Welcome to our Book Club series. Reading has always been a part of my life, for as long as I can remember, and I’ve always had a curiosity into what other people were reading, often questioning my family members about the books they had on their shelves or at the pool. Over the last few years, I’ve reconnected with that joy and it has become a constant with my friends, sharing our recent favourite reads, what we’ve taken away from them and what we are excited about exploring next. Bringing those conversations to 909, our Book Club series will delve deeper into other creative’s reading history from what they enjoyed when they were growing up, their most impactful read, quotes and more. In order to extend this community of readers, there is a bonus question for those who answer where they recommend a book(s) to next person who contributes to the club.
Next up we have Barcelona-based music journalist Shawn Reynaldo who fittingly enough is in the midst of a book tour for his debut, ‘First Floor Volume 1 – Reflections on Electronic Music Culture’, out this Friday via Velocity Press. Originally from the Bay Area, Shawn Reynaldo first connected with rave culture in the late 90s and has spent decades immersed in independent music culture from running record labels, throwing parties and hosting radio shows. It’s music journalism that Shawn has become most known for. Previously an editor at the long-running US music platform XLR8R and Red Bull Music Academy, Shawn has gone on to write for the likes of Pitchfork, NPR, SPIN, Resident Advisor, DJ Mag and more. Whilst at RBMA, Shawn started hosting a radio show on Red Bull Radio called First Floor which was running for three years before RBMA shut down in 2019. With the rise of newsletters during the pandemic years, First Floor evolved from a radio show to Substack where Shawn publishes a weekly newsletter focusing on topics within the electronic music sphere ranging from fandom and artistry, value shifts brought on by the current changing of the generational guard, the shortcomings of the modern music press and much more, becoming one of the industry’s go-to platforms in a short few years. ‘First Floor Volume 1’ is a selection of those previous essays combined with new material and reflections, sometimes filled with the juiciest takes.
Your favourite childhood book?
I know that I’m supposed to say something like The Very Hungry Caterpillar or James and the Giant Peach, but even as a kid, I didn’t have much of an affinity for children’s literature. Back then I often preferred to read books about planets, dinosaurs and other stuff rooted in history and science. In all honesty though, the book I remember most vividly from my childhood was Stephen King’s The Stand, a sort of post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel which tells the story of a global pandemic that wipes out more than 99% of the global population. Although it was first published in 1978, a “complete and uncut” edition was released in 1990, and for some reason my parents had no objection to me (who was all of 10 years old at the time) buying and reading this rather dark book. I think they—along with many other adults—were just impressed to see me reading something that was more than 1100 pages long. In the years that followed, I actually wound up reading dozens of Stephen King’s books, but once I got to high school, adults—and teachers in particular—stopped being impressed and started telling me I should read some “real” literature instead.
Most impactful/influential book you’ve read?
Slaughterhouse-Five was one of those bits of “real” literature I was assigned in high school, and it blew my mind. It’s no mistake that Kurt Vonnegut was one of the 20th century’s most celebrated writers, and reading Slaughterhouse-Five—a book that’s technically about the Allied bombing of Dresden during World War II, but is ultimately so much more than that—completely re-ordered and expanded my notions of not only what a novel was, but how storytelling could work and what totally unexpected paths it could follow. The non-linear narrative alone felt like a revelation, but I was also amazed by the way that the book weaved together tales of astounding cruelty with sci-fi absurdities and the mundanity of daily life. It was both hilarious and harrowing, sometimes within the scope of a single page, and tapped into the complicated (and frequently contradictory) nature of humanity without getting preachy or pedantic.
A quote that has stuck with you?
“So it goes.” It’s a recurring line from Slaughterhouse-Five, and functions as a kind of metaphorical shrug, despite the fact that it often follows lines of prose describing things ranging from disappointing to downright horrific. I suppose there’s something fatalistic about it, but I prefer to think of it as merely realistic; things happen, and regardless of whether those things are life-affirming or soul-destroying, time is going to continue its merciless forward march. Not everyone will appreciate this interpretation, but to me, “so it goes” says that we’re all part of a universe that seems to have no special regard for any single individual; it’s an acknowledgement of our insignificance, but also of our capacity for acceptance and survival, even in the darkest of circumstances.
Favourite writer?
If we’re talking solely about people who write books, I’ve already mentioned Kurt Vonnegut, but names like George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, Philip K. Dick, Ernest Hemingway, Margaret Atwood and Ursula K. Le Guin all come to mind. They’re all great, but the contemporary novelist I’m most excited about is Alexandra Kleeman, whose books verge on dystopian fiction but are very much rooted in the present. Environmental disaster, corporate corruption, feminine identity and friendships, celebrity, cults, Hollywood and snack foods are just some of the topics she’s touched upon, but irrespective of the specific subject matter, Kleeman’s writing highlights the inherent absurdity and increasing hyperreality of the times we’re living in.
Favourite genre?
Dystopian fiction. Maybe it was The Stand which planted the seed all those years ago, but I still love tales of humanity and how we’re inevitably going to muck everything up, whether it’s to the point of triggering a full-blown apocalypse or simply ushering in some sort of hellish existence.
A book that you recommend everyone should read in their lifetime?
I don’t know if this is technically for everyone, but everyone with an interest in independent music culture should absolutely read Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk. Published in 1996 and written by music journalist Legs McNeil—who co-founded Punk magazine in 1975—and Gillian McCain, the book pieces together hundreds of interviews, presenting a cohesive narrative while tracking the roots, evolution and eventual explosion of what is arguably the most influential mass DIY movement in modern music history. Bands like The Stooges, the Sex Pistols, the Ramones and The Clash are of course all in there, but so are countless other figures whose contributions (many of which happened behind the scenes) helped to create a new cultural paradigm. Even better, it’s full of fun/funny/crazy stories from a time when music (and arguably the entire world) was much more dangerous and the underground was truly something separate from the mainstream.
Your favourite setting to read in?
I love the idea of getting cozy on my couch with a good book, but the truth is that I tend to do most of my reading while traveling, and especially whenever I’m on airplanes. Being a music journalist often requires being online more or less constantly, but years ago I made a deal with myself that I would never pay for internet access when I’m on a plane. It’s not because of the money involved (although the prices are ridiculous); it’s more that those hours in the air are a genuine chance to unplug and take a little “me time” without feeling guilty or feeling tempted to check my inbox and various feeds. And since napping on planes has never been my forte, and neither has blankly staring off into space, I’ll often use the time I spend soaring through the air to dive into the pages of whatever book I’m reading. It’s not necessarily the most comfortable way to read, but it’s definitely when I tend to make the most headway.
Are you someone who shares books with friends? If so, which book have you shared recently?
I have to admit that I’m actually quite bad at recommending books to friends. I’m not sure why, but perhaps it’s because so much of my work involves evaluating and recommending music. When I’m “off the clock,” so to speak, I figure that the last thing people need from me is more recommendations. (That being said, I do tend to dole out tons of recommendations about food, so there’s not a lot of consistency here. Please do not ask me about Mexican food unless you’re ready for a serious deep dive on the subject.) Luckily though, I do have one friend in Barcelona who regularly recommends books (most of them music-related) to me, and he’ll often lend me copies of titles that he’s purchased. Last year he gave me Dan Ozzi’s Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994–2007), which was both a fun read and something that took me back to my own days as a young (and overly idealistic) DIY diehard.
What are you currently reading?
Having spent much of this year finishing up my own book, I have to admit that I’ve been seriously neglecting my reading list. However, now that the book is done and finding its way into the world, I’m excited to get back to other people’s words, and first on my list is Ed Gillett’s forthcoming Party Lines: Dance Music and the Making of Modern Britain. It’s become rather common in recent years to hear people say things like, “the dancefloor is always political,” often without backing evidence or additional context, but Ed is someone whose work regularly and thoughtfully engages with what that statement actually means—and more specifically, what it meant for the culture during previous decades. Dance music has never existed in a vacuum, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this book examines the genre and its history (or at least its history in the UK) through a wider economic and sociopolitical lens.
‘First Floor Volume 1 – Reflections on Electronic Music Culture’ by Shawn Reynaldo will be released via Velocity Press on the 7th July – buy here.