”—which, like all of the songs on Versions, is also available as a standalone, unmixed track—is far brighter than the ’90s trip-hop classics Aera had in mind, but its sparkling synths and bucolic spirit pair remarkably well with the song’s newly chill, hip-hop-indebted beat.
Tarotplane “Omayyad” (Constellation Tatsu)
A record born out of Tarotplane’s multi-year, research-intensive effort to “accurately emulate the style and sound of Manuel Göttsching,” Aeonium certainly taps into the influential German artist’s uniquely motorik sensibilities, although traces of Neu! and more modern outfits like Emeralds are also present. LP highlight “Omayyad” dives into this kosmische zone with a notably psychedelic flair, its patient chug underpinning a colorful array of twinkling melodies and florid wah-wah guitar riffs.
Ela Minus & DJ Python “Kiss U” (Smugglers Way)
DJ Python’s music has always had something of a tender streak, but it truly comes to the forefront on “Kiss U,” the lead track on the NYC producer’s collaborative new ♡ EP with Colombian artist Ela Minus. Built atop a gently tumbling rhythm—and displaying just a hint of IDM crunch—the song draws its real power from Minus’ softly sung vocals; when she says, “I’m not holding on, I’m not letting go,” it’s hard to tell if she celebrating a newfound love or mending a broken heart, but the effect is quietly spellbinding all the same.
Monolithic “Parabolica” (Mechanical)
NYC producer Monolithic says that his zooming new single “Parabolica” is inspired by the final turn of the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza—an Italian racetrack located north of Milan—but with its gleaming chrome and confident cool, the track sounds more like a late-night K-hole than an afternoon of motor sports. And as a bonus, its moody pads also echo—most likely unintentionally—“Dark and Long (Dark Train),” one of the best songs in the Underworld catalog.
Patrick Brian “Ill Wishes” (Sneaker Social Club)
Channeling the ghosts of Ruff Sqwad and other grime pioneers, the triumphantly string-filled “Ill Wishes” sounds like something from early-2000s London, but this swaggering cut—which closes out the Early Hours EP—is actually something new from Patrick Brian, who makes his home in sunny Los Angeles. That alone might discourage grime heads from checking it out, but “Ill Wishes” is undeniably large, and ought to be played—loudly—on bass-heavy soundsystems everywhere.
Aasthma “Arrival (Fast Forward into Love)” (Monkeytown)
Full disclosure: I wrote some of the promo text for Aasthma’s genre-hopping debut album Arrival, so feel free to take my enthusiasm with a very large grain of salt, but the LP’s gleefully bounding title track is a neon-colored thrill ride. Although longtime friends Peder Mannerfelt and Pär Grindvik both come from “serious” techno backgrounds, the Swedish duo has dropped all pretense here, taking brightly lit rave structures and intensely catchy Europop hooks to towering—not to mention deliriously fun—new heights.
Stiletti-Ana “89 beats trance” (Haista)
It’s not often that an artist actively disengages from the music-making process, but Automat musik, the new LP from Stiletti-Ana, is his “first release that is not composed, produced and maxed out. It has not been mixed or produced and it is barely recorded.” In truth, the Finnish producer did contribute to the album, setting up a sequencer that would then generate music with only “the press of a button and twist of a sliders and pots,” and as the accurately titled “89 beats trance” demonstrates, the synth-heavy results were often quite sublime, landing in a zone that’s somewhere between tripped-out krautrock and semi-ambient trance.
That’s all for 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.)
Back in two weeks,
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.