Köshrimp – Red Luna District
Recommendation: ☹
Köshrimp is the alias of Tom Cochien, a producer from France who specializes in hypnagogic drift,1 a form of vaporwave that utilizes extreme lo-fi samples with lots of reverb and effects to emphasize a surreal, dream-like atmosphere.2 Red Luna District is Cochien’s third album, released in December 2015 only six months after beginning his vaporwave career. For the most part, it’s pretty standard: low-fidelity smooth jazz and easy listening with the wounded basso profundo that comes from the resultant pitch-shift after time-stretching.
Red Luna District flows through its sub-half hour run-time with all the murkiness of a red wine-infused dream after a night of passion once the room has stopped spinning. When listened to in that context, it’s not too bad, but there is little here to separate it from the score of like-minded albums, and the choice of samples contain the same material as those from years prior in the scene. Red Luna District is early in Cochien’s career, and it’s not a good example of his abilities: listen to the 精油/鬼香水 collaboration with Famicom Fountains for that – there, Cochien shines in long-form songs. These shorter tracks don’t give him nearly enough room to flex his avant-garde muscles. Check it out only if you’re dying for lo-fi, surreal vaporwave pop before the next Adhesive Sounds or Virtual Dream Plaza release; Red Luna District is better interpreted as early practice than a solid addition to Cochien’s discography.
Tracklist
1. Hello There! – (1:39)
2. Mind Fitness Program – (1:53)
3. Shamanic_hotline – (2:28)
4. Ariminum Niteclub ’84 – (3:30)
5. Oddy SeicentoSessentaSeis Experience – (2:45)
6. Blood_super_moon – (2:41)
7. Lost Corridor – (3:31)
8. Healing Landscape Area – (3:48)
9. Red Luna District – (3:45)
10. Way Back Home – (1:21)
1Not to be confused with “hypnagogic pop,” which is a very different subgenre.
2A lot of t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者’s work would fall in this realm.