Hello there. I’m Shawn Reynaldo, and welcome to First Floor, a weekly electronic music digest that includes news, my favorite new tracks and some of my thoughts on the issues affecting the larger scene / industry that surrounds the music. Today’s edition of the newsletter is free to everyone, but if you’d like to sign up for a paid subscription—which grants access to all First Floor content past and present—you can click the button below. Alternately, you can also make a one-time donation here.
ON MY MIND
So… who else has their fingers crossed?
I know this newsletter is about electronic music, but I can’t pretend that my thoughts aren’t focused on other things right now. Like many people, I’ve been anxiously awaiting today’s US election for months now (and if I’m being real, for the past four years), and given the weighty consequences of what might happen in the hours and days ahead, I have to admit that I currently have very little appetite to engage in much music-related discourse.
(For what it’s worth, with the UK, France, Germany and Switzerland all adopting new lockdown measures during the past week, there are now even fewer musical happenings to talk about. It certainly casts the “plague rave” conversation from last week’s newsletter in a different light. Given that legal, licensed events are effectively off the table again, there’s really no excuse for anyone to be playing or promoting gigs right now.)
Anyways, despite my mind being elsewhere, I don’t want to leave First Floor readers completely in the lurch, which is why today’s edition features an expanded selection of new music recommendations. Barring last year’s two “favorites of 2019” rundowns, I think this is easily the most music I’ve ever highlighted in the newsletter, and it’s all really good. (As luck would have it, a ton of excellent releases came out last week, which was easily one of 2020’s busiest for new music.)
I do realize that it’s terribly American of me to act as though everyone is preoccupied with the US election, so please accept my apologies and know that I appreciate you allowing me this indulgence. Assuming that the world doesn’t fall apart in the next seven days, First Floor will be back to normal next week.
In the meantime, there are still plenty of tidbits to read below, along with a whole lot of new music to keep you company in the days ahead, whether you’re chilling at home, bored at work or anxiously watching election returns.
REAL QUICK
A round-up of the last week’s most interesting electronic music news, plus links to mixes, articles and other things I think are worth sharing.
After reading last week’s newsletter, a booking agent forwarded me this set of risk reduction guidelines they recently put together for DJs and performers who are working during the pandemic. Although it’s admittedly geared towards folks in the UK, much of the content would be useful for artists anywhere.
Detroit producer Waajeed has launched a new project called the Underground Music Academy. Inspired by Underground Resistance, the plan is to set up a physical school in the Motor City, with a curriculum focused on both music production and the music business. Before the building itself opens (in 2022), the Academy will begin by offering online tutorials next year. A few more details can be found in this Resident Advisor news story, but Waajeed’s introductory video can be seen here and donations to the project—they’re seeking $25,000 total—can be made here.
Last week, the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers—an organization that formed earlier this year to advocate for the rights of musicians (and other industry professionals) during the COVID-19 crisis—rolled out a new campaign called Justice at Spotify. The centerpiece of their platform is a demand that Spotify increase its payouts to one cent per stream (the company currently pays around $.004 cents per stream), but there are also calls for increased transparency, ending payola, proper crediting of work and a shift to a user-centric payment model.
[Editorial note: Although it’s exciting to see this sort of organizing taking place—and critiques of Spotify being further elevated into the mainstream—the fact remains that paying one cent per stream would be untenable for Spotify or any of the major streaming platforms. (To their credit, the UMAW does acknowledge that this point has been raised before.) It’s something I’ve personally written about before, and I’m still inclined to think that most talk of “fixing” streaming usually misses the mark, but at this point, anything that gets more people thinking critically about these issues does feel like a net positive.]
Following the recent release of his new Karma & Desire album—which is excellent—Actress dropped a new short film last week, starring several of the vocalists who contributed to the LP and the UK producer himself.
Old-school hardcore and jungle fans are likely rejoicing now that the legendary Moving Shadow label is being revived and reanimated under a new name, Over/Shadow. A teaser video surfaced over the weekend, but Resident Advisor reports that the first release will come from UK producer Blame. (A brief preview of that release can be seen / heard here.)
With their new Everything U Need EP set to arrive this Friday, UK duo Overmono have shared another track off the upcoming release. “Clipper” is streaming here.
Writing for Resident Advisor, Richard Akingbehin put together a feature looking back at the history of the famed (and sometimes infamous) message board and online community known as Dubstep Forum, which ran from 2005 - 2015.
JUST ANNOUNCED
A round-up of noteworthy upcoming releases that were announced during the past week.
Less than two weeks after the arrival of their SIGN full-length, veteran duo Autechre surprised everyone with another album last week. Entitled PLUS, it can be streamed or purchased here.
After a couple years of relative quiet, the Berlin Atonal label—an offshoot of the festival of the same name—has suddenly lept back into action in a major way, releasing a new five-part box set called More Light that features new music from Lee Gamble, Peder Mannerfelt, Caterina Barbieri, dBridge, Alessandro Adriani, Hiro Kone, Laurel Halo and many others. The imprint also released 25082016235210179, a live performance from the late Mika Vainio recorded at the 2016 edition of the festival. All of these releases are already available digitally—find them at the label’s Bandcamp page—and vinyl editions are slated to arrive in early 2021.
MY WIFE HAS BETTER TASTE THAN I DO
My wife Dania is a wonderful person, but she has little regard for my taste in electronic music. Head of the Paralaxe Editions label, she often describes the music I like with words like “cheesy,” “simple,” “predictable,” “boring” and, worst of all (in her mind), “happy.” In contrast, I think she has a fantastic ear, and I’m constantly amazed by the obscure gems she unearths, both from record bins and the dark corners of the internet. Given that, I’ve asked Dania to share some of her finds with the First Floor audience. Each week, she highlights something that she’s currently digging, and adds some of her thoughts as to why it’s worth our attention.
Rupert Clervaux Tanzen Und Denken 6 (LYL Radio)
Hello. I think today is the first time I’ve recommended a mix. Rupert Clervaux is a composer, audio engineer and poet, and his latest show for LYL radio is quite something. I’ve been working with Rupert for years—he’s released music on Paralaxe Editions and has also mastered several other artists’ releases for the label—and he’s someone I turn to when I want or need to challenge myself musically, as I always discover something outside my usual scope of listening. It’s difficult to put tags on this mix because he so cleverly weaves different genres into a complex sonic tapestry, but there is a surprise turn around 39 minutes in where synthetic strings are overlaid on some dark drones. I won’t lie, I’ve listened to that part on repeat.
Follow Dania on Twitter, or check out her monthly radio show on dublab.es.
NEW THIS WEEK
The following are some of my favorite tracks from releases that came out during the past week or so. This extended list of recommendations is usually available to paid subscribers only, but this week it’s available to everyone. Click on the track titles to hear each song individually, or you can also just head over to this convenient Buy Music Club list to find them all in one place.
HLM38 “Hierophant” (Notte Brigante)
Loping dub and looming dread is at the heart of this tune, which leads off the new Stranger Than Dub EP from French producer HLM38. As the head of the Notte Brigante label, he specializes in chugging, reverb-laden sounds, but the ominous atmosphere, industrial stomp and untamed sax of “Hierophant” make for something special. A party tune it is not, but I think the song’s gloomy, spaced-out vibe accurately captures how a lot of folks are feeling today.
DJ Q “All That I Could” (Local Action)
Soul Mass Transit “Blocked (feat. Killa P)” (Time Is Now)
These tracks represent two very different flavors of UK garage, but both are highly satisfying. DJ Q has been repping the genre for more than 15 years, and “All That I Could” is a fresh slice of champagne 2-step, a pop-dance gem whose bubbly rhythm and sweetly soulful vocal both go down smooth. (In a just world, a track like this one would be all over commercial radio and blaring out of every high street shop.) “Blocked” takes a darker path, fortifying its skippy garage beat with growling basslines and the menacing flow of former Roll Deep MC Killa P. It’s a gully tune with a confident swagger, and despite the dark overtones, it’s an invigorating listen.
Alloy Sea Petrichor (Syn Syn)
Petrichor might be the best thing Mor Elian has ever done, and she didn’t even release it under her own name. A 50-minute experimental piece that she constructed over the course of a year and finished during lockdown (the first one), it’s a hypnotic, even disorienting listen that’s miles away from the electro-techno hybrids she was releasing just a couple of years ago. While her more recent EPs (Radical Spectacular and Clairvoyant Frog) have demonstrated a growing interest in the outer realms of the dancefloor, this work as Alloy Sea abandons the club entirely, offering up a pulsing, constantly shifting suite of vibrating drones, disembodied voices and psyche-drilling percussive bursts. It’s not exactly pleasant—claustrophobic is a better descriptor, and at times the vibe is downright unnerving—but Petrichor is never overwhelming. Rather than bludgeoning unsuspecting listeners with blasts of noise and static, Elian lures them in with warm and inviting tones, masking the music’s underlying menace with promises of a trippy adventure. In short, she’s made one hell of a siren’s song.
Pop District “Road to Ruin” (Far Away)
Back in 2016, I got mildly obsessed with “Red Eye,” a crunchy piece of colorfully retro, upbeat house music from a Toronto producer I’d never heard of before, Pop District. Since then, I’ve occasionally seen his name pop up here and there, but I somehow missed the fact that he dropped an entire new full-length just a few weeks ago. Entitled The Gold Rush and released on cassette via Cooper Saver’s Far Away label, the album showcases an artist who’s upgraded his production skillset—the lo-fi distortion that laced his prior output is gone—while retaining his love of neon melodies. “Road to Ruin” is one of the tape’s many highlights, a midtempo cruiser that cooly channels the same sort of synthy, Miami Vice-style sound palette that defines many of the best releases from labels like Running Back and Permanent Vacation. It’s perhaps a bit more grown up than “Red Eye,” but its willingness to dial down the energy level and ruminate in the moment is just as enjoyable.
Nico “Drops” (Akita)
Formerly known as White Visitation, Nico is a Mexican producer who’s quietly appeared on some of electronic music’s best labels, including Timedance, L.I.E.S. and RVNG Intl. His new mini-LP, Six Rooms, arrives via his own newly christened Akita imprint, and while its ties to the Timedance / Livity Sound lineage of techno-bass hybrids are obvious, it’s also clear how Nico approaches these sounds from a distance, both literal and figurative. The rapid-fire percussion on “Drops” may crib from Hessle Audio and a hundred other UK outlets, but it’s not a particularly banging tune, and seems only vaguely concerned with the dancefloor. The drums are relatively linear, but they don’t crash—they patter, allowing the song’s wispy atmosphere and elegant melodies to take center stage. It’s club music for introverts, and maybe that’s perfect for this weird time when the club is off limits.
Bambounou “TFTT” (AD 93)
House, techno, bass music… Bambounou has always operated in the crevices between these genres, borrowing from each to create his own unique permutations of dance music. After a decade of this, I perhaps shouldn’t be surprised by anything this French producer comes up with, but “TFTT” is absolutely not what I expected. Clocking in at nearly 11 minutes, it’s essentially a psychedelic techno track that has more in common with the Chemical Brothers’ long-form excursions than anything that’s come out on Hemlock lately. While many producers these days seem to be shortening their compositions and aiming for maximum impact, Bambounou has gone the opposite direction here, stretching his legs and sounding remarkably comfortable, even as “TFTT” conjures up memories of (techno-leaning) prog and trance from the ’90s. It’s not a move that most producers should (or would even dare to) attempt, but Bambounou clearly has the chops to pull it off.
Caterina Barbieri “Sufyosowirl” (Berlin Atonal)
dBridge “Direct Reflection” (Berlin Atonal)
Both of these tracks are from the new More Light box set, which I detailed above in the “Just Announced” section, so I won’t run through all the release details again. That said, these tunes do represent a slice of the quality (and musical diversity) on offer across the set’s five parts. “Sufyosowirl” is another mind-bending synth adventure from Italian modular wizard Caterina Barbieri, its gleaming tones twisting and twirling as they navigate a mid-air dance that’s both dizzyingly complex and delightfully playful. dBridge’s “Direct Reflection,” on the other hand, is all business, hurtling along at 150 bpm atop a fiercely percolating bassline. It’s brimming with tension, but that’s likely a big part of what makes it so fun.
Drew McDowall “Agalma II (feat. Caterina Barbieri)” (Dais)
Drew McDowall “Agalma V (feat. Kali Malone)” (Dais)
I know, I know… another Caterina Barbieri track. Although I can’t hide my unabashed fandom for her work, it’s honestly just a coincidence that she’s popped up multiple times in this week’s newsletter. Here she’s spinning her synth magic alongside experimental veteran Drew McDowall (who you may know from his time in bands like Coil and Psychic TV, his collaborations with Hiro Kone or any number of his other projects), who’s just released a new LP, Agalma. “Agalma II” is one of the album’s more delicate numbers, with choir-like vocals floating amidst a sea of tenderly plucked harps and the occasional flourish of (beautifully) mangled strings. “Agalma V,” which features drone / organ specialist Kali Malone, is a more brooding offering; it too relies on gnarled strings, but here they have a jittery, nervous energy that begins to spike as the darkly symphonic track slowly becomes more chaotic over the course of seven minutes. Fantastic stuff.
Ronan “Montserrate” (Eternal Ocean)
While traveling in Costa Rica last year, Ronan’s laptop was stolen, resulting in the loss of countless works in progress. A few unreleased tracks, however, were salvaged from online backups, and they’ve now been compiled on Return to the Sea, the latest release for his own Eternal Ocean label. Hopping between different styles, the EP touches on house, techno, jungle, acid, downtempo and more, but the melodies of opening track “Montserrate” are a real standout, their glittering tones cheerily bopping along with the song’s galloping beat. It’s not often that a tune this fast (145+ bpm) feels light and breezy, but that vibe seems to come naturally to Ronan.
BONUS TUNES
As promised, to make up for today’s lack of a proper “On My Mind” article / essay, I’ve put together some additional new music recommendations. These have (slightly) shorter writeups than the recommendations above, but I promise that all the music is still of a very high quality. As always, you can click on the track titles to hear each song individually, or you can also find them in the same Buy Music Club list with the rest of this week’s recommended tunes.
Anshaw Black “Torium” (Anshaw Black)
Ghosts of Nitzer Ebb (minus the screaming) on this industrial techno stomper from a mysterious American producer. It’s taken from a new trio of 12”s he released for Halloween, which also feature new tracks from Black Merlin and Cute Heels.
Chino “Dyscyplina” (Uncanny Valley)
More EBM vibes, only this one comes from Polish producer Chino, and it’s the darkest tune on his new Autostrada EP (which also touches on electro, Italo and new wave).
Rosa Anschütz “In Spate” (Quiet Love)
Wonderfully gloomy avant-pop from the Berlin artist’s debut album, Votive. Deadpan vocals, digital crunch and dramatic chords.
Koraal “2” (Nous’klaer)
Last year, Barcelona producer (and Hivern Discs boss) John Talabot recorded an album of dreamy, dubby meditations over the course of three nights in Lanzarote (one of the Canary Islands). The resulting LP, La Casa del Volcán (which he’s released under the new moniker Koraal), is an immersive work that demands—and rewards—close listening.
Matthew Cardinal “Dec 4th” (Arts and Crafts)
Lush, gauzy ambient with a cinematic flair, courtesy of indigenous Canadian artist Matthew Cardinal. Asterisms is his debut solo album, and it’s full of kaleidoscopic daydreams like this one.
Mike Slott “Simple Dreams of Simple Days (Cid Rim Remix)” (LuckyMe)
Released right before the whole world went into lockdown, Mike Slott’s cinematic Vignettes EP was a victim of bad timing—it’s excellent though, and worth revisiting—but one of its tracks has been nicely updated here by Austrian producer Cid Rim, who injects the song with a calmly bumping hip-hop beat.
Posthuman “It’s a House Thing” (Balkan)
With new tunes from LFO, Luke Vibert, Nightwave, Mark Archer and others, there’s a lot of star power on the new Waveforms compilation, but the standout cut comes from label boss Posthuman, who delivers this groovy acid-house roller.
Bass Clef “One Tree Island” (Slip)
Taken from Bass Clef’s new Orezero cassette, the colorful “One Tree Island” sounds like a symphonic acid trip through a blooming spring garden, or maybe something you’d find on a random synth record from 1986 that’s been filed into the jazz-fusion section of your local shop, simply because it doesn’t really make sense anywhere else.
Jimmy Edgar “Be with You (feat. Mille Go Lightly)” (Innovative Leisure)
Warped R&B. Imagine an Abra record produced by Sophie and you’re getting close to “Be with You.” If this is what Jimmy Edgar doing pop music is going to sound like, then I’m fully on board.
SALEM “Old Gods” (Self-released)
Witch house lives. Ten years after King Night, SALEM is back with a new album, Fires in Heaven, and the angsty “Old Gods” sounds like a collaboration between Puddle of Mudd and Young Thug that’s been produced for an IMAX movie theater. It’s about as subtle as a kick to the throat, but that didn’t stop me from listening to the song on repeat.
DÆMON & Endgame “Let Me Breathe” (Infinite Machine)
The potent lead track from the new DXE EP, “Let Me Breathe” is a tough-as-nails cut that layers DÆMON’s spacey flow over a booming, industrial-grade beat that could’ve been made by Front 242.
Florian T M Zeisig “Light Chatter and General Club” (Enmossed)
A leftover from the same sessions that produced Zeisig’s recent Coatcheck LP, “Light Chatter and General Club” appears on the new Coatcheck Remixes, outshining the record’s all-star reworks with its dribbling organic textures and softly shimmering atmosphere. Ambient music rarely feels this alive.
Sonja Tofik “Night Changes Many Thoughts” (Moloton)
A highlight from the Stockholm artist’s new Anomi album, “Night Changes Many Thoughts” is full of foreboding drones and sinister vibes, its sense of dread only heightened by its stubbornly deliberate pace. It’s like sitting through an organ recital at a haunted cathedral—in a good way, of course.
Xyla “Shoot” (Leaving)
Xyla “Now” (Leaving)
Hailing from San Francisco, Xyla combines footwork rhythms with a new age sound palette, which gives fleet-footed creations like “Shoot” a uniquely woozy spirit. On “Now,” however, she leaves the earth (and the beats) behind entirely, drifting off into the cosmos atop a billowing stream of dreamy synth melodies and fluttering R&B vocal snippets.
Fort Romeau “The Wind As It Took Her” (Permanent Vacation)
Fort Romeau doing his Fort Romeau thing. “The Wind As It Took Her,” which leads off his new EP The Mirror, is a satisfyingly chuggy bit of Italo-flavored house with a bit of operatic drama and a New Romantic flair.
Maelstrom “Lest We Inhale” (Mechatronica)
Kraftwerk on steroids—this is some hard-slapping, sci-fi electro from French producer Maelstrom off his new Archaea EP.
Verraco “Traicíon (10mente Mix)” (Insurgentes)
Manic, rave-inspired madness from Colombian producer (and Insurgentes label founder) Verraco, whose debut LP is a veritable tornado of gyrating rhythms from both the Northern and Southern hemisphere. “Traición (10mente Mix)” is a dizzying sensory overload, albeit a highly gratifying one that feels like experiencing an entire night of partying in the span of five minutes.
Glaskin “Sublask” (Who Whom)
Is "terror trance” a thing? If not, then “Sublask” might be the genre’s first anthem, because this Munich duo has perfectly paired a sprinting trance kick with creepy samples of little kids and a swarming assault of hoover-like synth eruptions. Frightening and exhilarating at the same time.
Blawan “My Guide to Dancing on Carpet” (Ternesc)
The opening track from Blawan’s surprise new EP, Make a Goose, this one is downright frantic, its stampeding rhythms countered at every turn by misshapen (and seemingly malevolent) blasts of warbling noise. Imagine that you’re in a warped techno funhouse, the exit is nowhere to be found and your sense of panic is rising with each passing moment—that’s this tune, and it’s great.
That was a lot of new music! Hopefully you found some new gems for your collection. (Don’t forget, you can find them all on this handy Buy Music Club list, and if you like them, please buy them.) Otherwise, thank you so much for reading First Floor, and if you’re in the US, please go and vote today. It’s important.
Until next week,
Shawn
Shawn Reynaldo is a freelance writer, editor, presenter and project manager. Find him on LinkedIn or drop him an email to get in touch about projects, collaborations or potential work opportunities.