- Tomu DJ paints a complex and busy dance music landscape with deceptively simple strokes.
- Tomu DJ came up spinning in the footwork scene, inspired to make music after booking Teklife members for a college party in 2015. The Oakland producer's tracks have always flirted with the genre, embracing uptempo rhythms and choppy melodies. But she deconstructs these maximalist influences, emphasizing their sumptuous elements—a chilled-out, Californian spin on a lively Midwestern formula.
On her first two LPs—2021's FEMINISTA and last year's Half Moon Bay—Tomu DJ used featherweight grooves, luxurious pads and chirpy leads to create cozy atmospheres. Her new EP, Crazy Trip, was recorded around the same time as those releases. She paints in the same New Age palette here, but this time the arrangements are friskier.
On "Bedroom DJ," Brooklyn artist Petty Getty's swaggering lyrics about money and weed are driven by West Coast rap synths and curt hi-hats. The electric piano and bloopy sound effects of "LA Vibes" border on lo-fi house, but busy percussion pushes things in a more eclectic direction. "Band Man" is dense and nocturnal, propelled by glitchy jungle drums and wobbly keys. While Tomu DJ's distinct strain of humorous whimsy is still present on Crazy Trip, this is her most commanding output yet.
Crazy Trip touches on a range of tempos, though mostly leans into bouncy house and melancholy techno. The EP's gentlest moment comes on the title track, which opens with pearly ambient synths that eventually give way to a downtempo, dembow-laced rhythm. Even this subdued closer is underlined by a quiet moodiness.
Tomu DJ's past cuts played as if they were basking in the neon glow of a lava lamp, but Crazy Trip feels like it's trying to balance on a slippery, reflective surface. It marries club-ready energy and meditative ambience in singular Tomu DJ fashion.
Tracklist01. Mewsic
02. Pretty Funny
03. Bedroom DJK feat. Petty Getty
04. LA Vibes feat. kimdollars1
05. Band Man
06. Crazy Trip
07. Bedroom DJ (Instrumental)