Friends Of Friends US Vinilo y CD

Review: When Shlohmo first released Bad Vibes on Friends Of Friends, back in 2011, the album and the sounds contained within it felt fresh and provocative. The style ran in parallel with the emergence of post-dubstep, and worked well alongside the works of producers like James Blake, but it was very much its own thing, an experimental sort of nu-jazz that is still sounding game-changing today. This reissue is a fifth anniversary edition, and it's as vast and majestic as we remember it; with twenty-three tracks to lose yourself in, Shlohmo provides a wonderfully curated palette of moods and artistic directions, from lo-fi broken beat, through to glitchy, instrumental hip-hop, and plenty of explorative ambient. It's a mood album, one that must be heard in its entirety, and surely up there with the likes of Caribou's Swim or Flying Lotus' Cosmogramma. Excellent.

Review: Over the last few years, Henry Laufer's releases as Shlohmo have tended to be archival affairs such as anniversary editions of early albums and sets of unheard early works. It's for this reason that "The End", the American producer's first studio set for four years, is such a welcome sight. It's an intriguing excursion, too, with Laufer offering up crunchy, dusty, often lo-fi tracks that wrap arty, indie-rock guitars and bass around lopsided drum machine rhythms, weird electronic flourishes, mind-altering effects and ghostly synthesizer motifs more often found in straight-up IDM releases. It's an unusual formula, but one that results in a string of memorable tracks and one must-check album.

Review: Over the last few years, Henry Laufer's releases as Shlohmo have tended to be archival affairs such as anniversary editions of early albums and sets of unheard early works. It's for this reason that "The End", the American producer's first studio set for four years, is such a welcome sight. It's an intriguing excursion, too, with Laufer offering up crunchy, dusty, often lo-fi tracks that wrap arty, indie-rock guitars and bass around lopsided drum machine rhythms, weird electronic flourishes, mind-altering effects and ghostly synthesizer motifs more often found in straight-up IDM releases. It's an unusual formula, but one that results in a string of memorable tracks and one must-check album.

Review: Yet another collection of stunningly cosmic beat work from LA's Shlohmo, "Laid Out" runs the emotional gamut from angular, frenetic screams to soul-massaging vibes and back again. Opening with the yearning, sleepy croons of How To Dress Well on "Don't Say No", we're then wooed by the pitched up garagey twists of "Out Of Hand", spun-out and dazzled by the processed wails on "Later", cuddled softly by the twinkling textures of "Put It" and finally sent to bed with a cup of sweet sonic cocoa on "Without". Deep, dreamy and delectable, the Wedidit boss is on fine form here.

Review: Just in case your copy of Dark Red needs to take a break from constant rotation, Shlohmo has reissued on his sophomore set Bad Vibes on stunning gatefold vinyl. Conjured in the foggy haze of time when the LA beat scene was in its infancy, there's a more languid, spacious feel to the arrangements over which you can hear Shlohmo building the blocks of the future. From the light ebb and flow of the sandy slide guitars on "Places" to the raindrop textures and pensive reflectivity of "Just Us" via the fuzzy layers and sludgy narrative of "I Can't See You, I'm Dead", this captures an exciting time in Shlohmo's career that remains as immersive and engaging as it was four years ago.