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“WEDIDIT” rings past the finely decorated Mardi Gras floats as an anxious crowd welcomes a tall young man onto the stage. Stepping up to the DJ booth donning an all black t-shirt, silver chain and a black baseball cap, a smile cracks on the young face.
Without hesitation Henry Laufer A.K.A Shlohmo jumped on deck and began what would be a delivery of a wide array of songs that would leave the dance floor in a frenzy of snappin’ and clappin’ groove.
There is a feeling of satisfaction when performing artists are enjoying themselves and when we say Shlohmo has got it he’s got it. Singing along, song after song, the 21-year-old threw his hands in the air and leaned with the music like a 13-year-old Michael Jackson. Providing a slew of left field hip-hop driven beats that would move your knees in a jive motion for you, Shlohmo packed his performance with energy.
The influences were scattered as Laufer jumped from deep house to southern hip-hop back to a downtempo fuzz that tickled your ears. Shlohmo seemed to be having a blast and the crowd could not get enough. Guys and girls were bouncing around the dance floor, showing off a combination of dance moves. This was a party and all expectations were tossed out the window.
“Places” was laid down as a blanket of reassurance that, even with the upbeat cuts, Shlohmo is cooler than a polar bears toenail. The crowd broke out into a head bobbin’ sway as Laufer swerved as if his bones were made of Jell-O. Shortly after he delivered a rework of the LOL Boys summer anthem “Changes.” A steady bass line kept a syrup aesthetic as the snare drum cracked over the chorus, “Things won’t change until we do.”
Unconventional, yes. Bizarre, yes. R&B influence at a dance concert, hell yes. But Shlohmo proved that although different, the future of dance music will include an internet driven producer that can give you love-making R&B or trunk bumpin’ beats for the homies.
After the release of his new Laid Out EP on March 5th, Shlohmo has taken to the road to showcase his new material and play alongside some rising names in the dance music scene from DJ Oneman to Flume.
It is no question that Shlohmo is just beginning his career, but his ability to continually put out diverse material is the key to his success. The future is unpredictable for Laufer, but we do know it will be full of surprises.
Bad Vibes (Friends of Friends)
Camping EP (Friends of Friends)
Vacation EP (Friends of Friends)
Laid Out EP (Friends of Friends/WEDIDIT) March 5
