The Needle Drop

Shlohmo

Shlohmo - "Emerge from Smoke"

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Only a Shlohmo track can give you the sense of being stuck at the bottom of a deep well and then turn that well into a place of almost womb-like serenity.

The L.A. producer just premiered a single to be released March 17 via a collaboration between True Panther and his own WeDidIt collective. It's out now on iTunes, but you can also pre-order the 7-inch here, which includes the single's corresponding B-side, the promisingly titled "Ode 2 Tha Whip".

There's a lot to love on this track. "Emerge from Smoke" comes outfitted with a somber melody that lurches itself out in teetering synths and long, fuming bass tones that labor underneath to carry the song forward. As usual, Shlohmo demonstrates his awareness of how nuanced percussion can add entirely new dimensions to a track. All the syncopated plinking and hissing leads to a drum break punching in about half way through. Towards the end, the solitude is pierced by a gaggle of silvery, stricken guitars wailing up from the bottom of the well, and the percussion and synths come crashing back down on top of them in a final caterwaul.

The single arrives with the announcement of a spring 2015 tour, the dates of which you can check out here.

-Tom Fullmer

Shlohmo & Jeremih - "No More"

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Some dark, fiery R&B from this new, collaborative track from Shlohmo & Jeremih. The vocals on this track are emotive, pained, and featured a splash of reverb a la the Weeknd. While I do see some obvious stylistic similarities, this song really separates itself form that with the beat. The distorted bass, trap-style hi-hats, and eerie "clinks" hanging in the background.

I love the way the vocals are so closely mashed together when they're multi-tracked, layered on top of one another. The whole track just feels so moody, intimate, and enveloping. It's like a forbidden sexy embrace of some sort.

Enjoy this and hang tight for a forthcoming EP of collaborative tracks from Shlohmo & Jeremih. Here's to hoping they're all as great as this one!

Shlohmo - "Don't Say No" ft. How To Dress Well

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Shlohmo drops yet another track from his forthcoming Laid Out EP, which is dropping in March. This particular cut features vocal contributions from alternative R&B pioneer How To Dress Well.

It's a really spacey, detailed track. Not only is there some trap influence coming from the hi-hats, but there's some particularly emotive vocal work toward the end of the track. Who knew these guys could work so well together?

Shlohmo - "Later" (LOVED)

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Electronic music producer Shlohmo drops a track from his forthcoming EP, Laid Out. The song is titled "Later," and it's absolutely beautiful with its atmospheric bass synths and what seems to be a distorted vocal sample. Before I go on, let me say that I'm loving this friggin' sample. It's a great chunk of audio, and it's applied perfectly in this trap-style instrumental.

The way the track progresses is fantastic, too, getting more and more intense with its jittery snares and hi-hats as the track moves along. Can't wait for this EP!

Shlohmo- "The Way U Do"

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Some stellar videography coming from this fan-produced video for the Shlohmo track "The Way U Do." The song comes from his new Vacation EP. Y'all know my thoughts on the music, but the visuals here are something else. Some really dark and strange imagery coming from these costumes and these models (model?).

Directed by Andrey Nikolaev and edited by Miguel Bidarra. Get this new Shlohmo EP on FoF.