03/28/12: Shlohmo - Shlomoshun Deluxe (2010)

03/28/12: Shlohmo - Shlomoshun Deluxe (2010)

1. Tomato Squeeze
2. 7am
3. Spoons
4. Post Atmosphere
5. Hot Boxing the Cockpit
6. Dead Pixel
7. Teeth
8. Antigravity
9. Hot Boxing the Cockpit (Tokimonsta Remix)
10. 7am (devonwho Remix)
11. Antigravity (Fulgeance Remix)
12. Antigravity (Low Limit Remix)

     Time to figure out more of the so far brief but prolific timeline of releases by LA beat maker Shlohmo. I regret listening to most of his releases in reverse order more and more every time I listen to something else from him. This EP was released originally in 2009 I believe but the version I have was a digital re release with the 4 bonus remixes. The "Camping E.P." was released later in 2010 to put these releases into a little bit of perspective. There are a lot of similarities stylistically between "Shlomoshun" and "Camping" seeing that they were made so close together. I found that this EP sounded a lot more like Flying Lotus than his later stuff does. He was heavier on the beats and lighter on the atmosphere. At times he had bass lines that sounded very dubstep-ish which is probably why there were one or two tracks I wasn't crazy about. I'm not saying that Shlohmo was a completely different artist barely 2 years before his full length "Bad Vibes" because I can definitely hear his sound developing and becoming more his own throughout his many releases. It's still all good though.
     The included remixes were all solid. I may have actually liked the remixes of "7am" and "Hot Boxing the Cockpit" more than the originals. Solid release and it's worth noting that the track "Tomato Smash" on "Camping" is a reworked remixed version of the opening track of this release "Tomato Squeeze". (088)

03/16/12: Shlohmo - Camping E.P. (2010)

03/16/12: Shlohmo - Camping E.P. (2010)

1. Naps
2. Birthday Beat
3. Tomato Smash
4. Sippy Cup
5. Post Atmosphere (Baths Remix)
6. Spoons (Shigeto Remix)
7. Teeth (Asura Remix)

     There has been a surprisingly low amount of information on Shlohmo on the interwebs, but the deeper I dig the more music I find by him. I'm basically working through his fairly prolific first 3 or 4 years of releases backwards (oldest releases coming soon) and his music continues to be enjoyable and for the most part distinctly him. The "Camping" E.P. was released roughly in conjunction with a deluxe re-release of his first album. It also was serving as a tide-over while his fans waited for his next full-length "Bad Vibes".
     This E.P. included 4 "new" songs and 3 remixes by other artists. New is in quotes there because "Tomato Smash" is apparently a remix or reworking of the opening track of one of his earlier remixes. I guess I'll know how different it is later. The first 4 songs are all really great. They have a distinctly different sound then his later releases. He sounded more like artists like Flying Lotus. A lot of the elements of his later music are there like the use of outdoor recordings, vocal samples, and ghostly atmospheric synth, but overall the production is a lot more beat heavy and the beats are warped in a Flying Lotus-esque way. Overall I'd describe the songs as heavier but they are still fairly chill. The remixes are all very solid as well. I don't know the originals (yet) but I'll make sure to come back to these remixes after the fact. Really cool E.P. Shlohmo has yet to disappoint me. (076)

03/15/12: Shlohmo - Places E.P. (2011)

03/15/12: Shlohmo - Places E.P. (2011)

1. Places
2. Forgot I Was Here
3. Thing I Lost
4. Empty Pools

     Places is an EP from electronic artist Shlohmo. I wasn't able to find a ton of information about this release. It either came out before or after his 2nd full-length "Bad Vibes". "Places" is from the album and the other 3 track are B-sides from the same recording period. This E.P. and the Vacation E.P. are definitely good accompaniments to "Bad Vibes". Vacation was a step forward from the Bad Vibes sound, but "Places" has songs obviously from the same recording session. The atmospheric feel, fractured drum beats, warped vocal samples, and spacey guitar riffs are all as present on these songs and would have been welcome to me if they were included on the full-length. I'm glad he released these songs. Theres nothing like a satisfying collection of B-Sides to an album you love.  (075)

02/22/12: Shlohmo - Vacation E.P. (2012)

02/22/12: Shlohmo - Vacation E.P. (2012)

1. The Way U Do
2. Wen uuu
3. Rained The Whole Time
4. The Way U Do (Airhead Remix)
5. Wen uuu (Salva Remix)
6. Rained The Whole Time (Nicholas Jaar Remix)
7. The Way U Do (D33J Remix)
8. Wen uuu (Evenings Remix)

     Shlohmo is an electronic artist from the Anticon record label. I tend to be a huge fan of a lot of acts from Anticon. I discovered this guy due to the fact that he is friends with Baths and I checked out his debut full-length album "Bad Vibes" the day it released on Baths Twitter suggestion. He has a really unique combination of electronic genres. His albums ride a line between abstract hip-hop, trip-hop, ambient, cut and paste turntablism, and is overall very experimental. I loved "Bad Vibes" it is a super chill record with some awesome and unique production.
     The "Vacation" E.P. is his first release since "Bad Vibes" and was released through the label Friends of Friends. The E.P. includes 3 new songs and multiple remixes of those 3 songs. I believe this is the complete version. There are various versions of this release that include different remixes. This version has all of the released remixes included on it. The 3 new tracks are pretty fucking incredible. If this is a sign of things to come for future Shlohmo full-lengths, than I can't wait until its time for more. The songs definitely sound like his older stuff, but there's so much more depth within these songs. The beats are amazing the samples of vocals and tape loops create a ton of atmosphere and moodiness in these songs. The songs just feel like there are a lot more layers and though I really enjoy his full length these 3 new tracks are infinitely more interesting. And to top it all off, I loved most of the remixes. they were really unique takes on the new tracks without warping the songs beyond recognition. As much as I loved "Bad Vibes" this E.P. is an even better introduction to what Shlohmo can do. Check this shit out cuz its awesome. "And How!" (053)