First Floor #203 – Looking in the Mirror
a.k.a. How should contemporary music journalism approach news and reviews? Plus, a round-up of the latest electronic music news and a fresh bundle of new track recommendations.
In the aftermath of the recent Pitchfork layoffs, a rash of articles have surfaced examining the (undeniably troubled) state of music journalism, and, more specifically, the current state of music criticism. (The latest is this Guardian piece, penned by John Doran of The Quietus, which went live earlier this week.) Much of what’s been written during the past two weeks has focused on the systemic challenges faced by the field, particularly in the context of a music industry dominated by streaming and social media. It’s no secret that things have been hard for quite some time, and looking at the present state of affairs, things clearly do not look great, and not just for music journalism, but for professional media in general.
That being said, with so much of the messaging coming from music journalists focused on cries for help (“we’re in a really tough spot”) and / or pleas to not be written off entirely (“what we do is valuable, really”), I found this essay by former Resident Advisor editor Ray Philp to be a refreshing change of pace. Writing for his Microplastics newsletter, he does acknowledge the many difficulties of trying to do music journalism in this day and age, but he also demands a little accountability, taking a hard look at music reviews in particular. As Philp points out, many of the changes in reviewing during the past decade or so have been made in response to larger systemic, cultural and economic forces, but they’ve nonetheless gradually given rise to a critical landscape that, in all honesty, often doesn’t feel very critical. Is it any wonder that readers are losing interest? “When a magazine tells them that every record is at least a 7/10,” says Philp, “the ones who haven’t long since given up on reading reviews must feel they’re being mugged off.”
Constructive criticism of criticism itself? Sign me up. And to Philp’s credit, he does more than just catalog shortcomings, also suggesting some ways that reviews could potentially (and feasibly) be improved. Regardless of whether any of them are eventually implemented somewhere, it’s encouraging to see a veteran music journalist proposing some actual solutions, rather than surrendering to the idea that the entire media system is disintegrating and there’s nothing to be done about it.
Admittedly, I myself am frequently guilty of going down pessimistic roads—this week’s First Floor essay (see below), for instance, examines the declining demand for music news, and the fading fortunes of the media outlets who have for years relied on it to bolster their web traffic. It may not be the most uplifting read, but for those who keep scrolling, I promise there’s more than just doom and gloom in today’s newsletter. Per usual, I’ve put together an assortment of things from across the electronic music world, including news items, new release announcements, links to worthwhile articles and, of course, a fresh batch of new track recommendations. Some additional sunshine has also been provided by ambient / avant-pop specialist Karen Vogt, who’s dropped by with a recommendation of her own.
Let’s get into it.
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, questions the role of music news in contemporary editorial offerings, and considers why readers these days just don’t seem to have much of appetite for it. If audiences don’t want music news anymore, what exactly do they want? And even if publications can figure out the answer, are they capable of providing it?
SOME OTHER THINGS I DID
A few weeks ago I mentioned that online radio station dublab BCN—which had unexpectedly ceased broadcasting in May of last year—was set to start back up in 2024. New shows began airing earlier this month, and yesterday the station broadcast an episode of my monthly First Floor program. It included new tunes from artists like Prayer, Joy Orbison, Patrick Holland and Monty Luke, but anyone who missed it can listen back and find the full tracklist here.
Last week, German radio station COSMO interviewed me as part of a larger story on the recent layoffs and restructuring at Pitchfork. Given that the whole thing is in German—including my contributions, which have been dubbed over—I’m guessing that most First Floor readers won’t understand it, but the segment has been posted online for anyone who’d like to give it a listen.
REAL QUICK
A round-up of the last week’s most interesting electronic music news, plus links to interviews, articles and other things I think are worth sharing.
Universal Music Group and TikTok are two of the worst companies in the music business, and they’re currently at odds. With the licensing deal between the two set to expire yesterday, UMG published an open letter threatening to remove all of its music from TikTok, claiming that the latter has been pushing for a new deal in which artist royalty rates would be even lower than before, and doing so while also promoting the use of AI-created music on the platform, which would ultimate reduce payouts even further. TikTok, for its part, responded with charges that Universal was simply putting its own greed ahead of the interests of the artists it represents.
Dance System, the UK artist and Night Slugs co-founder who for many years was primarily known as L-Vis 1990, announced on Instagram that a “next chapter” and “total reset” of his artistic output would be coming this Friday (i.e. tomorrow). Moreover, he did so while decrying the current state of dance music, explaining that he’d grown tired of the post-pandemic “party train” and that his own attempts to chase financial success had left him feeling “empty inside.”
The sudden passing of Silent Servant (a.k.a. Juan Mendez) earlier this month prompted a flood of remembrances on social media, but some more formalized tributes have been published during the past week. LA techno producer John Tejada knew Mendez for 30 years, and both he and his wife Lynn shared their memories in a piece that Oli Warwick put together for International Orange. Crack magazine also published a tribute with words from nine different artists, including Helena Hauff, Daniel Avery, Marcel Dettmann, Russell E.L. Butler, Robin Stewart of Giant Swan and others.
Kali Malone has a new album on the way, one inspired in part by her father’s passion for mountaineering. Before it arrives next week, she spoke with Miloš Hroch of The Quietus, and the resulting feature gets into not only the new LP, but her relationship with nature, the history of the pipe organ and how she unexpectedly wound up in a battle with ultra-conservative Catholic protestors last year.
New Order’s 1989 LP, Technique, is often thought of as the band’s Ibiza record, but as Ben Cardew discovered in this entertaining look back for DJ Mag—which includes details provided by recording engineer Michael Johnson, who worked with the group on several releases—only a fraction of the album was actually recorded on the island.
Given the prevalence of field recordings in electronic music over the years, it was only a matter of time until someone wrote a whole book about them. That someone is Ben Murphy, whose forthcoming Ears to the Ground examines the topic while interviewing the likes of Matmos, KMRU, Flora Yin-Wong, Lawrence English, Oliver Ho, Felicia Atkinson and many other artists. The book is due to be released on May 10 via Velocity Press, and is available to pre-order now. (Full disclosure: Velocity Press also published my book last year.)
London-based multi-hyphenate Emily Dust already does a little bit of everything, but the DJ, radio host / producer and club promoter has just added another project to her plate, a dance music-focused interview podcast called Dances for Buildings. The first episode, which features UK funky icon Roska, dropped today, and future episodes will feature conversations with Jamz Supernova, Bianca Oblivion, DJ Paulette, BADSISTA, Kampire and other artists from around the globe.
Bristol and bass music seem to go hand in hand, and during the past few years, Pressure Dome has emerged as one of the city’s most impressive labels. Oli Warwick interviewed founder Yushh for a new installment of DJ Mag’s On Cue feature series, and the piece also includes an exclusive mix from the low-end-loving selector.
OBLIGATORY BOOK MENTION
My first book is out now. It’s called First Floor Vol. 1: Reflections on Electronic Music Culture, and you 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.
JUST ANNOUNCED
A round-up of noteworthy new and upcoming releases announced during the past week.
AceMo released a surprise new album, a collection of tunes the NYC producer says were “made with the intent to make a positive impact on this Earth, and your life.” Entitled Save the World and issued through his Sonic Messengers label, it’s currently available exclusively via Nina. (Full disclosure: Nina also publishes a monthly column from me called Second Floor.)
AZARI, who heads up the Model Future label and was also a co-founder of the much-loved group Azari & III—dropped a new album via Danny Daze’s Omnidisc imprint. AQATETRA is available now—and I’ve written more about its contents in the “New This Week” section of today’s newsletter—but it’s also due to be followed by a remix EP on March 1, which will also be released by Omnidisc and includes reworks from Ryan James Ford, Vril, Jasmine Infiniti and Gesloten Cirkel.
Following the success of her 2021 debut LP, Under the Lilac Sky, Arushi Jain has completed her sophomore album. The Indian-born, NY-based artist’s work is rooted in modular synthesis and classical Indian music, but the new LP, Delight, is said to be specifically inspired by the idea that “delight is accessible and that the practice of cultivating it is a worthwhile endeavor.” It’s scheduled for release on March 29 via Leaving Records, but LP cut “Imagine an Orchestra” has already been shared.
Continuing their ever-upward trajectory, Bicep has unveiled a new label called CHROMA, which they’ve designed to be “both a home for their own more underground club-focused productions, and also a platform to share their wider music styles.” The imprint’s first single, “CHROMA 001 HELIUM,” is out now, and the UK duo will also soon be debuting a new CHROMA show, a hybrid DJ set and live A/V that they’ll be touring throughout the year.
After debuting his Nice Work EP series last year, Austin-based artist Fennec has finished up a new batch of deep(ish) house jams. Nice Work Vol. 2 is due to arrive on March 1, but lead track “Kongobongo” is available now.
Is remixing Manuel Göttsching’s classic E2-E4 a sacrilegious act? Possibly, but Om Unit has done it anyways, and his edit—which is currently available as a name-your-price download on Bandcamp—somehow transforms the nearly hour-long original into a seven-minute cut that might even work on the dancefloor.
KAREN VOGT HAS BETTER TASTE THAN I DO
First Floor is effectively a one-person operation, but every edition of the Thursday digest 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 Karen Vogt, an Australian artist living in France whose ambient and avant-pop creations—many of which utilize her own voice—have proven rather intoxicating during the past few years. On February 9 she’ll be releasing a new album, Waterlog, through Penelope Trappes’ Nite Hive imprint, and ahead of its arrival, she’s popped in here to share one of her old favorites.
Tracey Thorn “Grand Canyon (Ada Remix)” (Kompakt)
I’m going back to 2007 to reminisce about Ada’s remix of this Tracy Thorne track, which always struck me as an ideal balance between left-of-center pop sensibility and many of the things I enjoy about electronic music. Ada’s style at that time was highly danceable, and it was also inspiring to see a woman emerge from the Cologne-based group of electronic artists. Tracy Thorne’s emotive and melodic vocals tell me a story, but leave enough space for the listener to insert their own version.
I appreciate how these two artists’ styles and strengths are clearly felt in this remix, and I also attach a huge amount of nostalgia to this track. Although Ada has long since moved on from that style, she continues on her musical journey and it was a thrill for me to have her rework a track from my GALÁN/VOGT collaboration last year. But this remix from 2007 will always be bouncing around in my head somewhere with its comforting vocal, “Everybody loves you here.”
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.
Dufraine “The Feeling” (Scuffed)
The closing track on the new Uber XL EP, “The Feeling” is first and foremost a ravey good time, its combination of electro-style breakbeats and wubby bass bringing to mind The Prodigy and all the other ’90s acts who attempted to bridge the gap between Radio 1 and the hardcore continuum. With its chopped and filtered female vocal refrain, it might even be mistaken for a long-lost remix of the Sneaker Pimps, but to Dufraine’s credit, the song never fells like a full-blown nostalgia exercise. “The Feeling” may nod to the past, but it’s brawny enough to square up with any modern production.
Lacchesi “Someday” (Maison Close)
There’s only so much room to experiment within the confines of four-on-the-floor techno, but Lacchesi—who does occasionally try his hand at other styles on new album Based on a True Story—delivers something truly vibrant with “Someday.” Given his background—he was born in Italy and is based in Paris—it’s perhaps no surprise that Lacchesi has a natural affinity for hard-and-fast sounds, but even with its persistent thump, “Someday” never feels punishing. Bounding along at nearly 150 bpm, the track has a palatable sense of groove, and there’s actually something a little melancholy about its hooky chords and playfully garbled vocal snippets, which repeatedly say, “I just hope that someday someone will love me.” Make no mistake, this tune properly bangs it out, but you might want to keep a tissue in your back pocket, just in case.
Flore & Only Now “Cut & Run (Only Now Version)” (POLAAR)
Back in 2022, Flore invited Only Now to Paris to perform at one of her POLAAR club nights, and in the days that followed, the two artists—who had already been in contact for many years—got together in the studio and cooked up the new Morphers EP. Given both producers’ penchant for jagged textures, broken drum patterns and hearty helpings of bass, it’s not hard to guess what the record sounds like, but things get especially spicy on this Only Now version of “Cut & Run.” (Just FYI, the EP also includes a Flore version of the track.) Built atop a lurching rhythm that’s somewhere between gqom and cumbia, the song is deliberate yet menacing, its freewheeling percussion flanked by laser-like bursts and dive-bombing synths that could double as the haunted cries of a distressed whale. There’s a lot going on, but amidst all that intensity, there’s a delightfully off-kilter club track unfolding, at least for anyone with enough fortitude to not go running for the hills.
AZARI “TELEWAVE” (Omnidisc)
There’s no mention of Drexciya in the press materials for AZARI’s new AQATETRA full-length, but between the album’s underwater artwork and its various flirtations with wiggly electro-techno rhythms. one can assume that the iconic Detroit duo’s towering influence had at least some impact on how the record turned out. That’s not to take anything away from AZARI; on the contrary, it confirms that the Canadian producer has excellent taste, a fact that’s also been apparent to anyone following his not just his own work, but how he’s curated his Model Future label in recent years. While AQATETRA is probably best experienced as a complete album, “TELEWAVE” does feel like a clear highlight, its gurgling acid lines excitedly spasming as AZARI’s insistent kick drums pound their way through a dubby wall of reverb.
Valentino Mora “Diatom” (Non Series)
Speaking of dubby, underwater techno, few contemporary artists do it better than Valentino Mora. Diatom is the French-born, Berlin-based producer’s latest EP, and its title track is a hypnotic gem, one whose subtly fizzing textures sound like the persistent hum of an aquarium filter. Mora builds a lot of detail into his productions—and also seems to enjoy submerging that detail in pools of cloudy reverb—but the defining feature of “Diatom” is its steady churn, the song’s looping drum patterns forging ahead with the fervor of fast-moving submarine.
Jdotbalance “late” (SLINK)
Listening to the new Verdant EP, the beats don’t so much bang as they percolate, the record’s slithering and scampering rhythms making a mockery of anyone who insists that club music needs to tightly adhere to the grid. This, of course, makes Jdotbalance a natural fit on the boundary-pushing, hybrid-spawning SLINK label, and the Chicago-based Texan shines brightest on EP opener “late,” a lithe number that channels the heady spirit of pre-wobble dubstep but also employs a bevy of caffeinated drum patterns. Is it made for thoughtful introspection, or working things out on the dancefloor? Maybe both, and that’s what makes it interesting.
36 “Axiom Haze” (Past Inside the Present)
The final chapter of a “synth trilogy,” Reality Engine showcases UK artist 36 at his most elegant, the album’s glistening textures and featherlight melodies stretching out across seemingly endless horizons. Pristine and pillow-soft, new age rarely feels this epic, yet the record never feels ostentatious. Graceful is a much more appropriate descriptor, especially when it comes to LP standout “Axiom Haze,” a gorgeous tune whose beaming tones float and flutter like a butterfly, practically leaving pixie dust in their wake.
Drum & Lace “Solstice” (Fabrique)
An Italian currently living in London, Drum & Lace has spent much of her career turning out what might be described as “pretty ambient,” filling her songs with ethereal textures, soaring expanses and angelic fragments of her own voice. To her credit, she’s made that stuff sound great, but the newly released “Solstice,” which was issued as a standalone single, but is also billed as the first taste of a forthcoming album, indicates a newfound willingness to explore darkness—and maybe even the club. Reminiscent of artists like Throwing Snow and maybe even Jon Hopkins, the song showcases Drum & Lace’s usual knack for detailed sound design and widescreen panache. Yet there’s also an underlying edge to the track, most notably in the winding growl of the song’s primary synth line, which conjures images of a snake that’s patiently coiling up and getting ready to strike.
Astrid Sonne “Say you love me” (Escho)
Another artist who’d previously established herself as a skilled practitioner of ethereal electronics and ambient-adjacent sounds, Astrid Sonne has delivered something more distinctly human on new album Great Doubt. Where the Danish musician once dealt primarily in moods, she’s now tapping into her inner singer-songwriter, prominently using her voice and crafting a kind of chilled-out, subtly soulful pop. LP cut “give my all” even borrows from Mariah Carey, but album closer “Say you love me”—one of two tracks on the record that feature Ben Vince on saxophone—is even better, its scratchy, piano-flecked cadence evoking the foggy, lovelorn R&B of Tirzah.
That’s all I’ve got 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.)
Until next time,
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.