No Tags

14: Simon Reynolds, futuromaniac

May 8, 2024

Renowned music journalist Simon Reynolds discusses his latest book on 'futuromania' in electronic music, exploring topics like accelerationism, Daft Punk's influence, Boards of Canada's uncanniness, and the ambient revival. He touches on dance music's middle-aged desires, the allure of the '70s, and his next book scoop. The hosts also engage in light-hearted discussions and delve into evolving music consumption trends and genres, alongside a film recommendation of 'Point Blank' from the 60s.

01:13:39

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Simon Reynolds

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Quick takeaways

Simon Reynolds' 'Futuromania' book explores electronic music's future obsession.

Discussion on nostalgia vs. progress in music with Daft Punk and Boards of Canada.

Exploration of mass synchrony in music and culture in contemporary society.

Deep dives

Exploring the Book 'Futuromania' by Simon Reynolds

Simon Reynolds' book 'Futuromania' delves into the theme of future music, discussing electronic dreams, desiring machines, and tomorrow's music. Reynolds' writing introduces readers to a unique perspective on music and culture, reflecting on how different genres and eras have contributed to shaping the music landscape. The book touches upon Reynolds' personal journey influenced by various music genres and movements, highlighting the evolution of music journalism and its impact on shaping music enthusiasts' tastes.

Intro

2min

Exploring Futuromania and the Evolution of Music Writing

7min

Exploring Future Music and Innovative Trends

20min

Evoking Memories Through Music

13min

Evolution of Futuristic Visual Representation in Media and Film

6min

Exploring Evolving Music Consumption Trends and Genres

23min

Film Recommendation: Point Blank from the 60s

2min

For millennial music journos like us, Simon Reynolds is one of the Goats.

He’s a writer best known for his era-defining book on dance music, Energy Flash and the ultimate history of post-punk, Rip It Up And Start Again. But there’s barely a genre that Simon hasn’t touched, from hip-hop, shoegaze and glam rock to pivotal essays on Auto-Tune, “conceptronica” and the hardcore continuum.

Reynolds’ newest book is a collection of essays, interviews and reviews on the idea of “futuromania” –his word for electronic music’s obsession with the manifesting the future. Futuromania kicks off in 1977 with Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ and sweeps up half a century of electronic genius, with writing on household names (Kraftwerk, Daft Punk, Future), underground icons (Acen, The Mover, Omni Trio) and nebulous trends like the ambient revival.

Unsurprisingly, we couldn’t squeeze all of that in a single episode. But we did talk to Simon about the lure of accelerationism, dance music’s middle-aged desires, Daft Punk’s yearning for the “mass synchrony” of the ‘70s, the uncanniness of Boards of Canada, and how he learned to stop worrying about retromania and start loving Dry Cleaning. Plus: he gave us the scoop on his next book! We think it’s an exclusive!!

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