First Floor #191 – What If I Don't Want to Get Famous?
a.k.a. DJing isn't a "one size fits all" endeavor, plus a round-up of the latest electronic music news and a fresh slate of new track recommendations.
Without question, the biggest story in independent music this week is all the turmoil going on at Bandcamp. Having written extensively about this previously—and yes, the long-form piece I published 10 days ago is still available for everyone to read, with no paywall—I don’t want to get too far into the weeds and once again break down all the particulars, but I will say this:
I wish my worries about Bandcamp hadn’t started coming true quite so quickly.
Today’s newsletter includes a few more bits about what’s been happening with that story (scroll down for that), and thankfully, the Bandcamp platform is still up and running, at least for now. I suppose we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
What about electronic music? That’s likely why most of you are here, and I’ve rounded up the usual assortment of news, release announcements, links to interesting articles and new track recommendations you’ve all come to expect. Azu Tiwaline also makes a guest appearance, sharing a track recommendation of her own.
For those with a taste for something meatier to read, I published an essay earlier this week, one that considers why the electronic music world only seems to push one narrative about what a DJ’s career trajectory is supposed to look like. But what happens when someone who’s genuinely passionate about DJing doesn’t find that trajectory all that appealing, or doesn’t even think of the craft in terms of a career?
Find the link to that essay below, along with everything else I’ve put together.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Every Tuesday, First Floor publishes a long-form piece that’s exclusively made available to paid newsletter subscribers only. The latest one, which is now (temporarily) open to everyone, reflects on a question that many DJs, even the ones who find some level of success, wind up asking themselves: “What if being a jet-setting superstar DJ who plays all the top clubs and biggest festivals isn’t actually the life I want?”
OBLIGATORY BOOK MENTION
My first book is out now. It’s called First Floor Vol. 1: Reflections on Electronic Music Culture, and folks can order it from my publisher Velocity Press. However, if you’re outside of the UK, I’d actually recommend either inquiring at your favorite local bookshop or trying one of the online sales links I’ve compiled 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.
The aforementioned layoffs at Bandcamp—in which new owners Songtradr cut approximately 50% of the staff—have been widely covered throughout the media this week, and some of the best reporting has been done by SFGATE tech reporter Stephen Council, who not only wrote an initial story about the layoffs, but also published a follow-up article examining how those layoffs disproportionately affected members of the Bancamp United employee union. Also of note is this more comprehensive piece that Philip Sherburne put together for Pitchfork, which summarizes how Bandcamp got to this point and places the latest developments in the context of what’s been called the “enshittification” of the internet.
Speaking of Pitchfork, yesterday the site published a profile / interview of Sofia Kourtesis, who spoke with writer Isabelia Herrera about the nuances of Latin identity (and how those nuances sometimes clash with both her adopted home of Germany and the perfectionism-driven electronic music sphere), the experience of dealing with her mother’s serious illness (which has thankfully been cured) and her forthcoming new album Madres.
Jason Farago, a critic at large for The New York Times, recently penned a thought-provoking long-form piece reflecting on the notion that cultural innovation has largely come to a standstill. First Floor regulars already know that this topic is near and dear to my heart, particularly when it comes to electronic music, but Farago takes a wider view of culture, and postulates that even if our collective drive toward constant newness has slowed down or come to an end, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Although Shackleton has started to come out of his shell a bit in recent years, at least when it comes to talking to music journalists, interviews with the one-of-a-kind English artist remain relatively rare, even as he continues to release a flurry of new music. This week, however, Ransom Note published a conversation between Shackleton and writer Alasdair King, who asked the reclusive producer about his penchant for collaboration, his current relationship with club trends and whether or not he’d ever relaunch the Skull Disco label.
The latest edition of Mixmag’s In Session mix / interview series puts a spotlight on Sepehr, the California-born, NY-based Iranian-American artist who heads up the Shaytoon label. Aside from a new mix, the feature also includes an interview with writer / editor Patrick Hinton, who digs into Sepehr’s multi-faceted identity and how it’s influenced his work. Along the way, the two also touch on spirituality, Iranian culture, what the San Francisco scene used to be like and Sepehr’s forthcoming LP Pomegranate Skies, which drops later this month.
JUST ANNOUNCED
A round-up of noteworthy new and upcoming releases announced during the past week.
Kevin Richard Martin (a.k.a. The Bug) dropped a new album yesterday, Black, which he describes as a “musical eulogy to Amy Winehouse, a heartfelt memorial to a sorrowful demise.” Available now via his own Intercranial imprint, the project was actually triggered by his viewing of the Amy documentary.
After debuting on Hessle Audio a few months back with the single “Rosa Rugosa,” Olof Dreijer (a.k.a. Oni Ayhun a.k.a. one half of The Knife) has this week returned to the label with a full EP, also called Rosa Rugosa. The three-track effort is out now.
Floating Points has a new single, “Birth4000.” Having already made the rounds on the festival circuit, the tune is available now via Ninja Tune.
Nailah Hunter has signed with the Fat Possum label, which announced that it will be releasing her debut album, Lovegaze, on January 19. Ahead of that, the LA-based harpist has already shared LP cut “Finding Mirrors.”
UK cellist and composer Lucy Railton has completed a new full-length, Corner Dancer, that will be issued via the Modern Love label on November 10. In the meantime, a stream of album track “Blush Study” has been made available.
Grand River and Sofie Birch and joined forces on a new collaborative EP called Our Circadian. Slated for a November 24 release on the Melantónia label, the two-track effort is designed to encapsulate two distinct moments of the day, late afternoon and early morning. The first of those efforts, “7PM,” has already been shared.
Martyn has a new single out, though it’s actually from his Gabe & Jude alias. Entitled “Tabula Rusa,” it’s available now on Bandcamp.
Born in Spain and based in Brussels, Clara! has linked up with the AD 93 imprint for her next EP, Pulso, which is inspired by reggaeton and features contributions from Pearson Sound, SKY H1 and Low Jack. The latter two produced the record’s first single, “Lluvia de Sal,” which has already been shared along with its corresponding video. The rest of the EP will follow on November 10.
Unique Australian outpost Longform Editions dropped its latest batch of releases yesterday, which included Arp’s “The Enormous Room,” Christina Vantzou’s “Observations, edits, a cure for restlessness,” Dania’s “arête” and SUSS & Andre Tuttle’s “Rising.” (Full disclosure: Dania and I are married.) All four pieces run 20 minutes or longer, and all four are out now.
AZU TIWALINE HAS BETTER TASTE THAN I DO
First Floor is effectively a one-person operation, but every edition of the newsletter cedes a small portion of the spotlight to an artist, writer or other figure from the music world, inviting them to recommend a piece of music. Today’s recommendation comes from Azu Tiwaline, a Tunisian-Cambodian artist who makes her home in the desert and actively incorporates its magic and mystery into her hypnotic, dub-tinged electronic excursions. Having recently released The Fifth Dream LP, Tiwaline appears here to highlight the talents of musician and sound artist Cinna Peyghamy, who contributed to the new album and several of her previous releases.
Cikkun “Gomon” (Exploration)
I chose to highlight this track from one of Cinna Peyghamy’s first EPs, Injonctions, which he released under his alias Cikkun. The whole thing is excellent, and it was thanks to this EP that I discovered someone who would eventually become part of one of my most beautiful musical encounters and collaborations. It’s crazy to see that the whole world has missed this work. There is a furious freedom in the writing process and a real freshness in the sound. The emotion that emerges, although dark and disturbing, always leaves room for a certain luminosity in a very nuanced and subtle way. This is typically what resonates with me, and in my mind, this EP will always remain a timeless killer.
NEW THIS WEEK
The following is a selection of my favorite tunes from releases that came out during the past week or so. Click the track titles to hear each song individually, or you can also just head over to this convenient Buy Music Club list if you prefer to listen to them all in one place.
fatalism “Deafening [M]oon” (Bedouin)
Everything Falls Apart “Somn 6” (Totalism)
Strings often provide tracks with a cinematic flourish, but while those flourishes can often be described with words like “achingly beautiful” or “elegantly exquisite,” they’re also capable of leading a piece of music down a much darker path, their groaning bellows evoking a mood of abject terror. That’s certainly the case on “Deafening [M]oon,” a harrowing standout from Gh0st, the latest album from fatalism (a.k.a. Bedouin label founder Salem Rashid). Oddly enough, the song’s moaning underbelly—which creaks and vibrates in a manner that feels almost primordial—was provided by double bass virtuoso Otto Lindholm, who also happens to be one half of Everything Falls Apart. That project, which also includes Ross Tones (a.k.a. Throwing Snow), has just released its self-titled debut LP, and “Somn 6” is the record’s stunning opening number. A slow-boiling track that prefers dramatic tension to all-out terror, it’s imposing all the same, stretching its warbling tones and guttural undulations across eight minutes that are anything but relaxing.
Nadia Struiwigh “JSF48” (Dekmantel)
Moving through numerous genres and only occasionally focusing on the dancefloor, Nadia Stuiwigh’s new Birds of Paradise album defies easy categorization—to Dekmantel’s credit, their description of the record as “widescreen machine soul” pretty accurately captures the prevailing vibe—but the Dutch artist is often at her best when she takes things in a more pensive direction. LP highlight “JSF48” is an entirely beatless composition, yet it’s far too weighty to be called ambient, wrapping its colorful synth squiggles in dense layers of reverb and an ever-present drone. Perhaps it could be called psychedelic, but this is no whimsical acid trip; “JSF48” is better suited to cracking open skulls, plowing deep into the unconscious and pondering the the origins of existence.
Priori & Al Wootton “Seclusion” (TRULE)
Al Wootton has spent the past few years establishing himself as a skilled manipulator of all things dub, but Priori? The Montreal artist and naff recordings co-founder is better known for his euphoria-inducing forays into prog and other melody-centric forms of electronic music. That makes the new FLAW EP—a collaboration between these two artists—something of an unusual proposition, and it’s fair to wonder exactly where the record’s creators will find common ground. As it turns out, the pair seem to have mostly camped out amongst the gloomy confines of Wootton’s home turf, and they’ve built “Seclusion” atop an especially fertile patch of land, its bassy brawn and percolating percussion harkening back to the glory days of Skull Disco.
Furtherset “Circulata Melodia” (-OUS)
There’s a palpable sadness to Furtherset’s new album—the label bills it as a “shattered elegy synthesized in electronics”—but The Infinite Hour isn’t a dour affair. Striking LP opener “Circulata Melodia” is far too majestic for that, taking cues from the kickless, gravity-defying tech-trace of artists like Barker and the awe-inducing sound design that Ital Tek has made his calling card. Constantly darting and fluttering across more than nine minutes—all of them dotted with static, whooshing textures and other bits of sonic detritus—the song is actually rather limber, its obvious emotional weight never impeding its creator’s seemingly restless nature.
eoin DJ “Play Nasty” (Planet Euphorique)
Combining the booming techno sensibilities of someone like Robert Hood with the polyamorous taste profile of a twitchy rave kid, “Play Nasty” is the killer opener of Fantasi, the impressive debut EP from eoin DJ. The Irish artist (who’s currently based in London) clearly has the chops to make a no-frills techno roller (and have it be good), but what’s impressive about “Play Nasty” is that its pulsing rhythm and throbbing bass notes have been adorned with all sorts of little pieces of flair—mostly in the form of vocal clips that have been tweaked beyond recognition—and yet no matter how many elements are at work, the track’s floor-filling vibe remains intact.
D3U5E & Gav “Namer” (Of Paradise)
D3U5E & Gav “Went Back” (Of Paradise)
Having already dropped a record full of club heaters earlier this year on Sneaker Social Club, London bass duo D3U5E & Gav have notably upped their game on the new Origin Unknown EP. Nimbly pulling from various pockets of the hardcore continuum, all four tracks on the record are capable of doing damage, but “Namer” is especially potent, unleashing a flurry of heavy-duty drums as dramatic strings fill the air and wiggly, sci-fi synths run wild, conjuring images of a vintage computer that’s gone haywire. “Went Back” is another standout, one whose menacing demeanor, serrated basslines and whirling tones are only enhanced by the song’s bouncy, UK garage-indebted beat.
Wordcolour “Fundamentals” (Houndstooth)
When Wordcolour dropped his excellent debut album The trees were buzzing, and the grass. last year, his talent as a producer was readily apparent, but the record’s intermittently haunting contents—and particularly its bizarre vocal clips—probably didn’t leave many listeners with the impression that the UK artist was someone interested in a bit of cheeky fun. That makes “Fundamentals,” the vibrant lead track on his new Ratios II EP, something of a surprise, as it’s not only committed to letting loose, it’s so committed to the idea that it repurposes (and breathes welcome new life into) the unmistakable sound of a Korg M1 organ bassline. Even so, the song could never be confused for a simple MK rehash, as Wordcolour has ramped up the tempo and injected the tune with an abundance of bubbly (and borderline manic) energy. Let it never be said that the guy doesn’t like a good time.
ABSOLUTE. “Is It Raining in Berlin?” (Shall Not Fade)
The smiley title track of London producer ABSOLUTE.’s latest EP, “Is It Raining in Berlin?” is an effervescent house cut, and one that knows the power of a good earworm. Though the track employs an agreeably shuffling rhythm and a ghostly vocal sample or two, its appeal is almost wholly tied to the song’s primary melody line, a brightly colored (and deceptively simple) riff that’s bound to lure even the most disgruntled ravers onto the dancefloor.
NIGELTHREETIMES “ROAD2RAILS” (Astral Black)
Many strains of drum & bass are primarily focused on bringing the ruckus, but “ROAD2RAILS”—a high point of Queens native NIGELTHREETIMES’ new METROPOLIS N album—revels in introspection. The track is by no means snoozy, but even with its uptempo rhythms and occasional outbursts of hoover-like effects, the song’s dreamy pads and plinky chords set a thoughtful mood, one that’s perfect for spending at rainy night at home and pondering one’s place in the universe as droplets gently splash against the window.
Green-House “Everything Is Okay” (Leaving)
Though the Green-House project has officially expanded to a duo (having previously been the solo endeavor of Olive Ardizoni), the spirit of the music remains largely intact on new full-length A Host for All Kinds of Life, offering a humble strain of no-frills, lo-fi ambient with the subtlest of pop undertones. Album standout “Everything Is Okay” brings to mind Angelo Badalamenti’s iconic Twin Peaks score, the warmth of its plinky tones enhanced by the only human voice on the LP—a voicemail from Ardizoni’s mother. Yet it’s still a somewhat chilly tune, its melodic exuberance held in check by the song’s ever-present tape hiss and the literal sound of running water.
Ilyas Ahmed “Imagine There” (Geographic North)
A member of the band Grails who’s also collaborated with the likes of Grouper, Golden Retriever and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, Pakistani-born, Portland-based guitarist Ilyas Ahmed has quietly built up quite the catalog over the years, and A Dream of Another is his latest solo full-length. Minimalist without feeling sparse or overly academic, Ahmed’s music has a subtle hypnotic allure, most notably on LP closer “Imagine There,” where his reverb-kissed guitar tones are left to float free and elegantly glide through the night air. Though it’s probably not meant to be a lullaby, the track evokes a mood that’s as cozy as a warm blanket.
And with that, it’s time to bring this edition of First Floor to a close. Thank you so much for reading the newsletter, 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.