First Floor #66 – The Unique Potential of Online Forums

a.k.a. An interview with patten about his 555-5555 platform and the vibrant community it's cultivated.

Jan 26, 2021

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. This is the free edition of the newsletter; access to all First Floor content (including the complete archive) requires a paid subscription. If you haven’t done so already, please consider signing up for a subscription (paid or unpaid) by clicking the button below. Alternately, you can also make a one-time donation here.

ON MY MIND

The past year hasn’t been particularly kind to electronic music. With dancefloors shut (along with most of the other spots that music fans would usually congregate), it feels like wide swaths of the culture have been put on pause, and thanks to the continued disintegration of online media (e.g. widespread layoffs, shrunken editorial budgets and reduced content offerings), the internet is also struggling to fill that void. New music is still being released of course, but for folks interested in discussing that music and the larger culture around it, the majority of the discourse seems to now be happening on social media, a place that doesn’t always lend itself to thoughtful discussions.

Newsletters have stepped in to a certain degree, but tend to be limited in scope. (They’re also usually authored by one person, or perhaps a small group of people.) For those in search of something broader, what other options are there for electronic music-related information, analysis, advice and community? The multi-faceted 555-5555 platform has one potential answer: an online forum. Although forums and message boards are regarded by many as a relic of the Web 1.0 era, 555-5555 was actually launched in 2018 by veteran experimental music producer patten (a.k.a. London-based artist, researcher and lecturer Damien Roach), and since then, its forum has blossomed into a vibrant (and remarkably peaceful) online community.

Curious to find out more about 555-5555, I got on the phone with Roach last night, and we spoke at length about his platform and the community it’s fostered, what inspired him to start the forum, how that forum differs from social media and how it’s guided by principles and ideas that also shape his own music, design and visual art.

Unfortunately, our conversation is too long to fit inside the newsletter, but you can find the interview—which has been edited for length and clarity—here.

(PLEASE NOTE: the link will be open to all for the next 48 hours, but after that, it will be available to paid subscribers only.)

REAL QUICK

A round-up of of the last week’s most interesting electronic music news, plus links to mixes, articles and other things I think are worth sharing.

You may remember that last week’s newsletter was literally published as the UK heads of Warner, Sony and Universal were being questioned were being questioned by a Parliamentary committee as part of an ongoing inquiry into the “Economics of Music Streaming.” The full hearing can be seen here, but as you might expect, their testimony didn’t do much to quiet claims that artists are getting a raw deal. Later in the week, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee also published written evidence that had been submitted by nearly 200 different companies, labels and other interested parties, including Ninja Tune, Beggars Group and BMG.
It’s a lot to go through, but some helpful round-ups of the material have appeared in Resident Advisor and Music Business Worldwide. As you might expect, the latter is more sympathetic to the major labels and streaming platforms; shortly after the hearings concluded, that site also published this tauntingly condescending article that basically casts artists and others seeking streaming reforms as misguided / misinformed whiners. And they’re not alone—the BPI (British Phonographic Industry), the UK equivalent of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has published its own pro-streaming missive. It’s disappointing—albeit not surprising—to see the mainstream music industry continue to push these narratives, but perhaps their defensiveness is a sign that public opinion about streaming is actually beginning to shift.
Aside from the streaming kerfuffle, the UK government has also been dealing with the fallout from Brexit, which has complicated the lives of touring artists and musicians. At a separate Parliamentary hearing last Tuesday, the government rejected the idea of a musician’s passport and continued to blame the EU for the situation, a claim that appears dubious at best.
Not surprisingly, UK musicians are irate, and even loud pro-Brexit figures like The Who’s Roger Daltrey are (some would say hypocritically) complaining. Wil Crisp did a deep dive into the issue for DJ Mag, outlining what the new status quo means for both UK and EU artists, and also pointing to this helpful guide from the UK’s Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) that provides a country-by-country breakdown of short-term work permit requirements for British musicians looking to tour in Europe.
Last week I mentioned Mixtape Club, a newly launched mix series (curated by Manchester producer Finn and the Local Action label) that makes a point to compensate each of the DJs taking part. Since then, the first mix has been published, and it comes courtesy of genre-hopping Chicago artist (and Smart Bar resident) Ariel Zetina.
Pioneer has launched its own editorial platform called The Bridge. Only a few articles have been published so far, but the site is apparently being led by Ryan Keeling, who was formerly the Editor in Chief at Resident Advisor.
International Orange is another new editorial platform that’s emerged in recent months, armed with the playful slogan “one ear to the ground and the other in the bassbin.” There’s already a lot of content to explore—much of it focused on various strains of UK bass music new and old—including this interview with Scratcha DVA, who spoke to Richard Akingbehin about his Interludes album trilogy.
Speaking of UK bass music, it can be quite difficult to keep track of the genre’s frequent mutations, but in this Beatportal article, Angus Finlayson does a nice job introducing a new crop of young British labels, crews and producers.
Popular pro audio platform Gearslutz—whose forums provide an invaluable resource for musicians and producers of all knowledge levels—will soon be changing its name. In response to a recent online petition, site founder Jules Standen announced the impending switch, stating, “we recognise and agree that the word-play pun in the name has gotten old and it is now time to move forwards.”
As part of the paper’s Seascape series (which is meant to draw attention to the dramatic changes happening in the world’s oceans), this Guardian feature by Helen Scales dives into the mythology of Drexciya and highlights how Afro-futurism is inspiring calls for an ocean memorial to slavery.
With their new album Isles dropping last Friday, Bicep have been seemingly everywhere as of late, with new interviews popping up on Bandcamp, Clash, Beatportal and in UK newspaper The Independent. (The latter includes some particularly sharp words for DJs who have continued to tour and perform during the pandemic.)
It’s not often that I write about or discuss hip-hop, but after famed producer Timabland bizarrely found himself being criticized for “stealing” on social media last week—clearly some people don’t understand how sampling works—this Pitchfork article by Mosi Reeves proved to be a timely read. The piece does a nice job outlining the current state of sampling, and gets particularly interesting when it outlines the tensions between hip-hop producers / labels and the dedicated fans who identify sample sources online on sites like WhoSampled, a phenomenon which inadvertently makes it very easy to sue said artists when their samples haven’t been properly cleared.
Big Dada—an offshoot of Ninja Tune that’s been around since 1997—announced its relaunch as “as a label run by Black, POC & minority ethnic people for Black, POC & minority ethnic artists.” A longer mission statement was also published on the imprint’s newly redesigned website.
This label profile of L.I.E.S. probably isn’t the most necessary thing Bandcamp has ever published, but Matthew Schnipper—the former Executive Editor of Pitchfork and current author of the Deep Voices newsletter—neatly sums up the imprint’s decade-long run and extracts a few enjoyably grumpy quotes from founder Ron Morelli.

JUST ANNOUNCED

A round-up of noteworthy new and upcoming releases that were announced during the past week.

Next month, Japanese techno stalwart Wata Igarashi will be appearing on the Figure label for the first time with a new EP. Entitled New Dawn, it’s set for release on February 15 and preview clips of its four tracks can be heard here.
Just a few months after launching his miv. label, longtime Honey Soundystem affiliate Bézier kicked off 2021 with a new moniker (羅伯特) and another new imprint (Piece of Work), dropping the Heirloom album just two weeks ago. Now he’s set to return to miv., which will be issuing a new Bézier EP, Continuum, on March 2. Ahead of its arrival, he’s shared one track, “Surfing the Wedge,” which can be heard here.

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.

Katya Shirshkova “Pond” (CANT)

Hello. Sorry to keep this brief, but I’m writing this as I rush out the door for another night shift in the emergency department. The Pond tape is Katya’s first release on CANT, a small label out Moscow, and the titular A-side is so beautiful, with 27 minutes of minimal choral compositions based on John Cage’s chance operations practice.

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 four releases that came out during the past week or so. (Click on the track titles to hear each song individually.) An extended list of recommendations is available to paid subscribers only.

Special Request “Elysian Fields (Tim Reaper Remix)” (Hooversound)

Special Request “Pull Up (Tim Reaper Remix)” (Hooversound)

Tim Reaper “Who Run It” (Lobster Theremin)

At this point, I think the word is out on Tim Reaper. Over the past year, the UK producer has rocketed into the upper echelon of the jungle sphere, and based on the two releases he dropped last Friday, he appears ready to keep that hot streak rolling into 2021. The first two tracks here come from his EP for Hooversound, the young (albeit already essential) imprint from Sherelle and Naina that has delivered some absolute shellers during its lone year of existence. Reaper used Special Request’s 2019 LP Zero Fucks as source material, infusing four of its tracks with his own drum & bass magic, and while there’s not a weak tune in the bunch, the sparkling rumble of “Elysian Fields” and rude-as-hell bassline of “Pull Up” are particularly memorable. His Teletext EP for Lobster Theremin is also strong, and finds Reaper flexing his range, as the swaggering “Who Run It” is a manic hybrid of jungle mayhem and buzzing old-school rave. The song even makes its well-worn “Y’all ready for this” sample sound fresh, which is no easy task.

Illuvia “Titicaca” (A Strangely Isolated Place)

A Strangely Isolated Place is a label I’ve featured many times, but the LA ambient outpost has never released anything quite like Iridescence Of Clouds, the new LP from Swedish producer Illuvia. At its core, it’s an atmospheric drum & bass record, but it doesn’t explore the style in the jazzy way that artists like LTJ Bukem once did. Full of pastel soundscapes and poignant melodies, Iridescence Of Clouds luxuriates in its gauzy aesthetic, weaving in kinetic percussion and rollicking Amen breaks that would likely be quite ferocious on their own; here, however, they’re largely kept in check. “Titicaca” is actually one of the LP’s more fervently rumbling selections—a characteristic that’s only heightened once the track’s robust bassline awakens about halfway through—but it’s never going to be a rowdy screwface anthem. Even at its most raucous, the vibe remains introspective, the song’s warmth and beauty leading the way.

Yu Su “Melaleuca” (bié / Music from Memory)

Yu Su “Touch-Me-Not” (bié / Music from Memory)

Vibrant with color and moving freely between ambient and not-so-ambient sounds, the music of Yu Su has long been delightfully unclassifiable, a trend that’s continued on her debut album, Yellow River Blue. With its bright melodies and playful bounce, “Melaleuca” sounds like a collaboration between Ryuichi Sakamoto and Duran Duran (minus Simon Le Bon’s vocals), and even reminded me a bit of Bananarama 1984 classic “Cruel Summer.” Obviously Yu Su isn’t serving up bubblegum pop here, but the Vancouver-based Chinese producer has a real knack for swirling synths, which she also puts to good use on the dreamy “Touch-Me-Not,” a new age-ish number that’s equally appropriate for both a ’90s chillout room or your next round of guided meditation.

Once again, additional track recommendations are available to paid subscribers. This week’s selections include new music from Bicep, Logic1000, Gacha Bakradze, Abul Mogard and more, including new tracks from labels like Ghostly International, Freedom to Spend, Shall Not Fade, Par Avion and others.

To sign up for a paid subscription and gain access to all First Floor content, including the full newsletter archive, please click the button below.

That’s all for this week’s newsletter. Thank you so much for reading First Floor, and I do hope you enjoyed the tunes.

Back 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.