Tlim Shug - Untitled

March 9, 2018 - Bobby Donny

I don’t like the contradiction of titling a project “untitled.” Having four tracks also titled “untitled” doesn’t do a project any favors in my book either. If the project and/or tracks within have any merit or lasting power, they will inevitably be given a title, even if it is a simple as the date or order of the track list. This EP is the eighth put out by Amsterdam’s Bobby Donny record label, and it does have merit and lasting power, so I will henceforth call the EP BODO008 and the tracks ‘A1’, ‘A2’, ‘B1’, and ‘B2.’

Now that that’s out of the way it’s time to dig in. The record label Bobby Donny is one of the creative outlets for Frits Wentink a.k.a. Steve Mensink who also runs Will & Ink and might even be the mysterious Yaleesa Hall, who knows? Tlim Shug is a relatively new addition to the dance scene and also is fairly private. Using my internet sleuthing skills, I was able to determine that he is a he and he lives somewhere in California, U.S.A, which means he could be one of 39.54 million people, all of which do not live in the Netherlands, where Bobby Donny is headquartered. 

BODO008 is a tight little package of thoughtful lo-fi dance floor kindling that accomplishes Shug’s SoundCloud goal of wanting to “just wanna make you move.” The tracks occupy the same BPM range, the same emotional space, the same level of engagement. They work perfectly well played in sequence and will be reviewed as such. 

‘A1’ sets the scene, ambient birds-in-the-park samples float around white noise and stretched melodic samples with a waterlogged beat chugging along underneath. Vocal samples dot the landscape gently and a compressed chill bump-inducing bass line seals the deal. ‘A2’ might be my favorite cut on the project, though by a slim margin. It’s more direct than ‘A1’ but still falls into the same effortless train ride of a groove. The samples used here are given a little more room to breathe, a little more of their original character is left intact. The tonal drones and piano riffs remind me of a Pogo production, and the percussion treatment is in the vein of Kaytranana. 

‘B1’ is brighter than the two A sides, but in a washed out way. The mix sits higher on the frequency spectrum, which doesn’t stand as well on it’s own, but in the context of the project it provides a change of pace for the 3/4 position. ‘B2’ brings back the bass along with a vocal-sample top line. The percussion takes on a shuffle groove that plays well with the deep bass line. The effect is reminiscent of an unexpected sunset that happens just after a cooling rain lets off and the clouds get out of the way.

Despite being titled “untitled,” BODO008 is a solid addition to the Bobby Donny discography. Tlim Shug knows his way around whatever production tools he uses, and he knows how to make people move. 🍍