The Consummation of Right and Wrong (Important Records 2020):

The process blurs science and shamanism, with results that are utterly mesmerizing. Stated simply, Consummation is among the most important recordings that will appear this year. But its significance is worn lightly, and never outweighs the pure mental, spiritual, and physiological succor of the sounds First and his players produce.—Steve Smith/Night After Night

This a different kind of energy than most music aspires to, a kind that quiets the mind even as it stimulates…surrender to the way First treats time and motion, and you might hear things your brain never would’ve noticed otherwise —Marc Masters/Bandcamp Daily

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/27/arts/music/david-first-drone-music.html—Seth Colter Walls/NYTimes

Same Animal, Different Cages Vol. 1-4 (Fabrica rel. 2016-18):

Since the passing of Derek Bailey, no guitarist has subverted the purpose of the instrument as on this confounding and fascinating album—Lars Gotrich/NPRMusic

What has been composed this time out is uncompromisingly brave, not only has First re-defined the technical side of the sitar he’s customized it so as to deliver results no one else could. Creativity is far from dead, ignore the cynicism of now which pathetically insists that “it’s all been done before — Peter Marks/Santa Sangre Magazine

As rewarding as the releases that preceded it, and perhaps the most conceptually rich as well. From the album and song titles, the instrument used, and the blood red cover art that envelops the record, the sense of conflict captured throughout Civil War Songs is a very distinct one – Creaig Dunton/Brainwashed.com

I didn’t even know First was interested in playing solo acoustic guitar, so I have to admit being blown away by him making a record so utterly unlike any I’ve heard before…no matter how much you know about First, the sounds here are so bracingly different they immediately induce a slacking of the jaw—Marc Masters/The Out Door

Notekillers Songs & Jams Vol.1 (American Bushmen rel. 2016):

Since it advances the avant-rock forms these musicians helped invent, this Notekillers album is more than a victory lap. It’s a thing to cherish. Bring on Volume 2—Seth Colter Walls/Pitchfork (8.2)

Notekillers remain an ageless power trio, its sonic din of gnarly licks combining no wave’s nihilism and downtown NYC experimentalism with the fury of ’70s Bowery punk rock. Envision Glenn Branca’s The Ascension thrashed out by the Ramones and you get the idea of their epic, guitar godhead mettle—Brad Cohan/The Observer

The AM Radio Band (Robert & Leopold rel. 2015):

Forty years into his music career, well past the dawn of the digital age, David First shows himself to remain a true master of analog—Isaiah David/AdHoc

Electronic Works 1976-77 (Dais rel. 2014):

Punk as fuck, abrasive and visceral...those currently cocking an ear to Ekoplekz, Time Attendant or Some Truths are likely to be enthralled by these gonzo analogue workouts—The Wire

“These five noisy, churning pieces have little in common with the polite, eggheaded synthesizer music typically made during his period. Instead First layers dive-bomber sirens, harsh squeals, and rubbery pulses (and on "Moody," ferocious electric guitar) into visceral soundscapes that tear through the air like dull machetes”—Peter Margasak/Chicago Reader

Privacy Issues (XI rel. 2011):

“Music that’s as spooky as it is scientific”—Jon Pareles/New York Times

“If I were a young composer today this would be my Stockhausen...In a sane world, grad schools would be hosting conferences on this music”—Kyle Gann/Post Classic

Notekillers 1977-81 (Ecstatic Peace! rel. 2004):

That record (Notekillers’The Zipper) was so heavy for me and Kim and Lee…It was this propulsive guitar instrumental that was just breakneck…They had a big influence on me…The music is way ahead of its time—Thurston Moore in the Philadelphia Inquirer (article by Dan DeLuca)

Astonishing...While the rhythm section churns furiously, David First peels off a series of scrambled guitar lines, precise even when he's improvising. His diagonal riffs are marvelously untraceable (Surf-rock? New-wave? Heavy metal? Free jazz? Serialism?), and somehow these dense compositions inevitably come out sounding like party music. It's clear this band ranked with any of New York's much celebrated no-wave acts—Kelefa Sanneh/NYTimes

Dave’s Waves—a Sonic Restaurant (ants rel. 2003):

First is quite simply a master chef when it comes to cooking up harmonics… Guaranteed to get your head spinning, indeed—Dan Warburton/Paris Transatlantic

Dave's Waves is an electronic fantastic voyage through the human brain. From relaxed to more tense sounds, many people will be astonished by this sound experience—Daniel Varela/Perfect Sound Forever