- Now that Shlohmo's moved from vibrant but blunted LA to weedy but seedy New York, his music is likely to become even fuller of stimuli, but there's plenty there already. This 2009 EP—initially digital only, and now out on a limited physical edition (300 copies on heavy vinyl) with bonus remixes—shows the then-late-teens (he's 20 now) producer trying a lot with a sure hand, even as it smears everything to mist.
Shlo-Fi itself retains its luminescent sparkle. "Couch" is Boards of Canada in drum-less memory-fall. "For You Pt. 1" drifts from liquid guitar funk through nervous fader fritz and heavy filtering before smelting into the ambient "Pt. 2." "My Drum Loop Is Stuck in Molasses" has the best and most apt title imaginable—we even hear the loop slow as it submerges. "Crust" is an FX symphony: brittle percussion crunch under a constantly shifting whoosh that evokes rain so heavy you can't see sideways. "Socks" monkeys with a male vocal inna gentler Kid606 stylee before focusing on a blapping syn-bass part. And "Ghosts Pt. 2" goes on the floating-strings-plus-breakbeats mood-tape shortlist.
It's the last three tracks that get remolded here by a highly variable crew of newcomers. Anenon's take on "Ghosts Pt. 2" reduces it to a tedious wash that sounds like a really long old Metalheadz intro, while S. Maharba's alters the tone from ethereal to sleepy, slightly sharpens the snare and does nearly as well as the original. "Couch" is also done over twice: Soosh makes it danker and gives it more of a late-night feel by way of slowing it slightly—not a great idea—while Wanda Group White Women filters and swirls it further yet, throwing in occasional kicks that sound like glubs coming from underwater. Jameszoo's remix of "Crust" deconstructs it in a few different ways, none making an impression.
Tracklist A1 Couch
A2 For You Pt. 1
A3 For You Pt. 2
A4 Crust
B1 Socks
B2 My Drum Loop
B3 Is Stuck In Molasses
B4 Ghosts Pt. 2
B5 Blankets
B6 Outbound
Digital: Ghosts Pt. 2 (Anenon Remix)
Digital: Couch (Soosh Remix)
Digital: Crust (Jameszoo Remix)
Digital: Ghosts Pt. 2 (S. Maharba Remix)
Digital: Couch (Wanda Group White Women Remix)