First Floor #72 – Scratcha DVA Doesn't Hate Journalists, But He Doesn't Want a Review Either
a.k.a. The UK producer unpacks his (at times checkered) relationship with the press.
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
A few weeks ago, I received a promo from the Hyperdub label for & Baga Man, a new EP from Scratchclart (a.k.a. Scratcha DVA). That in and of itself wasn’t anything unusual, but as I scanned the accompanying text, one sentence caught my eye:
“Scratcha has requested that he doesn't want any reviews of this release.”
That was a first.
Granted, there are lots of artists and labels out there who don’t want their music to be reviewed—or simply don’t care about whether or not they get coverage in the press—but when that’s the case, they usually don’t bother to send journalists the music. That’s fine of course, and over the years I’ve done my best to keep a running tally of who doesn’t want to be pestered by journalists like myself.
This, however, was different. The music had shown up, unprompted, in my inbox, but with a specific request not to review it. It was an unusual ask—and something that couldn’t reasonably be enforced—but given that it was coming from Scratcha, I wasn’t completely surprised.
For more than a decade, Scratcha has been a London staple, an immensely talented and endlessly inventive producer who’s made his way through the worlds of grime, UK funky, gqom and various strains of bass music. Some readers also may remember him as the former host of the Grimey Breakfast Show on Rinse FM, and anyone who follows his Twitter feed knows that he’s both hilarious and utterly unafraid to share his thoughts and opinions. (The fact that he communicates online in a dialect he’s dubbed “Scratchanese” only adds to his appeal.)
So why wasn’t I surprised? Well, one topic that Scratcha has been particularly vocal about over the years is his dissatisfaction with journalists, and although I’ve known him for almost 10 years—he once played a party I helped throw in San Francisco—and have been a fan of his work for even longer, I’ve also been the subject of at least a few of his subtweets. And while the idea that “Scratcha hates journalists” isn’t something that I myself ever subscribed to, it’s certainly a conclusion that someone could have reasonably drawn, given the frequency and seeming exasperation of his comments.
As such, I wasn’t sure what to make of Scratcha’s request to not review his new EP. Was he drawing a new line in the sand with journalists? Was something else going on? Why did he bother to send the music if he didn’t want it reviewed? Hoping for some answers, I dropped Scratcha a line and he agreed to an interview. Our conversation took place late last week, and while the exchange was non-combative and honestly quite fun—I certainly laughed a lot—he didn’t pull any punches either. Aside from laying out the motivations behind his recent “no reviews” request, he also expounded on his frustrations with music journalism over the years, and explained why he thinks some of the field’s shortcomings stem from issues of race and class.
Scratcha isn’t the first artist to complain about journalists—the tradition dates back decades—and if I’m being honest, I don’t necessarily agree with every assertion he made during the course of our interview. That said, our discussion never felt like a one-sided rant, and his thoughts highlighted some of music journalism’s shortcomings, both past and present, while providing an illuminating window into the artist side of the artist-journalist divide. And on a more positive note, he also talked about what music has him feeling excited right now and what we can expect from him in the months ahead.
The interview, which has been edited for length and clarity, can be found here.
(PLEASE NOTE: the link to the interview will be open to all for the next 48 hours, but after that, it will be available to paid subscribers only.)
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
With the volume of the NFT discussion reaching a fever pitch, last week’s First Floor interview with Jacques Greene proved to be a very popular read, and while the original is now living behind my subscriber paywall, the LuckyMe label contacted me about syndicating the article to their site. We worked out an agreement, and I’m happy to say that the full interview has been republished (with some snazzy new design) and is now available for everyone to read here.
Give it a look if you missed it the first time around, or feel free to share the link with anyone who you think might be interested.
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.
The NFT boom kept growing last week, and for any music fans who are still wondering “what is an NFT?” or “how does this crypto stuff work?,” Marc Hogan penned a lengthy feature for Pitchfork that lays out many of the basics and explores how this technology is already impacting the music world. Admittedly, his overall tone is rather skeptical—at least that’s how it read to me—but the article is stuffed with facts and useful links and should prove informative for both enthusiasts and skeptics looking to get a handle on what’s happening.
Speaking of NFTs, Richie Hawtin made his first foray into the crypto space last week with a collection called Acid Drop. Released to coincide with 303 Day, the five-piece series was something of a tribute to both the iconic Roland TB-303 synthesizer and 1993’s Sheet One, Hawtin’s first album as Plastikman. All of the NFTs were based upon an image of the actual 303 he used to create the LP, along with audio of the primary acid line from different tracks on the record. Although four of the NFTs were minted in editions of 33, the NFT for “Plasticene” was created as an edition of one and ultimately sold for 15 WETH, which is worth approximately $24,000.
Anyone interested in making the streaming landscape a more equitable place likely noticed theannouncement from SoundCloud that the platform will be implementing a user-centric payout model—which they’ve branded as “fan-powered royalties”—on April 1 for independent artists. A special website they’ve created spells out many of the details, including how this model differs from the way that most streamers do business, although it is oddly light on specifics; only two uses case are included, both of which are extremely vague. It’s also worth noting that SoundCloud’s overall royalty pool is quite small in comparison to platforms like Spotify and Apple Music (i.e. way more people listen to music through those services), which means that the overall impact on industry economics may be limited. Nonetheless, it’s a move in the right direction, and will hopefully inspire some other companies to make similar changes.
Given the slow rollout of vaccines across Europe, it’s not terribly surprising that Primavera Sound cancelled the 2021 editions of both its Barcelona and Porto festivals last week. Meanwhile, summer festivals are quickly selling out in the UK—although a lack of government-backed insurance has made some promoters hesitant to move ahead—and we’re already seeing (moderately soul-crushing) news about plans for vaccine passports and the return of Ibiza clubbing.
Legowelt has launched an art contest, and while that may not seem terribly exciting at first glance, the quirky Dutch artist is quite literally offering up some of his vintage synthesizers as prizes. All of the details are on his website, and the deadline to enter is April 5.
For the latest installment of Pitchfork’s Sunday Review series, Noah Yoo took a deep dive into the history of Yellow Magic Orchestra and their 1981 album BGM. As someone who was only somewhat familiar with the Japanese group, the piece was an excellent (and entertaining) primer, detailing their history and also revealing some incredible trivia about this record, including the fact that they spent more than $700K on gear alone.
JUST ANNOUNCED
A round-up of noteworthy new and upcoming releases that were announced during the past week.
India Jordan’s For You EP was one of 2020’s most celebrated electronic music releases, and the UK producer has now announced a follow-up. The Watch Out! EP will be Jordan’s first appearance on Ninja Tune, and it’s due to arrive on May 7. Ahead of that, one of its five tracks, “And Groove,” has been shared.
Penelope Trappes is an artist who I’ve repeatedly championed in recent years, and the Brighton-based Australian will soon be releasing Penelope Three, her third album for the Houndstooth label. The final chapter of a trilogy, it’s said to be more vocally oriented than her past efforts, and before the LP appears on May 28, Trappes has shared the first single, “Nervous,” for which she’s also created this haunting video.
Last week’s Bandcamp Friday unleashed a torrent of new music, but one of the more interesting offerings came from Beatrice Dillon, who put together the latest 50 Locked Grooves record for Overmono’s Poly Kicks label. It’s a vinyl-only release, and appears to already be sold out, but I did get a kick out of these Instagram videos from Ben UFO, who showcased just how creative one could get with two copies of the record and a delay pedal.
Montreal producer CFCF has a new LP on the way. Entitled Memoryland and slated to arrive on April 9, it’s described as a “kaleidoscopic capital-e Electronica album” inspired by the formative sounds he came across between 1997-2000. The first single, “Life Is Perfecto,” is already available, as is this ethereal remix of the track by Point Hsu.
Bambounou has appeared on several different labels over the years, but the French artist has now started up an imprint of his own, Bambe. The new label’s first offering will be Cascade, a new EP from Bambounou himself. Ahead of its release on March 29, he’s shared one of its tracks, “Craig.py.”
After releasing two compilations to help victims of last year’s explosion in Beirut, the System Revival label has continued its charitable efforts into 2021, promising a quarterly series of compilations benefitting a variety of organizations. The latest, Zero Hunger, dropped last Friday and features music from Albert Van Abbe and a variety of techno producers, and as the title implies, all proceeds will go towards the UN World Food Programme’s Zero Hunger initiative.
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.
M. Geddes Gengras “ohhh boyyyy” (Self-released)
This is so transcendental. I’m floating. “ohhh boyyyy,” the first track on the new Echelons Beyond Reality album, is full of gentle arpeggios, reverb-dense flutes and hazy vocal samples, all of them perfectly layered. I’m not sure if these are M. Geddes Gengras’ own words, but the Bandcamp description states, “notes and transients collide in the air, sustaining for a moment and dissipating, all at once ephemeral and indelible, leaving silver threaded mycelium webs between our brains.” I don’t think I could have said it better myself.
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 three 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.
Tarta Relena “Cecilia” (Urpa i Musell)
Catalan duo Tarta Relena don’t really make electronic music—although they do incorporate the occasional electronic element, their music is better described as a sort of pan-Mediterranean acapella folk—but their new Pack Pro Nobis LP is one of the most enchanting records I’ve heard this year. A reissue that collects two prior EPs (2019’s Ora Pro Nobis and 2020’s Intercede Pro Nobis) and also adds in a slate of newly commissioned remixes from Barcelona producers John Talabot, Ex Continent, Shelly, Mans O and Garru, it’s an extensive package, but the music shines brightest on tracks like “Cecilia,” a relatively bare-bones recording that showcases Tarta Relena’s soaring vocal harmonies. Philip Sherburne’s recent review for Pitchfork digs admirably deep into the album’s many details, but what’s most important is the spellbinding nature of the music on offer, which balances centuries of traditional songcraft with a modern sense of the avant-garde. “Cecilia” is sung in Catalan, but elsewhere the group dips into Spanish, Greek, Latin and more while referencing religious texts, ancient lullabies and flamenco anthems. In less skilled hands, such an effort could have easily been a well-intentioned mess, but Tarta Relena have woven these disparate threads into something that’s refreshingly unique and joyously hypnotic.
Cardinal & Nun “When the Shadow Comes” (L.I.E.S.)
“When the Shadow Comes” is another track that colors outside the lines of what I usually cover in the newsletter, but French artist Cardinal & Nun has delivered a killer new album, Dancing in the Evil, whose scuzzy, synth-fueled post-punk fully embodies the record’s sinister title. Sounding like a cross between Bauhaus and Gang of Four, the music pits sharp distortion and brooding angst against swaggering rhythms and a series of infectiously bouncy basslines, touching upon countless goth and no wave signposts along the way. With its thrashy riffs and gloriously unpolished sound, “When the Shadow Comes” is both menacing and oddly cathartic, its insistent thrum instantly familiar to anyone who’s been bounced around by a raucous crowd at their local DIY venue.
Reece Cox “Emotion 1” (Kulør)
Back in 2019, around the time that his Utility album was being released, I interviewed Barker, who told me that he’d purposely sought to make the record as pleasurable as possible. I have no idea if Reece Cox has similar motivations, but “Emotion 1” is nothing if not pleasurable, and much like Barker’s recent work, it’s essentially a beatless take on candy-coated trance. If anything, Cox has pushed that particular formula even further, as the track doesn’t even have much of a bassline. Yet even without the usual low-end foundations we’ve come to expect, the track is bursting with color and brimming with energy, its bubbling arpeggios flanked with darting, sprite-like melodies that could have been lifted from an old Tiesto record. Cox is playing with fire here, and the potential cheese factor is staggeringly high, but the Berlin-based producer never crosses the line, delivering something that’s light, effervescent and wonderfully euphoric. And though the full EP includes reworks from an all-star cast that includes Parris, Call Super, upsammy and Ibon, the simplicity and sheer exuberance of Cox’s original makes it the best of the bunch.
Once again, additional track recommendations are available to paid subscribers. This week’s selections include new music from artists like FYI Chris, Dom & Roland, Naemi, Mr. Mitch, Kevin Richard Martin and more, along with tracks from labels like Ilian Tape, Mathematics, Black Catalogue and Bongo Joe.
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That’s all for today’s newsletter. As always, thank you so much for reading First Floor, and I do hope you enjoyed the tunes.
Have a good 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.