Read First Floor with Scottie
Keep First Floor. Lose the inbox pileup.
Scottie reads the newsletters you choose, keeps the useful differences, and attaches every original link. First Floor stays in your reading life without becoming another email to manage.
An independent guide. Scottie isn't affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by First Floor. The publication owns its name, writing, and subscription terms.
From Scottie · July 31, 2026
See First Floor in a Scottie brief
Scottie read First Floor, Futurism Restated, and Evil Speakers for a reader with the priorities shown below. Start with the rundown, open the full brief, or check every issue behind it.
3sources
37issues read
6stories included
9 of 20 First Floor issues included
What shaped this brief
Reader priorities
An electronic-music listener who wants new releases, scene history, label context, and a clear view of the business around the music.
These are illustrative priorities, not a customer’s data.
Sources in this brief
- First FloorThe publication this guide is about
- Futurism RestatedGoes deeper on experimental electronic records through artist and label interviews.
- Evil SpeakersPlaces releases and music-business questions in a wider critical conversation.
Scottie
Scottie example brief
July 31, 2026 · Executive brief
01 / The rundown
- Post-dubstep pioneer Untold has returned after a decade away, delivering a new EP that revitalizes UK sound system hybrids.
- Techno veteran Efdemin debuted on Dekmantel's UFO Series with an EP bridging Detroit's cosmic roots and Berlin's dancefloors.
- Australian producer Pugilist teamed up with Sub Basics to showcase deep, sound system-focused dubstep on the Ruff Kutz label.
Read the complete brief 6 stories · 2 action items
02 / The briefing
01 / main
Post-dubstep hero Untold returns with new EP False Vacuum
The takeaway: Hemlock Recordings founder Jack Dunning returned after a ten-year hiatus with his False Vacuum EP. The release blends rolling grooves, typewriter percussion, and eerie vocal sampling to explore hybrid sound system textures without relying on nostalgia.
Concrete details
- Jack Dunning released his first major interview in ten years following his sudden departure from the scene.
- The HEK036 follow-up EP features tracks like Last Day of the Bluebells and Eyeballed.
Why it matters for this reader: For readers tracking electronic music history and label evolutions, Dunning's return offers rare insight into post-dubstep's defining era alongside fresh, top-tier UK club production.
Original sourcesFirst FloorFirst FloorFirst FloorFirst Floor
02 / main
Efdemin debuts on Dekmantel UFO Series with Mirror Phase
The takeaway: German techno veteran Efdemin launched his first release on Dekmantel's UFO sub-label. Designed as an explicit love letter to Detroit and Berlin techno, the record pairs heavy, floor-focused rhythms with soaring, space-age atmospheric textures.
Concrete details
- Title track sampled DJ Minx's spoken intro from Kevin Saunderson's 1997 X-Mix release.
- The EP includes floor-focused cuts FS1R and Slip alongside atmospheric opener Unity Grain.
Why it matters for this reader: If you follow label catalogues and classic techno lineage, this release connects foundational 1990s Detroit vocal heritage directly with modern German club production.
Original sourcesFirst Floor
03 / main
Sub Basics and Pugilist team up for Control EP
The takeaway: Melbourne-based producer Pugilist paired with UK artist Sub Basics for a new release on Ruff Kutz. The four-track record moves away from heavy aggression, steering deep dubstep back toward slow-brewing steppers and atmospheric weight.
Concrete details
- Pugilist followed his recent Found Sound album with this collaborative release on Ruff Kutz.
- Tracks like 20-25 and Depth Charge emphasize slow steppers and heavy reverb over aggressive synths.
Why it matters for this reader: This collaboration highlights how global scene hubs outside the UK are shaping sub-bass culture while keeping deep dubstep grounded in sound system history.
Original sourcesFirst Floor
04 / main
Martinou brings cinematic emotion to mule musiq on Ever Changing
The takeaway: Swedish producer Martinou brought his expressive sound to Tokyo's mule musiq label. The new EP expands his subtle, slow-burn house style into soaring, atmospheric territories complete with wistful vocal chops and high school flute instrumentation.
Concrete details
- Track Untold incorporates flute instrumentation that Martinou had not played since high school.
- The EP ranges from Enya-inspired vocal cuts on Multitudes to drone synths on closer Continuum.
Why it matters for this reader: Essential listening if you track how boutique Japanese imprints like mule musiq curate cross-genre, melodically rich electronic releases.
Original sourcesFirst Floor
05 / main
Downtempo artist Gi Gi drops In Lieu on Mood Hut
The takeaway: Texas-based producer Gi Gi delivered a new record for Vancouver imprint Mood Hut. Building on his ambient roots, the album blurs bedroom listening and club energy with elastic, slow-motion grooves and smoked-out, Latin-tinged electronica.
Concrete details
- Follows previous ambient and downtempo projects including OST Circadia, Lumino Pieco, and 2024's Dreamliner.
- Features tracks like Optimo, Pink Dirt, and Going 2 released on Vancouver's Mood Hut label.
Why it matters for this reader: For fans following downtempo label rosters, this release marks a key shift in Mood Hut's catalog toward sophisticated afterhours listening.
Original sourcesFirst Floor
06 / main
Eric Cloutier expands his techno sound on My Friend the Abyss
The takeaway: Veteran DJ and producer Eric Cloutier released a full-length album on Palinoia. Alongside his signature hypnotic, cerebral techno, the record ventures into drum & bass rhythms, ambient soundscapes, and murky, dubwise arrangements.
Concrete details
- The album opens with Electrophoresis and includes 1990s IDM-influenced arpeggios on tracks like Celeste.
- Features diverse style experiments including the inverted drum & bass structure of Ligrothism.
Why it matters for this reader: A valuable case study for listeners interested in how veteran techno artists evolve beyond traditional four-floor structures while retaining deep dancefloor focus.
Original sourcesFirst Floor
Action items
- Listen to Untold's new EP False Vacuum to study how post-dubstep production techniques are being modernized today.
- Explore Efdemin's Mirror Phase on Dekmantel UFO Series for an expert lesson in Detroit-Berlin techno history.
See every issue behind this brief
Untold Returns with 'False Vacuum' and Post-Dubstep Retrospective
- Untold – False VacuumFirst Floor · Included
- 24 Key Post-Dubstep Artists You Might Have ForgottenFirst Floor · Included
- Untold Defined an Era and Then Disappeared Without Warning; Now He's BackFirst Floor · Included
- First Floor #320 – The Wait Was Worth ItFirst Floor · Included
- First Floor #321 – Where Are They Now?First Floor · Read, not included
- First Floor #319 – A Tribal Sound We Can All Get BehindFirst Floor · Read, not included
Sub Basics & Pugilist Release Deep Dubstep 'Control' on Ruff Kutz
- Sub Basics & Pugilist – ControlFirst Floor · Included
Efdemin Releases 'Mirror Phase' on Dekmantel's UFO Series
- Efdemin – Mirror PhaseFirst Floor · Included
Martinou Debuts 'Ever Changing' EP on mule musiq
- Martinou – Ever ChangingFirst Floor · Included
Gi Gi Drops 'In Lieu' on Mood Hut
- Gi Gi – In LieuFirst Floor · Included
Eric Cloutier Releases 'My Friend the Abyss' LP on Palinoia
- Eric Cloutier – My Friend the AbyssFirst Floor · Included
Cry AD 140 release
- Cry – AD 140First Floor · Read, not included
Simo Cell music recommendations
- Simo Cell Has Better Taste Than I DoFirst Floor · Read, not included
Topdown Dialectic False LP
- Topdown Dialectic – False LP AFirst Floor · Read, not included
Quoting G on Clone
- Quoting G – I Can Feel It (In My Bones)First Floor · Read, not included
Imaabs Trisomnía release
- Imaabs – TrisomníaFirst Floor · Read, not included
Sasha Hollow Sun release
- Sasha – Hollow SunFirst Floor · Read, not included
Dubstep history and evolution
- Coloursound – New WorldFirst Floor · Read, not included
FAUZIA I Was Here
- FAUZIA – I Was Here for a MomentFirst Floor · Read, not included
Star Eyes guest recommendations
- Star Eyes Has Better Taste Than I DoFirst Floor · Read, not included
GB Herzsprung on AD
- FR 181: How AD 93’s GB Fused Dire Straits With Coil on His New Album HerzsprungFuturism Restated · Read, not included
Picture Uuuuuuuu minimal techno
- FR 182: Picture’s Uuuuuuuu Perfects a Forgotten Strain of Minimal TechnoFuturism Restated · Read, not included
Smalltown Supersound catalog
- FR 179: Smalltown Supersound Is a FeelingFuturism Restated · Read, not included
Steve Albini Tortoise remix
- FR 180: Lifted’s Cinema for the EarsFuturism Restated · Read, not included
Play Time Balmat release
- FR 178: Ben Vida, Booker Stardrum, and Will Epstein Are Play TimeFuturism Restated · Read, not included
The Strokes Reality Awaits
- "Reality Awaits" Will Be Loved By The Next Strokes Album (Which Will Be Hated)Evil Speakers · Read, not included
Music critic lyricist Q&A
- Ask A Music Critic: Who Are The Best Lyricists Right Now Under 40?Evil Speakers · Read, not included
- Ask A Music Critic: Should A Music Critic Actually Know How To Play Music?Evil Speakers · Read, not included
Deerhunter Monomania retrospective
- Catalog Club: Deerhunter's "Monomania" (2013)Evil Speakers · Read, not included
Rush reunion tour
- On Rush's Reunion Tour and Why All Music Is "Nerd Music" NowEvil Speakers · Read, not included
Deerhunter catalog review
- Catalog Club: Deerhunter's "Halcyon Digest" (2010)Evil Speakers · Read, not included
- Catalog Club: Deerhunter's "Microcastle" and "Weird Era Cont." (2008)Evil Speakers · Read, not included
- Catalog Club: Deerhunter's "Cryptograms" (2007)Evil Speakers · Read, not included
Rolling Stones and Jack
- Through The Past, Bluesily: The Rolling Stones and Jack White Ride OnEvil Speakers · Read, not included
Beck career survey
- Something Is Vacant When I Think It's All Beginning: A Beck SurveyEvil Speakers · Read, not included
Charlotte Cornfield interview
- In Conversation: Charlotte Cornfield's Canadian ExcellenceEvil Speakers · Read, not included
Jukebox Jury reviews
- Jukebox Jury #5: Maybe Partying Will HelpEvil Speakers · Read, not included
About First Floor
Should you add First Floor to Scottie?
Keep up with electronic music as both a listening culture and an industry.[1][2][3]
Who it’s for
An electronic-music listener who wants new releases, scene history, label context, and a clear view of the business around the music.[1][2]
What you’ll find in it
The issues linked below include “The Music Business Is Broken, and Everybody Knows It”, “First Floor #321 – Where Are They Now?”, and “Untold – False Vacuum”. Open them to judge the publication in its own words.
- Byline
- Shawn Reynaldo[1]
How to read First Floor with Scottie
Add its public feed for publicly available issues. If you subscribe to paid issues, forward those emails to your private @scottie.fyi address. Scottie does not need access to your inbox.
Scottie read 20 First Floor items and included 9 for the brief. The sources covered different things, so Scottie kept their stories separate instead of forcing a connection.
Read three issues from First Floor
Read the publication in its own words. Scottie keeps these original links attached; it does not replace the writing.
- The Music Business Is Broken, and Everybody Knows ItPublic issue[2]
- First Floor #321 – Where Are They Now?Public issue[3]
- Untold – False VacuumThu, 23 Jul 2026[4]