Visiting the Second Floor
a.k.a. Taking a little break from the discourse.
Summer in Barcelona is always nuts. Aside from being insanely hot and humid, the city is always greeted by an extra-large crush of tourists, who come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Walking the streets on any given day, you’re bound to run into backpackers, families on vacation, bachelor and bachelorette parties, seniors descending from cruise ships, couples in the midst of romantic getaways and, beginning this week, music festival attendees. Primavera Sound kicks off tomorrow, and once it’s done, Sónar begins less than two weeks later. Considering that both festivals claim to draw more than 100,000 people, many of whom come from outside of Barcelona (and outside of Spain), this time of year is always rather hectic, especially for anyone involved in electronic music.
That’s not necessarily a complaint. Massive festivals admittedly aren’t my favorite thing in the world, but I’m also comfortable acknowledging that I’m not the primary audience for these kinds of events. Even so, there’s always a handful of artists on the bill that I’d like to see, and with seemingly half of the music industry coming to Barcelona for one festival or the other, there does emerge something of a summer camp vibe, one involving a seemingly endless string of meet-ups between people who spend most of the year only talking to one another via email. (The random “Heeeeyyy, I’m going to be in your city” texts and emails have already started pouring in.)
Again, none of this is meant as a complaint, but it is my elongated way of admitting that things are already feeling pretty busy here at First Floor HQ, to a point where I haven’t had time to put together one of my usual long-form pieces for this week. My apologies for that, but I do have some work to share, and though it’s not technically new, I’m guessing that most of you haven’t read it before—or at least not all of it.
Late last year, I started doing a monthly column for Nina called Second Floor. Unlike the long-form pieces I publish here in the newsletter, which tend to zero in on some aspect of electronic music culture or examine the current state of the industry, Second Floor is more explicitly focused on the music itself, highlighting emerging trends and various scenes / sounds that I find interesting. For anyone who’s ever thought, “What new stuff does Shawn actually like?,” these columns are a good place to find some answers.
It dawned on me over the weekend that I’ve already done six editions of Second Floor—a seventh will be published soon—and since the articles are relatively evergreen, I figured now might be a good time to give them another go-round. Each one is a meaty read and full of recommendations, and there’s absolutely no paywall on any of them, so anyone interested should find more than enough material to keep busy for at least the next few days.
Before we dive in, I should mention that the usual First Floor digest will go out on Thursday, and my intention is to get fully “back to normal” with the newsletter publishing schedule next week. Until then, here are all six Second Floor columns, which I’ve listed in chronological order.
November 2023
“Trip-Hop—or Something Close to It—Is Making a Comeback”
A new generation of artists has rejuvenated the sultry, slow-moving ’90s genre, and they’re taking it into decidedly weird new places.
December 2023
Big-Room Sad Is Music About the Club, Not for the Club
As dance music settles into middle age, a growing number of artists are leaning into an elegiac, sentimental sound that revels in the aesthetic hallmarks of rave music while brushing aside the traditional needs of the dancefloor.
January 2024
Minimal Is Poised for a Return. But It Isn’t Very Minimal Anymore.
After more than a decade in the wilderness, the much-maligned genre is reinventing itself once again, offering a potential antidote to the maniacal excess of post-pandemic dancefloors.
February 2024
No One’s Moving to DC to Get Famous. Maybe That’s Why the Music Is So Good.
True to the city’s hardcore and DIY roots, Washington, DC’s electronic and experimental music scenes are bullshit-free and defiantly different.
March 2024
Progressive House Has Never Been All That Progressive, But It Is Oddly Rewarding
An abbreviated history of one of dance music’s most misleadingly named genres.
April 2024
Sully Might Be the Best Producer in the World—And You Probably Don’t Know What He Looks Like
A look back at the UK artist's long (and decidedly low-key) career and the many bangers he’s created along the way.
Shawn Reynaldo is a freelance writer, editor, presenter and project manager. Find him on LinkedIn and Twitter, or you can just drop him an email to get in touch about projects, collaborations or potential work opportunities.