First Floor #215 – Into the Digital Dance Abyss
a.k.a. An in-depth look at the latest wave of jumpstyle, plus a round-up of the latest electronic music news and a fresh bundle of new track recommendations.
Hello there. This is Henry Ivry filling in for Shawn while he’s on vacation. I’m doing the somewhat less glamorous role of handling the First Floor digest for Shawn this week, but there’s a bumper crop of big tunes as early plays are already being made for the vaunted sound of the summer.
But, as Kieran Press-Reynolds documents in his excellent piece listed below, we may already have a winner. Kieran’s article digs into jumpstyle, a subgenre of gabber that is making major waves. And thanks to its combination of ’90s internet pastiche, frenetic drum programming, surprisingly poignant melodies and TikTok-able dance moves, jumpstyle just might be ready to take a turn in sun—or at least the Gen Z zeitgeist.
Whether or not you find yourself learning Jumpen moves anytime soon, the piece is worth a read, as it provides both a primer for the uninitiated and some excellent YouTube links to add to your tab collection. Otherwise, stick around for the usual assortment of First Floor-approved news and track recommendations, along with a special guest recommendation from Manchester-based techno artist Kerrie.
Before we get started with all that, a quick programming / scheduling note. Shawn will still be away next week, and First Floor will not be publishing its usual long-form piece (e.g. essay, article, interview) this coming Tuesday, April 30. However, the Thursday digest will be sent out on May 2, and the regular First Floor publishing schedule will resume the following week.
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, is an essay by Kieran Press-Reynolds about a bonkers style of dance music that most readers likely don’t know much about: jumpstyle. The piece dives deep into the recesses of the internet, and pays particular attention to the genre’s latest iteration, which reflects the fried, hyper-online worldview of its (mostly quite young) creators.
SOMETHING SHAWN DID
Shawn may be on vacation, but the latest installment of his monthly Second Floor column for Nina went live earlier this week, offering at in-depth look at UK artist Sully. Though he’s currently known as one of the most talented jungle producers in the game, Shawn looks through his catalog and highlights not only his versatility, but his unique ability to consistently deliver top-shelf tunes, irrespective of what specific genre he’s working with at any given time.
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.
The composer Peter Gordon commands reverence in certain corners of the music world—he’s collaborated with the likes of Arthur Russell and Lori Anderson and James Murphy is such a big fan he put out a compilation of Gordon’s music on DFA. But he remains a cult figure, generally overlooked by the mainstream press, which makes it especially sweet that Rob Tannenbaum profiled him for the New York Times in advance of the launch of his new label.
Resident Advisor had a slew of killer features this past week, with Chloe Lula helming the latest edition of the site’s beloved (and always essential) The Art of DJing series with the legendary Freddy K and Michael McKinney profiling the footwork producer Heavee.
In news that will surely interest vinyl enthusiasts, 5mag’s Terry Mathew reports that starting today, Chicago’s Harold Washington Library is auctioning off 9000 records from its collection for $1 each.
Dustin Zahn relaunched his Train Wrecks podcast earlier this year after a six-year hiatus. While his intros can test your patience (cheer up, Dustin!), this week’s episode with Chicago legend Hiroko Yamamura is certainly worth checking out.
Ben Murphy, who’s currently a contributing editor at DJ Mag, has written a new book documenting the relationship between electronic music and field recordings. Entitled Ears to the Ground, it will be released by Velocity Press on May 10, but ahead of its arrival, DJ Mag has published an excerpt.
OBLIGATORY BOOK MENTION
Shawn’s 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, it’s recommended that you either inquire at your favorite local bookshop or try one of the online sales links that have been compiled here.
JUST ANNOUNCED
A round-up of noteworthy new and upcoming releases announced during the past week.
Electronic polymath and UNC professor Suzi Analogue has just announced the follow-up to 2022’s Infinite Zonez. ONEZ is dropping on May 31 via her own Club Analogue label, and the cassette version will come with a bonus zine. Ahead of the new mixtape’s arrival, you can already listen to a couple of tracks here.
Patricia Wolf is a rising star of the American ambient underground, and she has a new LP coming on Brighton-based tape label Nite Hive. The Secret Lives of Birds is scheduled for a June 28 release, but for those eager to get soothing, three tracks from the album are currently streaming here.
Martyn will be releasing a compilation called Through Lines on May 10 through his own 3024 label. The double LP collects some of the Dutch producer’s best tracks from 2005 to 2015. Rest assured, “Vancouver” still sounds like the future.
TraTraTrax, a Colombian label that’s already established itself as one of the decade’s most reliable tastemaker outposts, is venturing into ambient territory with a new sublabel called Ambie—Tón. The first release, Ruido y Flor, is being handled by Ezmeralda and will be out on May 7, though its opening track, “El amor eficaz,” has already been shared.
Bristol fixture Hodge has a new EP, Everyday in the Club / Bounce on Water, coming out on April 26 (i.e. tomorrow) via TREKKIE TRAX. The record is a collaboration with Japanese rapper Nakamura Minami and the wiggly A-side has already been made available.
Terence Fixmer, a producer who has been blending EBM and techno since most of us were debating the merits of rap-rock in middle school, has a new LP en route. The Paradox in Me will hit shelves on June 21 via Mut, but most of the record has already been shared here.
Dutch producer Eversines has previously made waves with releases on labels like Kalahari Oyster Cult and De Lichting, but his newest 12-inch is coming courtesy of new minimal stalwarts Undersound. Void Walk lands this summer (the exact release date hasn’t been announced yet), but some preview snippets are already available to stream.
KERRIE 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 Kerrie, an Irish techno producer who’s based in Manchester. In recent years, her work has surfaced on labels like Blueprint, Cultivated Electronics and I Love Acid, along with her own Dark Machine Funk imprint, which is handy because “dark machine funk” is quite possibly the best way to describe her sound. Later this week (tomorrow to be exact), she’ll be dropping a new EP, Machine Alliance, via the iconic Tresor label, but ahead of that, she’s stopped by First Floor to share something that works best away from the dancefloor.
Bendik Giske “Fantas for Saxophone and Voice” (Editions Mego)
I love Caterina Barbieri’s original “Fantas,” which is from her stunning album Ecstatic Computation, but this alternative take by saxophonist Bendik Giske is so beautiful. The original’s chords, melody and polyrhythms are stunning, and combining them with the use of effects on the saxophone and voice creates a sense of real melancholic eeriness. It’s a very emotive track. I just love Caterina’s music, and I think it’s very relatable and similar to techno with its repetition, structure and minimalist elements.
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.
claire rousay “lover's spit plays in the background” (Thrill Jockey)
claire rousay’s new sentiment album is, rightfully, already being hailed as a paradigm shifter for the emo ambient originator. (Reminder: she was interviewed about the LP here in First Floor back in February.) Across the record, she’s traded her usually fuzzy ambient productions for something rawer and more vulnerable. Filled with imminently quotable lyrics and early-’00s emo throwbacks, the whole LP is equal parts TikTok revival and emo nostalgia—hell, it’s even coming out on legendary indie Thrill Jockey! “lover’s spit plays in the background” is the one song I keep hitting rewind on. A simple acoustic guitar riff is made slightly wobbly at the corners in a solemn, plucked slowcore death march. All the while, rousay’s Auto-Tuned voice laments, “trying to convince everyone / that im okay / when i am not / fucking okay.”
Amandra “Pana Ondine” (Nous’klaer)
For the past decade, French producer Amandra has been making the sort of hypnotic techno that inevitably conjures up comparisons to the likes of DJ Nobu or Donato Dozzy. (To be fair, the latter did once do a remix for him.) His latest EP, Edition Collector, is certainly as deep as they come, but “Pana Ondine” subtly shifts from being a lean, muscular DJ tool into something a bit gentler as soft, plaintive pads flood the stereo. This is for those moments when you are looking to ease the punters back into reality.
Dee Diggs “Go Deep” (toucan sounds)
Locking into a Dee Diggs track transports you into a halcyon era of house music. The New York producer and DJ makes that sort of rich and indulgent house that isn’t timeless so much as it is forever timely. Her latest EP, Go Deep, is no exception, and on its title track, rich piano keys cascade across the stereo while her soft and slightly smoky vocals fill the remaining channels. Don’t worry though, there is still some serious swagger thanks to the wandering bassline, trance-lite arpeggios and slanted stabs she lets loose in the song’s back half.
Bikini Body “Chivas Dunhills Coke” (Optimo Music Rocks)
Since moving to Glasgow last year, I have (unsurprisingly) met more than my fair share of Optimo disciples. The legendary Glaswegian duo remain a singular force—and not just in Scotland, but in the world writ large, thanks to their unique take on club-not-club music. When Optimo are spinning, you’re just as likely to hear some melodic post-punk as an abrasive bit of acid. It is only fitting then that they’ve started a new imprint focused on bands. The first release, Weird Party, is from the other side of the M8, as it was put together by Edinburgh weirdos Bikini Body. EP highlight “Chivas Dunhills Coke” captures the spirit of Optimo perfectly, and with its bright melodies, goofy vocals and blasts of guitar distortion, this ode to the holy trinity of partying is a catchy little groover.
trickpony “Shiver (On Ice Dub)” (Step Ball Chain)
Roza Terenzi’s Step Ball Chain label has been responsible for some of my favorite slices of hedonistic club music since it launched in 2020. The imprint charts a singular path through trance, UK garage and contemporary minimal, and its latest release, Pillow Talk, comes from trickpony, a collaboration between Terenzi, Mike Midnight and vocalist Maria Korkeila. “Shiver (On Ice Dub)” kicks off with a slight UKG slink and hushed vocals from Korkeila, who sounds not dissimilar to Erika de Casier. But as the track unfurls, it gets a bit rowdier, with a tighter breakbeat and some glimmering pads, ultimately transforming into wonderfully weird piece of almost-pop that would definitely work at the afters.
New Jackson “I Wanna Be Adored” (Permanent Vacation)
Listening back to New Jackson’s 2017 LP, From Night to Night, it feels a bit strange that he isn’t lined up for a summer of private jet hopping between Balearic beaches this upcoming festival season. However, his follow-up LP, Oops… Pop!, just might rectify this oversight. It’s a tonal shift for him, as he channels some forgotten ’80s discotheque on a sunny coast. The color palette is bright and wistful, and the record is filled with squiggly melodies and chunky basslines. The opening chord sequence on “I Wanna Be Adored”—yes, it’s a Stone Roses cover—could have been lifted from a John Hughes movie, as he puts the vocoder into overdrive. It’s a lovely piece of synth pop that sounds anything but accidental.
Dr. Rubinstein “Rubi’s Acid Spa” (Uppers and Downers)
As a DJ, Dr. Rubinstein has been pushing acid workouts with a contemporary flavoring since she first started turning heads a decade ago. Her new Rubi’s Acid Spa EP—a rare foray into the studio from the Berlin-based artist—distills that acid sound into a record of her own. The title track leads things off, and it’s an exhilarating tour de force, not to mention an excellent demonstration of just how squelchy a 303 can sound. And while the song is definitely intended for peak time at some warehouse rave, there’s a dubstep-esque surprise for the acid steppers halfway through.
Phase Fatale “Introjection” (BITE)
There’s an aggression in the club contortions Phase Fatale makes, particularly for his own BITE imprint. His newest release on the label, Love Is Destructive, doesn’t veer from his usual formula—EBM meets techno meets ’80s wave and industrial—but it also doesn’t need to. On closing track “Introjection,” claustrophobic drum programming circles around ropy synth work like a wolf pack closing in on its prey. But before things get too gory, Phase Fatale adds in some synth pop-style chords, balancing out his dark industrial techno with a hint of ’80s camp.
Orbital “Satan” (London)
Orbital’s self-titled debut, later known as The Green Album, was originally released in 1991. It was a game-changing record that gave us classics like “Belfast” and “Chimes.” and it’s now been reissued as an expanded four LP boxset. Consisting of the original album, live recordings, a ton of remixes and even a few unreleased tracks, it’s a formidable release, and picking out a favorite is a challenge—especially since so many of these tracks are enshrined in dance music’s collective cultural imagination. But I’ve always been a sucker for Orbital at their raviest, and I’m pleased to report that thepounding power chords and vinyl spinbacks of “Satan” sound more enjoyably over the top than ever.
Guy Contact “Energy Obsession” (Craigie Knowes)
Returning to Scottish label Craigie Knowes for the second time, Australian producer Guy Contact refines his understated take on progressive house and the melodic fringes of the ’90s on new EP Energy Obsession. With its wobbly bassline, breathy vocals and undulating pads, the record’s title track has all the markings of a vintage Guerilla Records release, but Contact updates the formula by giving the song a slightly compressed and muted feel, turning peak-time progressive into a headsy piece of psychedelic club music.
That brings us to the end of today’s First Floor digest. 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 great week,
Henry
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.
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