First Floor #295 – So So Many Substacks
Artists are suddenly flocking to the newsletter format, plus a round-up of the latest electronic music news and a fresh bundle of recommended new releases.
Electronic music has yet to fully awaken from its annual holiday slumber, but if the sheer volume of press releases I’ve received in recent days is any indication, the industry’s publicists are already running at full capacity. Simply put, a whole lot of announcements were made over the past few days, and while I’m not quite sure how much of an impact any of them are making—with all of the chaos happening in the world right now, most people are understandably focused on other things—I’ve done my best to round up the most interesting bits in today’s First Floor digest.
The irony, of course, is that First Floor is ultimately just another email clogging up people’s inboxes, and in the months ahead, it’s bound to be competing for attention with even more newsletters—many of them written by artists themselves. That phenomenon was the subject of an article I published earlier this week, which considers not only why musicians are suddenly flocking to platforms like Substack, but whether it’s smart for them to put their faith in yet another Silicon Valley enterprise that’s primarily funded by investment capital.
You can find that essay below—and yes, the paywall is (temporarily) down. And if you keep reading, you’ll find those news items I mentioned earlier, along with new release announcements, suggested reading links and a fresh batch of recommended releases. I know it’s still January, and the winter cold likely has a lot of electronic music fans (in the Northern Hemisphere) locked into hibernation mode, but the First Floor digest has more than enough goodies to help you pass the time.
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 open to everyone, and it’s an article looking at why so many artists are suddenly starting their own newsletters and joining platforms like Substack.
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING
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.
Once again setting itself apart from other major music platforms, Bandcamp this week announced a strict new generative AI policy, stating that “music and audio that is generated wholly or in substantial part by AI is not permitted.” It added that “any use of AI tools to impersonate other artists or styles is strictly prohibited” and asserted that the company “reserve[s] the right to remove any music on suspicion of being AI-generated.”
Speaking of Bandcamp, last year First Floor took a fresh look at the company’s current health, which appears stable despite the growing number of upstart platforms specifically marketing themselves as “Bandcamp alternatives.” Those upstarts, however, appear undeterred. Subvert, which is completely community-owned, has gone live with its “alpha version,” which is currently open to all members. Just yesterday, Nina—where, full disclosure, I previously had a monthly column—announced plans to launch Posts, a feature which will apparently allow users to write about music and engage with other listeners directly on the platform. And over on the other side of the Atlantic, Cantilever—which makes available only a limited (albeit curated) selection of music each month, and was previously limited to the UK only—this week shared the news that it is now available in both the US and the EU.
In the aftermath of Rene Good being shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minnesota, Variety’s Steven J. Horowitz and Jem Aswad quickly reported that Spotify had ceased running recruitment ads for the agency on its platform. The decision, however, was not made in response to the shooting, as the streaming giant confirmed that its advertising contract with ICE had expired at the end of last year. The ICE ads had previously triggered a wave of intense Spotify criticism, but it appears that the rep who commented to Variety did not acknowledge what effect (if any) that backlash had on the company’s decision-making process.
The work of Matthew Schnipper, a NYC-based writer who pens the Deep Voices newsletter and has previously written for Pitchfork, FADER and a litany of other esteemed publications, has been featured many times in First Floor, and yesterday he unveiled the details of his forthcoming new book. Entitled Rise Above, it’s a memoir that focuses heavily on grief and the unexpected loss of his toddler son. There’s some music in there too—Henry Rollins specifically—and the book is being published by Random House, who’ve set a July 26 release date.
Last month’s terror attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney was one of the deadliest days in Australian history, and it seems to have also left the country’s cultural sector in what appears to be a growing level of disarray. Earlier this week, Adelaide Writer’s Week—an esteemed literary festival that also has a sizable music component—was cancelled after the organizers, citing “cultural sensitivities” in the wake of the Bondi attack, triggered fervent public criticism and a massive wave of artist cancellations when they decided to uninvite Palestinian writer Dr. Randa Abdel-Fattah.
At the same time, another controversy has erupted around a different Adelaide festival, WOMADelaide, which is scheduled to take place in March. Australian media outlet Deepcut News this week reported that pro-Israel activists are pressuring the event’s organizers to drop Sama’ Abdulhadi from the line-up, citing the Bondi attacks as justification and claiming that the Palestinian artist has a “documented history of hateful rhetoric against Israel, Jews, Zionists and their allies.” As of now, Abdulhadi remains on the bill.In lighter news, composer Kara Lis-Coverdale and writer Michael McKinney had a satisfyingly deep conversation about the former’s work—and the extended hiatus she took before releasing three different albums last year—in a new interview that’s been published by Passion of the Weiss.
Far less revealing is a new interview with Dopplereffekt, who spoke to journalist Marcus Barnes and delivered an exclusive new mix for the latest installment of Mixmag’s ongoing The Mix series. Considering the project’s nebulous history, it’s not surprising that the answers provided—which almost certainly were delivered via email—were somewhat stilted and cryptic, but fans of Dopplereffekt (or Gerald Donald’s previous work as one half of Drexciya) will surely be happy to see any public comment from the famously reclusive figure.
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.
Caterina Barbieri and Bendik Giske have been circling one another (and occasionally touring / performing together) for several years now, and next month the two acclaimed composers will be dropping their first collaborative release. Born out of a joint 2021 residency in Milan and further developed while playing live, the four-track effort is called At Source, and though it will be issued in full by Barbieri’s light-years imprint on February 27, the song “Alignment, Orbits” is out now.
Given his history as the co-founder of Mister Saturday Night, Nowadays and several other projects, it’s easy to forget that NYC-based Irishman Eamon Harkin is a solid artist in his own right. Perhaps his forthcoming new album will jog people’s memories. Entitled The Place Where We Live, it’s slated to arrive on March 10 via Mister Saturday Night, but in the meantime, four tracks from the LP are already available here.
Robert Hood has a new record on the way. Returning to his own M-Plant label, the Detroit techno legend has scheduled the Soul Sonic Force EP for a February 6 release. No tracks have been shared yet, but previews can be heard at Juno.
Daniel Avery’s 2025 full-length Tremor was probably the most overtly “rock” thing the UK producer has ever done. However, he’ll soon be following it up with Tremor (Midnight Versions), a “reimagining” of the LP on which Avery himself has remixed every song to create “a collection of darker, club-focused” material. The complete album will be released on March 6 via Domino, but four songs have already been shared here, and for those who truly can’t wait, a three-track Midnight Versions Part 1 12-inch is scheduled to land on January 16 (i.e. tomorrow).
Ambient / experimental / avant-pop artist Drum & Lace has unveiled a new EP, Terra, that the Mesh label will be dropping on March 13. Described as being “written with a strong connection to roots & belonging,” the record features the London-based artist singing in her native Italian for the first time, and one track, “Terra (Right Here Do This),” is available now.
Having spent much of the past year behind the decks, bass music explorer Farsight is once again ready to showcase his production talents, as the London-based Peruvian American recently announced both an upcoming new EP and a brand-new label. The latter is called SITUATIONS, and its inaugural offering, the plainly titled SITUATIONS 001, is set to surface on February 25. Ahead of that, he’s shared the opening tune, “Stasis Dub.”
Considering the strength of its 2025 releases, the AD 93 label would be justified in taking a little breather, but the UK outpost appears determined to continue its hot streak into the new year. Having already announced a new album from Shackleton, the imprint this week shared news of a forthcoming full-length from experimental saxophonist Ben Vince. Entitled Street Druid, it will officially hit the streets on February 20, but LP cut “(Ride a) Wave” is available now.
After teasing listeners with new material in recent months, Montreal trip-hop alchemist Maara has finally shared all the details of her upcoming album. Ultra Villain is said to navigate “desire, heartbreak, and obsession, ultimately finding freedom in self-choice,” and before the naff label issues the full release on February 5, three tracks have already been made available here.
The rare label that appeals to diggers and goofballs alike, Wisdom Teeth has turned its attentions toward Japan on a new compilation. Due to arrive on February 6, nagoyaka na kaze / 和やかな風 (quiet wind) was curated in collaboration with Nagoya-based artist abentis, and specifically seeks to highlight the talent-rich scene in that industrial (and often overlooked) central Japanese city. The stylistically varied collection will be released on February 6, but two of its songs can already be heard here.
With all of the craziness happening around the globe, the crisis in Gaza has practically disappeared from the newswire, but that hasn’t stopped the Beacon Sound label from wanting to do something to help those who are still suffering. In that spirit, the label has launched Gaza Is the Moral Compass, a new series of benefit compilations supporting Seeds Of Hope and Reviving Gaza, two Palestinian-led mutual aid groups on the ground in Gaza. The first installment—which features songs from Efrim Menuck (Godspeed You! Black Emperor), foodman, Hüma Utku and several others, including Palestinian artists SAWT and Kareem Samara—is available now as a name-your-price download on Bandcamp.
RECOMMENDED RELEASES
The following is a summary of First Floor’s favorite new releases that came out during the past week. Each one has been published with a brief excerpt of the accompanying write-up; to view the full text (and hear the actual music) for an individual release, click the “Listen + Read More” link, or you can also just head over to this convenient Buy Music Club list if you prefer to listen to all of the selections in one place.
Brandy Dalton - Fallen Angel (Dark Entries)
Dalton had a background in EBM and industrial, and his work here does at times exude a similar sort of muscular rigidity, though it runs the gamut from woozy ambient textures to chuggy techno skronk. [LISTEN + READ MORE]
Spider Taylor - Surge Studio Music (Dark Entries)
What were the most interesting queer musicians doing during the 1980s? There’s no one answer of course, but Dark Entries is making a pretty compelling case that some of the most adventurous figures were in fact making gay porn soundtracks. [LISTEN + READ MORE]
Slam - “DRUMTRAX Vol. 1” (Soma)
Promising “maximum impact” and “pure percussive power,” the DRUMTRAX records will apparently contain only a single track each, and they’ve started very strong with the relentless “DRUMTRAX Vol. 1.” [LISTEN + READ MORE]
That brings us to the end of today’s First Floor digest. Thank you so much for reading the newsletter, and remember, you can find all of this week’s recommended releases on this handy Buy Music Club list. (If you like them, please buy them.)
Until next time,
Shawn
First Floor is published and overseen by Shawn Reynaldo, 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.