Shlohmo received the memo — that furtive Elders of Zion-esque protocol that compels me to write about artists who describe themselves on Myspace as a “tall, lanky, jewy-lookin dude from LA proper,” title songs “Hotboxing the Cockpit,” and create an aural aesthetic in the vein of Ras G, Flying Lotus, and Nosaj Thing. Like his peers, the beatmaker born Henry Laufer explores the empty spaces between earth and sky, paring found sounds (bird chirps, stray city noise, clunky footsteps) to frozen mercury synths and Godzilla bass. The result is a compromise between the organic and the chemical, Ableton beats constructed with the coolness of a technician and the lapidary warmth of an artisan.
“Discovered” by Friend of Friends founder Leeor Brown when Laufer was a Dublab intern, his official debut Shlomoshun Deluxe marks one of the first impressive works from the second generation of Low End Theory artists, and creates an entirely new context for Juvenile’s “Slow Motion.” The tunes are lo-fi out of necessity — recordings were conducted through the audio-in port on his laptop, field recordings were captured with iPod microphone and creaky Roland synths glide through the record like lost ghosts. The result is something that sounds homemade but never amateur, a smoked-out detour through the mind of a kid enamored by the first flush of creation. The sterling reputation of “tall, lanky, Jewy-looking dudes” has been sustained. Both Omri Casspi and I clap clap salute.
Download:
MP3: Shlohmo – “7 a.m.”
MP3: Shlohmo – “Hotboxing The Cockpit”
MP3: Shlohmo – “Live at Calling All Kids”
MP3: Shlohmo – “XLR8R Podcast “
