First Floor #293 – Just One More
Closing thoughts on 2025, plus a round-up of the latest electronic music news and a fresh batch of new track recommendations.
2025 was … a lot. Granted, pretty much every year has felt overwhelming for at least a decade now, but in 2025, the political strife, culture wars and general sense of turmoil that have come to color our daily existence fully boiled over into the music realm as well. Somehow we’ve entered a timeline where artists—including DJs, who’ve never been the most intellectual bunch—are increasingly expected to not just have informed opinions on geopolitical conflicts, genocidal actors, AI technology and private equity firms, but to also take ethically coherent action in regard to how those things intersect with the modern music industry. Add in all of the uproar around Spotify and its laundry list of highly questionable business practices, and even the most normie music fans are now more frequently being asked to reckon with the political and cultural ramifications of their consumption choices, whether they like it or not.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As ugly and uninformed as the so-called “discourse” can often be, particularly online, First Floor has obviously devoted a lot of time and energy to shining a light on the music industry’s ugly underbelly. (What’s really alarming is how many music publications, including ones with much bigger staffs and far more resources than this newsletter, continue to pay only cursory attention to these issues and basically refuse to engage in anything resembling investigative journalism.)
At the same time, it’s hard not to feel like the “music” part of “music discourse” has been largely relegated to the background. Yes, music is still great and there’s no shortage of exciting / interesting artists out there—this year alone, First Floor published in-depth interviews with the likes of Voice Actor, Barker, Ploy, Carrier, Carré, mad miran, Relaxer, Patrick Holland and Priori, Debit, J. Albert and Al Wootton—but all they’re operating within a cultural landscape that’s become absolutely saturated with content options. In that context, even the “biggest” albums and tracks rarely linger in the conversation for more than a few weeks, while most releases, irrespective of how good they are, effectively make no impact whatsoever. Even in independent music circles, where people pride themselves on their supposedly superior taste and more dogged appreciation of genuine artistry, visibility has become the culture’s primary currency, giving rise to sycophantic fandoms and cults of personality that often look little different from their mainstream counterparts.
First Floor, in many ways, is an effort to push back against the prevailing headwinds, whether I’m reporting on a festival conglomerate’s unsavory business practices or simply highlighting some new tunes I like. Speaking of that, I did a quick tally, and during the course of 2025, I wrote 484 recommendations covering 529 tracks from 493 different releases. That is a lot! (For the sake of comparison, Resident Advisor—which has a whole team of writers at its disposal—published 89 reviews this year.)
To be clear, I like doing the newsletter. I like filling some of the obvious gaps in the music media landscape. I like asking hard questions that other publications won’t. I like writing about obscure records. I like publishing long, in-depth conversations with artists I find interesting, even when (and maybe especially when) they’re not in the middle of a publicity tour. I like not having to worry about courting advertisers or brand partnerships. But the only way I can continue to do all of those things is with the support of paid subscribers, and right now, they only make up a little more than 5% of the total audience.
We can do better than that.
If you like First Floor and appreciate what I do, now would be a great time to level up your support, especially if you’ve been “meaning to subscribe” already.
As a little added incentive, I’ve temporarily opened up a special 20% discount on all paid subscriptions. For just €4 per month or €40 per year, you will not only get access to the entire First Floor archive, but you’ll also never see another paywall again. (That alone is worth the cost of a subscription—those things are annoying!)
This offer will be good from now until January 4, so you have a little time to think about it, but if you feel like you need a little extra convincing, take a look at everything I’ve stuffed into today’s First Floor digest, which will be the last one of 2025. There are news items, new release announcements, suggested reading links and, of course, plenty of track recommendations too, all of them plucked from albums and EPs that dropped during the past couple of weeks. And for those of you eager to hear from someone who isn’t me, there’s also a special guest recommendation, this time from sound and visual artist Caroline Partamian.
First Floor will return in early January, but in the meantime, I do want to thank everyone who’s taken the time to read anything I’ve published this year. Your support means so much, and there’s never a moment where I take it for granted.
Have a great rest of the year, and let’s (finally) jump into today’s newsletter.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
FIRST FLOOR’S FAVORITES OF 2025
At this stage, there’s a good chance you’re sick of year-end lists, but last week I published two of my own. If you missed either one, or would simply like to take another look at my selections, click on the links below:
First Floor’s Favorite Tracks of 2025
First Floor’s Favorite Releases of 2025
FIRST FLOOR ON DUBLAB BCN
Last week I returned to the dublab BCN studios for the December edition of First Floor’s monthly radio show, and decided to devote the entire program to playing some of my favorite tracks of 2025. That episode, which includes songs from Car Culture, Barker, Joanne Robertson & Oliver Coates, K-LONE and many others, has since been archived here with a complete tracklist, so those who missed the original broadcast (or simply want to hear it a second time) can now listen to it at their leisure.
REAL QUICK
A round-up of the most interesting electronic music news from the past two weeks, plus links to interviews, articles and other things I think are worth sharing.
The boycotts against Boiler Room, Sónar and other music entities with ties to private equity giant KKR have been one of this year’s biggest music news stories, and during the past few weeks, a new campaign has emerged targeting Live Nation, which is an even more influential player in the live music industry. It began when the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) published a statement calling for a pressure campaign against Live Nation, specifically demanding that the company drop “its subsidiary Live Nation Israel that openly supports the genocidal Israeli military and artwashes apartheid.” That was followed this week by an open letter from an organization called Musicians for Palestine; signed by more than 600 artists and industry professionals, including Caribou, Kode9, Massive Attack, Kara-Lis Coverdale, Midland, Nicolas Jaar and many, many others, it makes the same demand about Live Nation Israel, and also calls for Live Nation to adopt “policies to ensure its programming and partnerships are not complicit in oppression anywhere.”
Pitchfork named AD 93 its Label of the Year, and the accompanying feature by Philip Sherburne digs deep into the UK label’s past and present, talking extensively with founder Nic Tasker about the evolution of his tastes and curatorial approach while attempting to suss out what connects the celebrated imprint’s seemingly disparate artist roster.
The recent deals struck between the major labels and generative AI music platforms like Udio, Suno and KLAY have generated lots of news coverage, but relatively little in the way of detailed analysis. The Frankie Pizá-authored article that First Floor republished earlier this month was an exception to that, and now The Guardian has taken a closer look, commissioning a piece by Eamonn Forde that examines the aforementioned deals, attempts to get more concrete details about said deals (with limited success) and lays out why artists continue to be deeply concerned about the potential impact of AI on their work and financial livelihood.
Conversations with Barker are always worth checking out, and the Berlin-based has just popped up on the latest episode of the RA Exchange podcast. (There’s also a video version.) In it, he talks to host Chloe Lula about his acclaimed Stochastic Drift album, his interest in behavioral science and psychology, the current state of electronic music culture and how what’s happening today can be connected—via reverb—to what humans were likely doing in caves during prehistoric times.
It’s often said that contemporary music journalism has lost its ability to impact the culture, but in a new interview with the FADER, Jeff Mills talks to Patrick St. Michel about how a Pitchfork review of his 1995 mix CD Live at the Liquid Room inspired him to revisit and reissue a special 30th-anniversary edition of the release. He also discusses how the imperfections of the recording give it a more human character, which feels like an antidote to the soulless polish that permeates much of the current cultural landscape.
Despite being one of the most respected figures in drum & bass, dBridge tends to maintain a relatively low profile, which makes his recent interview with Orlando Whitehead for Ransom Note a rare treat. Now based in Thailand, he speaks about how he’s touring less and producing more, and explains what he sees as the “aggressively beautiful” nature of his work.
Fresh off the release of his My Supernova album for Dekmantel UFO, Wata Igarashi has taken the reins for the latest edition of Mixmag’s The Mix series. The exclusive DJ mix is probably enough to entice many readers, but the accompanying interview by Finn Cliff Hodges includes lots of interesting tidbits from the Japanese techno producer, including his unorthodox introduction to rave culture (psychedelic trance was involved), his love of arpeggios and the intensely personal nature of his recent LP.
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 two weeks.
In his recent First Floor interview, Al Wootton mentioned that he’d be releasing something inspired by the Spanish Civil War before the year was through. That record, Glorias, has since been unveiled, and is due to arrive via AD 93 offshoot Lith Dolina on December 19 (i.e. tomorrow). The compositions are said to include “minute samples of pieces by composers who were exiled from Franco’s Spain after the Spanish Civil War and field recordings of the Spanish countryside,” and the record’s 13-plus-minute title track has already been shared.
Adding to his already impressive list of film and television work, cellist and composer Oliver Coates has been enlisted to soundtrack the movie Pillion. With the movie out now in the UK and Ireland, the digital version of the soundtrack has already been released by A24 Music. (It’s not available on Bandcamp, but places like Bleep and Boomkat have it for sale.) The label also plans to issue a physical version in February, when Pillion hits American theaters.
Colleen has a new album on the way. Entitled Libres antes del final, it was inspired in part by her decision to combat a decades-old phobia and learn to swim again. Described by the Barcelona-based French artist as “an ode to movement, to the body, to water, to urgency; to repairing old wounds, overcoming personal blocks and starting all over again,” the LP will land on March 20 via Thrill Jockey, but first single “Antídoto” is available now.
Sticking to the realm of Thrill Jockey, the Chicago label has announced a forthcoming solo album from Brooklyn-based composer and experimental artist more eaze. Rooted in her “reverence for the evolution of folk forms,” it’s called sentence structure in the country, and before its official release on March 20, the song “bad friend” has already been shared.
Designed to be a companion to her Hometown Girl album from earlier this year, Other Girl is a new release from Ulla. Containing 10 tracks that were originally composed during the same sessions that produced Hometown Girl, the new collection is available now through the Berlin-based artist’s own 28912 imprint.
Speaking of Ulla, her frequent collaborator perila has also offered up an unexpected batch of new music. Billed as an “end of the year soul strings collection,” the self-released door contains six tracks, all of which are currently available on Bandcamp.
Continuing what’s become an annual end-of-year tradition, MoMA Ready has dropped a new installment of his self-released BODY series. Compiling 20 tracks that the NYC producer “believe[s] you should hear,” BODY 25 is out now as a name-your-price download on Bandcamp.
For the 40th release on his DRMTRK imprint, Scratcha DVA (a.k.a. Scratchclart) has put his own music back into the spotlight, dropping a two-part EP, XXXX, which has been broken into Light and Dark sections. Available now, the release finds the UK producer collaborating with Trim, Skream & Dee Traits, Jammz and a slew of other artists.
CAROLINE PARTAMIAN 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 Caroline Partamian, a sound and visual artist, curator, classically trained guitarist and Los Angeles native of Armenian-Lebanese descent who currently makes her home in the Mojave Desert. Summing up her creative activities is no easy task; aside from the countless residencies and exhibitions she’s participated in around the globe, she’s also previously worked for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and artist Laurie Anderson, runs a small publishing house called Weird Babes and has logged time in bands like Scully, The Splinters, Habibi and The Numerators. In more recent years, however, Partamian’s musical practice has largely been a solo endeavor, producing Rooms (2022) and the wonderfully patient and intimately lo-fi Z, which surfaced in September. Here, she shares a piece of music from an artist whose output is just as multifaceted as her own.
Tibor Szemző “Let’s Go out and Dance” (Leo)
I often return to this 10-plus-minute track from Hungarian composer and multimedia artist Tibor Szemző, which I first discovered during a month-long artist residency in Budapest in October 2021. The track’s slow, patient build never quite hits a climax, but it’s perfectly satisfying, with a whirling interweaving of flute, drum programming, electronics and synthesizer. Much of Szemző’s career has involved making compositions for film and performances, and this one was specifically made for a shadowplay of Hungarian actor and director Iván Angelus in 1985, and was later released on the record Snapshot from the Island in 1987. His concerts are usually multimedia events, which I appreciate as someone who really thinks about sound visually. The timing of the release is funny because the melody kind of sounds like Brad Fiedel’s iconic “Terminator Theme” from 1984.
LISTEN UP
The following is a selection of my favorite tunes from releases that came out during the past two weeks 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.
Voices from the Lake “Bespin” (Spazio Disponibile)
How do you follow up an album that’s widely regarded in techno circles as a classic? Voices from the Lake (a.k.a. the collaborative project of Donato Dozzy and fellow Italian Neel) were faced with that very question in the aftermath of their 2012 debut LP, and while most artists in their position would have bowed to the “strike while the iron is hot” mentality that seems to dominate pretty much all creative ecosystems, the duo decided to do something different: they took their time. While they never disappeared completely—a smattering of Voices from the Lake EPs did surface during the 2010s—their highly anticipated new full-length, II, arrives a full 13 years after their self-titled debut. Even so, the record is far more interested in refinement than revolution, as the pair have once again settled into fathoms-deep grooves and a strikingly cerebral strain of psychedelia. That’s especially true on the standout “Bespin,” an elegant cut with ghostly synths that nod toward new age and a bubbling rhythmic underbelly that sounds like an extremely chilled take on EBM. Deeply meditative yet palpably intense, it’s a perfect example of just how captivating Voices from the Lake can be, even in those moments where they’re only vaguely interested in the dancefloor.
Lb Honne “Deeper” (smallville)
Don’t let the title fool you—“Deeper” is not a snoozy track. It is, however, a tasteful one. A highlight of Lb Honne’s excellent new Brücke EP, it’s bathed in the same sort of late-night haze that characterizes the work of Galcher Lustwerk, and while it doesn’t necessarily have that same level of swag, the song’s stuttering vocal refrain—which basically puts the word “deeper” on repeat—does have its own hypnotically soulful allure. Add in the Swiss artist’s sneakily bumping drums, moody pads and a tissue-thin layer of soft static, and what results is a top-shelf slice of no-frills deep(ish) house music.
Wordcolour “Spiral Emoji” (Houndstooth)
As much as the ongoing Ratios series has found Wordcolour leaning into bright splashes of color and a more explicitly floor-focused approach, it’s fair to say that “Spiral Emoji”—the lead track on the new Ratios IV EP—is almost surely the most gleefully delirious thing he’s ever released. Although the UK producer’s production chops have never been in doubt, they’re leveraged here in service of something positively giddy, giving rise to a concentrated, club-ready shot of joy that sprints ahead with the enthusiasm of an untrained puppy as its sparkling, chime-like melodies playfully twirl towards the heavens. Whether you’re bopping along to its feverish pulse or sitting back and soaking in its vibrant procession, “Spiral Emoji” is one of those tunes that’s all but guaranteed to leave you with a goofy grin on your face.
B E N N “六爻崩裂 Collapse Hexagram” (Precious Metals)
Grime, gqom, techno, industrial … those are just a few of the genres B E N N is playing with on “六爻崩裂 Collapse Hexagram,” a thundering standout from the Taipei-based artist’s new Chaos and Order EP. A muscular, take-no-prisoners tune that combines eerie, borderline haunted-house synths with a relentless (but never monotonous) drum attack, the song is brimming with confidence and bravado, drawing upon the global bass vision of labels like TraTraTax and infusing that vision with both street-level toughness and a dramatic sense of flair. In other words, “六爻崩裂 Collapse Hexagram” is capital-T tough, and a thrilling reminder that the hardcore continuum’s borders are ultimately limited only by artists’ imaginations.
Jonny from Space “Swamped” (Impacto)
Following the release of last year’s back then I didn’t but now I do album—an LP that Jonny from Space himself said was “built 2 chill”—it was fair to wonder if the Miami mainstay was simply scratching an itch, or if he’d permanently relocated to the ambient zone. His new Swamped EP, which arrives on the Impacto imprint he runs alongside Nick León, appears to eliminate the latter possibility—there are far too many drums involved to classify the record as “ambient”—but even with its plethora of often guaracha-inspired percussion, it’s still something that’s most comfortable on the outer edge of the dancefloor. The EP’s title track (and best song) essentially puts a Latin spin on dub techno, outfitting its hip-swaying rhythms with lush pads and a healthy dose of cosmic reverb. It’s an unexpected combination, but it works, and more importantly, it provides a signal that Miami’s weirdo music fringe—of which Jonny from Space is most definitely a member—is still alive and well.
Vehicular “Vehicular 02” (False Aralia)
Though the official title of this song is “Vehicular 02,” it’s telling that the file name on the promo I received includes the words “cool bass patch.” As with many of the previous False Aralia releases—all of which are devoted to music from projects spearheaded by experimental artist Izaak Schlossman—the charm of the new False 06 EP lies in its ability to zero in on a simple riff and then iterate that riff into a sort of blissfully reverb-soaked oblivion. Built atop a steppy rhythm, “Vehicular 02” grabs ahold of a bass tone that honestly sounds like it came out of Arthur Russell’s cello, and because that tone presumably came from the aforementioned “cool bass patch,” the Vehicular gang then spend six-plus minutes stretching, bending and molding it like silly putty. What results is a blurry, avant-dub gem, and a song that’s unafraid to luxuriate in its own smudgy grooves.
GAZZI “Journey” (Glossy Mistakes)
Having spent the past few years steadily working his way up the Spanish DJ ranks, GAZZI has taken a rather unexpected turn away from the club on his new Waves of Time full-length, diving headlong into a minimalist variant of ambient and new age. While the native Andalusian is far from the first producer who’s found themselves wanting to explore something beyond the immediate needs of the dancefloor, he executes the transition more gracefully than most, crafting tunes that convey emotional depth without resorting to clichéd notions of what qualifies as “cinematic.” It’s not that LP standout “Journey” doesn’t have something of a filmic quality—its tinkling bells and undulating melodic drones would actually fit beautifully into the background of a melancholy big-screen drama—but GAZZI prioritizes intimacy over bombast, smartly remembering that the songs that hit the hardest are often the ones that feel most human.
Tharn “Reach (Alternative Mix)” (Crossfade Sounds)
Lush, plush, soft, hazy, smudgy, blurry … these adjectives are routinely applied to dub techno releases, but they feel almost inadequate to describe the work of Tharn. A Portland-based Brit who’s taken the genre to its silken extreme, his new Reach EP isn’t just soft; it’s wrapped in 1000-thread-count sheets and lying atop a pile of goose-feather pillows. “Reach (Alternative Mix)”—which has slightly more reverb than the original track—is the best song on the record, as it strips dub techno down its reverb-glazed essentials and ups the emotional ante with the addition of some angelic, not-quite-pop vocal melodies that wouldn’t have been out of place on an old Enigma record. If someone wanted to reboot the Pure Moods compilation series—and given the way the culture is headed, it’s probably just a matter of time before that happens—signing this Tharn tune wouldn’t be a bad place to start.
IKSRE “purnululu (dark emu)” (Imprisma)
A Melbourne-based ambient artist who’s previously appeared on labels like Hush Hush, Past Inside the Present and Constellation Tatsu, IKSRE spent a large chunk of 2025 exploring the wilds of Australia in a solar-powered caravan with her family. That same caravan also became a makeshift recording studio, and during the downtime between outdoor adventures, she used a limited collection of instruments she’d brought along to record two albums, expansion a (south) and expansion b (north). The latter dropped earlier this month, and it’s highlighted by “purnululu (dark emu),” a delicate song inspired by her family’s visit to Purnululu National Park, one of the few remaining places on the planet where people can view the night sky without interference from man-made light sources. Though the track spans less than three minutes, it nonetheless feels like a journey to the cosmos, with IKSRE’s patiently chiming tones standing in for twinkling stars as the song’s soft drones provide both warmth and a sense of weightlessness. Who knew that getting lost in space could feel this pleasant?
Leif “Filmed Backwards” (AD 93)
Arriving at the tail end of a year in which AD 93 has already been showered with an inordinate amount of praise—dropping records from james K, Joanne Robertson, YHWH Nailgun and Moin within a relatively short timespan will do that—Leif’s new Collide album is all but certain to be overlooked. That’s unfortunate, because the Welsh artist and longtime Freerotation resident has long been one of the label’s most reliable contributors, and the new LP finds him expanding his usual ambient techno sound palette, primarily through the use of an old Aria Pro II electric guitar that he’s had since childhood. What results occasionally veers into a sort of instrumental dream pop or washy slowcore, but on the standout “Filmed Backwards,” Leif ventures into something close to ’70s krautrock. Channeling the spirit of early Kraftwerk and Neu!—perhaps unintentionally—Leif transforms a modest guitar loop into a simmering motorik groove, gradually building toward a boil (but never actually bubbling over) while adding in soft layers of drone and distortion. It’s the kind of song that would potentially be life-changing if it were coming out a big system, but even on headphones, it offers a fantastic few minutes of psychedelic escape.
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.)
See you in 2026,
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.