First Floor #270 – Not Nearly Enough
The music world's (possibly doomed) battle against unethical corporate power, plus a round-up of the latest electronic music news and a fresh slate of new track recommendations.
Just how low will Daniel Ek go? For years now, the Spotify CEO has arguably been the most hated man in music, and certainly one of the most criticized. And while the company he co-founded still has its staunch defenders—the “Spotify saved the music industry from piracy” narrative has proven to be remarkably resilient—Ek himself has become more and more of a public punching bag. Terminally uncool and a perfect avatar for the disruptive menace of the modern tech industry, he embodies (and is credibly responsible for) so much of what’s wrong with contemporary music, and yet, it still felt a little shocking when it was announced earlier this month that he would be leading a new, €600 million funding round for a German weapons company.
In an era defined by shamelessness, Ek and his ilk are thriving, and though their actions aren’t limited to the music realm, the sector’s almost complete lack of guardrails means that those without ethical hang-ups are more or less free to run amok. Watching that unfold is stomach-turning, and while the pushback offered by artists like Deerhoof—who loudly removed their music from Spotify earlier this week—is encouraging, it’s foolish to believe that artists (and especially independent artists) are capable of upending a profoundly corrupt system on their own. Why do we constantly expect musicians to take all the risks and lead the moral charge, particularly as other industry players—including ones that actively present themselves as progressive forces for good—continue to uphold the status quo and quietly collect their checks on the sideline?
That question was at the heart of my latest First Floor essay. You’ll find a link to that below—and yes, the paywall is currently down—and if you keep on reading, you’ll also find the rest of this week’s First Floor digest. Want to know what’s been happening in the world of electronic music? I’ve rounded up news items, release announcements, suggested reading links and a big batch of new track recommendations, all of them focused on tunes that dropped during the past week or so. And if that’s not enough, I’ve also recruited norim, the co-founder of rising Spanish bass outpost ecco records, to drop in with a special guest recommendation.
There’s a lot to get through, and I’m happy to report that absolutely none of it involves talk of this year’s Glastonbury festival. (Sorry British people, but your incessant Glasto chatter has once again been insufferable, and we all need a break.)
Let’s get started.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Every week, First Floor publishes a long-form piece that’s initially made available to paid subscribers only. But if you’re not part of the paid tier, now’s your chance to see what you missed! The latest piece is now (temporarily) open to everyone, and it’s an essay inspired by the latest Spotify dust-up and Deerhoof’s subsequent decision to remove their music from the platform. With corporate interests and investment capital increasingly wedging their way into the music world, there does seem to be a growing sense of pushback within the culture, but as this piece explains, as long as artists are expected to more or less fight this battle alone, securing substantive change will remain an unlikely prospect.
REAL QUICK
A round-up of the most interesting electronic music news from the past week, plus links to interviews, articles and other things I think are worth sharing.
JD Twitch (a.k.a. Keith McIvor), best known as one half of beloved Scottish duo Optimo, revealed on Instagram today that he’s been diagnosed with an untreatable brain tumor. It’s a devastating piece of news, one that McIvor himself is still “trying to process,” and although his statement professed his profound thanks to all of those who’ve supported his musical journey over the years, he’s asked people to respect his privacy and space and only send messages via a message board that’s been set up. He will read those messages eventually, but at the present moment, McIvor says that he’s “prioritising spending precious time with the people I love.”
The lo-fi beat scene—as in “lo-fi beats to study to”—never got much respect. As Kieran Press-Reynolds states in his latest Rabbit Holed column for Pitchfork, detractors have long seen the streaming-centric genre as “mercenary music engineered and optimized to hook sad bois with no taste.” There’s a lot of truth in that sentiment, but Press-Reynolds is the rare music journalist who’s unafraid of even the cringiest corners of the culture. He’s also young enough that the initial explosion of lo-fi beats during the mid 2010s happened while he was in high school, and in this fascinating piece, he examines what remains of this very peculiar—and very online—“scene,” especially now that many of its most prominent artists are being elbowed out of the playlist landscape by a veritable tidal wave of AI slop.
Seemingly every music media outlet wants a piece of Purelink right now, and while even the group’s most ardent fans probably aren’t clamoring for another interview, the New York-via-Chicago trio’s conversation with journalist Michael McKinney for DJ Mag’s Recognise series is worth a read. Even better, the article comes with an exclusive Purelink DJ mix, one that’s notably more upbeat than the dubby, spaced-out sounds the band is known for.
Although plenty of dance music figures are talking about fighting fascism and oppression these days, not many of them are willing to escalate that fight beyond a few strongly worded posts on Instagram. Yet a new DJ Mag feature by Anu Shukla explains, not everyone out there is simply being performative with their politics. It focuses on Smash Repression, an Italian anarchist network that’s been actively opposing the country’s right-wing government by getting into the streets—and using soundystems (along with a healthy dose of hard techno) to amplify their message.
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 recommend 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.
Raised in Chile and currently based in Rio de Janeiro, Valesuchi has long been one of Latin America’s must-watch talents, and she’ll soon be releasing her sophomore album. Entitled Futuro Cercano, the record is said to be “unclassifiable,” as its 11 tracks were born out of “an openness to experiment without prejudice with electronic instruments and rhythms that are as ancestral as they are futuristic.” Colombian label Discos Nutabe will be issuing the LP on August 8, but ahead of its arrival, the song “G” has already been made available.
Launched in 2019, the Dekmantel label has offered up all sorts of albums, EPs and compilations over the years, but there’s one format the famed Amsterdam outpost has never tackled: the mix CD. That, however, is now set to change, as Call Super’s forthcoming A Rhythms Protects One aims to “honour the meaning of mix CDs in a world drowning in online DJ streams.” Slated for a September 28 release, it includes several new tracks from the Berlin-based artist’s two main aliases (Call Super and Ondo Fudd), and one of those tracks, Call Super’s “Mothertime,” has already been shared.
Experimental composer and accomplished cellist Okkyung Lee has completed a new LP, the elaborately titled just like any other day (어느날): background music for your mundane activities. Created at roughly the same time that she returned to her native South Korea after several decades spent living in the US, the album is said to be a byproduct of Lee adopting a new and radically broadened approach to her own work. Shelter Press will be releasing the record on September 5, but the track “good morning, harrison, it’s time to go,” is available now.
Continuing a series of self-releases that kicked off earlier this year, MoMA Ready this week dropped MR004, an album that the genre-melding NYC artist simply says was “made with love.”
NORIM 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 norim, a Valencian producer who’s also the co-founder of the burgeoning ecco records. In dance music circles, talk of Valencia still tends to focus on the infamous Ruta del Bakalao—a cultural phenomenon that peaked more than three decades ago—but the ecco imprint, which only launched in 2023, has quickly moved to establish a new chapter in the city’s club culture, one heavily rooted in the hardcore continuum and hybrid forms of bass music. Although most of its releases to date have come from norim and his label partner Andrae Durden—the two most recently partnered on the split Sima / Moura back in February—the fast-rising outpost has also begun to platform other Spanish talents, including No Human Sound, FAIXA and pol desmond. That trend continues here, as norim has selected a tune that’s not just from a fellow Spanish artist, but also recontextualizes one of the country’s signature genres.
FLAMANTE “Triana (Debla)” (Crystal Mine)
Flamenco is my go-to music when everything else falls, a kind of a refuge for me during inner dialogues, creative blockages, personal doubts or moments of mystic excitement. It is for sure a source of inspiration and guidance, and when used properly, I think it can be very malleable and powerful. This track by FLAMANTE, the experimental alias of a very talented producer from Murcia, is one of the best examples of that. “Triana (Debla)” is clean, elegant and sharp electronica that’s been beautifully blended with a piercing vocal from flamenco legend Antonio Mairena.
LISTEN UP
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.
Felix K “IF (52.539778 13.410567 2001.0616)” (Nullpunkt)
Felix K “OKO (52.529686 13.401803 1996.1215)” (Nullpunkt)
Felix K “UT (52.524536 13.388955 1998.0904)” (Nullpunkt)
For all the talk about the influencerization of nightlife and the vapidity of contemporary DJ culture, there’s something reassuring about the fact that many of electronic music’s most talented producers are borderline recluses, actively avoiding the limelight and only emerging when they’ve got some killer tunes to share with the world. Felix K most definitely falls into that category, and while he’s long been something of a critical darling—releasing a steady stream of genre-blurring drum & bass hybrids for more than a decade will do that—the German artist and Nullpunkt founder has reached new heights on his latest full-length. Named after his hometown, Berlin is a low-key, albeit sneakily intense effort, and one that arrives shrouded in mystery. Although no official backstory has been made public, the LP’s track titles—which contain a variety of geolocations and dates—do hint at some sort of larger narrative.
Looking for a little bit of guidance, I emailed Felix K over the weekend, and while he ultimately remained rather tight lipped about his creative intentions, he did describe the album as a “cipher,” explaining that its song titles provide clues about “12 lost places and 12 stories” that he’d “woven into the music.” (Adding to the intrigue, he’s apparently also been leaving copies of the record at secret locations around Berlin.) Following Felix K down these rabbit holes is probably something only the Reddit set can fully enjoy, but the actual music on offer should prove rewarding to anyone, as the LP’s slow-burning, percussion-driven meditations are genuinely sublime. Choosing favorites is a near impossible task—that’s why three separate tracks have been highlighted here—but both “IF (52.539778 13.410567 2001.0616)” and “OKO (52.529686 13.401803 1996.1215)” are patient excursions that compellingly split the difference between techno and slow-mo drum & bass, butting up against the hypnotic work of artists like Topdown Dialectic, Demdike Stare and Forest Drive West along the way. “UT (52.524536 13.388955 1998.0904)” draws from a similar sound palette, but it does so while notably cranking up the drums, the additional oomph making clear that moody introspection and bassbin-thumping grooves can most definitely go hand in hand.
Carré “Meltdown” (Woozy)
Carré “Meltdown (dBridge Remix)” (Woozy)
Following up a big record is never easy, but Carré isn’t the sort of artist who would let the praise showered upon her Body Shell EP for Tempa go to her head. As the California native (and current London resident) made clear in a First Floor interview earlier this year, she’s both a worker and a perfectionist, and her latest release, Meltdown, once again showcases her talent for precision-crafted bass music. While the record flashes a bit more stylistic versatility than many of her past outings—”Crawler” is a wobble-infused 2-step cut, and “Season Seven” is an elastic stepper—the EP’s strongest offering, “Meltdown,” is heavily rooted in the weighty tones and luxuriously lethargic grooves of classic dubstep. There’s some post-dubstep in there as well—the song’s neon-lit, creepy-crawly synth line recalls the video game-indebted, late 2000s-era work of Joker and his purple cohort. Those in search of something with a more prominent sense of pep, however, should probably head directly to dBridge’s fantastic “Meltdown” remix, which ups the tempo and stitches the source material onto a cooly confident drum & bass rhythm.
estoc “The Poison of the Centre” (SVBKVLT)
In a time when malevolence has become commonplace and witnessing wanton savagery often requires little more than logging onto social media, an album like Are We Doomed to Bow to the Stupid and Cruel? is very much designed to meet the present historical moment. Fueled by anger, incredulity and what estoc describes as her desire “to make sense of a world seemingly hellbent on violence as its chief export,” the LP may not offer much in the way of actionable solutions, but listening to the Philadelphia-based artist’s jagged textures, chaotic blasts of noise and thundering, static-encrusted drum attack, one can find a sense of psychic relief—or at least a bit of validation in the knowledge that yes, the sociopolitical sphere really does appear to have gone completely off the rails. Particularly potent is “The Poison of the Centre,” a noisy and rather ominous trip-hop endeavor that sounds like DJ Shadow making a tune with nothing but samples of Nitzer Ebb and Sandwell District at his disposal.
Orlando Voorn “The Torch (Mix 1)” (Rhythm Cult)
Despite having more than three decades of releases under his belt, Dutch techno veteran Orlando Voorn is rarely spoken about with the same sort of reverence that’s routinely bestowed upon many of the genre’s Detroit innovators. Is he being slighted? Perhaps, but Voorn doesn’t seem to have let it affect his production chops, which remain razor-sharp on his new The Great Pretender EP. A four-track exercise in high-quality machine soul, the record shines brightest on “The Torch (Mix 1),” a propulsive and subtly soulful cut that sounds a bit like Plastikman’s iconic “Spastik”—if all of that song’s looping snares had been swapped out for the same sort of blippy synths that soundtracked a myriad of 1980s arcade games.
Fennec “Grilled Romaine” (Studio Barnhus)
Having previously released a string of much-loved and (mostly) self-released albums and EPs—and building something of a cult following in the process—Fennec has now taken a pretty significant leap, linking up with the Studio Barnhus label for his new Momentary Pleasure EP. Led by Kornél Kovács, Petter Nordkvist and Axel Boman, the fun-loving, Stockholm-based imprint has long balanced its love of warm house grooves with a healthy sense of humor, and considering Fennec’s love of dusty deepness and slightly goofy (albeit often poignant) vocal samples, the Austin-based producer should fit right in. EP highlight “Grilled Romaine”—a song Studio Barnhus accurately describes as “frisky yet contemplative”—certainly makes for a good start to this new relationship, somehow finding a way to not just overlay its rotund rhythm with dueling hip-house and new age vocal clips, but to make that combination sound like the most natural thing in the world.
Nick León “Metromover (feat. Jonny from Space)” (TraTraTrax)
Nick León “Broward Boy” (TraTraTrax)
A Tropical Entropy, the long-awaited debut album from Nick León, is already drawing rave reviews, but anyone expecting an LP full of club-ready “Xtasis” clones might be disappointed. Assembled during a period when the Miami-based artist was feeling burnt out from touring and bored by the club, the record deals primarily in woozy textures, smeared colors and León’s specific view of what pop music ought to sound like. Having previously put that view to use on tracks with Rosalia, Isabella Lovestory, Erika de Casier and a litany of others, he’s already made clear that the studio is where he’s most comfortable, and A Tropical Entropy not only contains collaborations with artists like Ela Minus, Casey MQ, Esty & Mediopicky, Xander Amahd and Lavurn, but also contains only two songs that exceed the four-minute mark.
Pop production, in all likelihood, will eventually make up the bulk of León’s musical future, but one of the best tracks on A Tropical Entropy is “Metromover,” a slinky team-up with old friend (and fellow Miami mainstay) Jonny from Space. Built atop growling sheets of bass, the track is a late-night oozer, its breathy vocal clips nodding toward Sade as the song’s percolating, off-kilter rhythms tap into the same sort of post-colonial worldview that Nguzunguzu once made their calling card. A much brighter highlight is “Broward Boy,” a mutant R&B tune that opens with some Dallas Austin-style acoustic guitar (TLC fans rejoice!) and somehow closes—only 98 seconds later—with a volley of galloping trance ecstasy. As much as León has expressed a desire to slow down, at least when it comes to his touring schedule, A Tropical Entropy proves that even during those moments when he’s settled into the studio, his mind is still speeding down the causeway, moving through and mashing up ideas at 100 miles per hour.
HVL “Drummodel P1” (Self-released)
When it comes to electronic music, most of the news coming out of Georgia—the country, not the American state—these days tends to focus on the government’s rightward turn and its increasingly belligerent attitude toward club culture. That’s obviously a shame—especially considering the degree to which Tbilisi was being held up as a legitimate clubbing hotspot just a few years ago—but while people outside the country understandably wring their hands whenever they hear about the latest police raid or venue closure, many of those same people seem to have lost sight of the fact that Georgia is still a place that’s rife with music-making talent. HVL, a longtime Bassiani resident, is one such figure, and last week he offered up an excellent new album, Deviate, as a name-your-price download on Bandcamp. A relatively downbeat effort, it deals primarily in a mesmerizing brew of twinkly ambient and wonky IDM, occasionally throwing some techno into the pot as well. On the standout “Drummodel P1,” he shifts into what might be described as “Alexi Perälä mode,” stringing weightless chimes and disembodied vocalizations atop a bed of pensive chords and pitter-pat drum programming.
Brìghde Chaimbeul “Dùsgadh / Waking” (Glitterbeat / tak:til)
It was a recent guest recommendation by Loula Yorke that put the work of Brìghde Chaimbeul on the First Floor radar, but the Scottish piper—technically, she’s a small pipes player—has actually been pushing the limits of her chosen instrument for years now. The newly released Sunwise is her third full-length, and while the record won’t be for everyone—bagpipes, no matter how creatively they’re used, do tend to send some listeners immediately running in the opposite direction—it does open on a captivating high note with “Dùsgadh / Waking.” A somber, long-form dirge that clocks in at more than nine minutes, the song bends the familiar sounds of Celtic folk into what’s essentially a sustained, slowly evolving drone. If La Mont Young had set up the Dream House in the Scottish highlands instead of Lower Manhattan, an immersive composition like this one could easily have been slipped into the soundtrack.
perila “hold my leg” (West Mineral Ltd.)
Considering the sheer volume of music perila has released during the past six years, not to mention the large number of friends and collaborators that she and Huerco S. have in common, it’s borderline incredible that she’s only now making her official debut on his esteemed West Mineral Ltd. imprint. The omnis festinatio ex parte diaboli album is in no way a reinvention—it’s very much an expedition into the gently warbling halls of lower-case ambient—but there’s a lot to love about its bare-bones songcraft and warm tendrils of reverb. As is often the case, perila’s own voice is the music’s primary element, and on the standout “hold my leg,” it’s been blissfully looped and layered into a kind of avant-pop lullaby, the song’s wordless fragments hovering near the earth but never quite touching the ground.
boring tables “pola” (Objects & Sounds)
The “Westerner travels to Japan, collects field recordings and uses them to make an album of delicate ambient music” model is one that countless artists have explored over the years. It’s not hard to understand why—anyone who’s been to Japan knows that the place can legitimately feel kind of magical—but no matter how good their intentions, folks who head down this creative path run the severe risk of tipping into cliché and exoticism. Knowing that, I was bit apprehensive about diving into boring tables’ debut album, mathematical model 0010, but within a few minutes, it was thankfully clear that the Roman producer had transcended the tropes. Crafting a strain of highly detailed, almost tactile ambient, he does indeed elude to the wonders of Japan, but the album never feels like a cartoon, or a rehash of the hazy pop sounds that populated a film like Lost in Translation. LP highlight “pola” opens with a melange of drones and tones—the birdsong is recognizable, but the rest could be planes, passing trains, or even wind blowing through a quiet alley—but underneath the song’s dreamy morass is a subdued procession of barely there chords and melodies. The soundworld boring tables has created in one driven by wonder, not navel gazing, and while the prevailing vibe is one of calm, he provides just enough forward momentum to keep even his quietest songs from ever feeling stagnant.
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.)
Until next time,
Shawn
Shawn Reynaldo is a freelance writer, editor, presenter and project manager. Find him on LinkedIn and Instagram—and make sure to follow First Floor on Instagram as well—or you can just drop Shawn an email to get in touch about projects, collaborations or potential work opportunities.