Hailing from Germany, producer FloFilz has sprung onto our radar for 2022 with his lush new single, 'Sensitive' featuring London-based vocalist Jerome Thomas. By being immersed in music from a young age, FloFilz draws inspiration from 90s leading beat makers such as J Dilla, Madlib, MF DOOM and A Tribe Called Quest which trickles through his discography. Alongside this, he also studied classical music as well as the violin. Although his displays his talent from strings through his music, he also takes heavy jazz influences through his music as he infuses lo-fi with soul and alternative R&B. If you were ever a fan of the ongoing live YouTube video "Lo-fi beats to chill/study/relax to" you'll definitely love FloFilz.
With his album Close Distance on the way, the 16 track project will feature four songs that have already been released within the last few months. As 'Sensitive' is said to be one of his favourite tracks off the album but also the most different from what he usually makes, it makes this track all the more special.
This is our First Listen with FloFilz.
'Sensitive' FloFilz ft. Jerome Thomas
First Watch
On first watch, we see Jerome Thomas in the middle of two dancers and met with a sea-blue hue over the atmosphere. The trio stay posed and are instead eased into their choreography with bursts of energy. The two dancers as well as Thomas are draped in white flowing clothing that dance around them in time with his changing sequences. Their stage is kept minimalistic with only a stack of wooden palettes at the back in which Thomas is perched on at the beginning of the visual. But this sort of vibe that they're going for doesn't need fancy props and extensive lighting. With occasional edits throughout that flick between colours and outfits whilst following the same choreography was a clever and interesting touch and kept our eyes on Thomas for the duration of the visual. As the lights snap between cool blues, flashing torchlights, hazy earth tones and sensual deep pinks towards the end, the dance throughout was outstanding as Thomas merges club dance with contemporary.
First Listen
The track itself 'Sensitive' follows Jerome Thomas battling with inner thoughts. As he's previously mentioned, he felt like his inner and outer world was in turmoil and that turning on the news and flicking through his social media pages was becoming triggering and damaging to his mental state. 'Sensitive' is a reflection of himself where he lets us know that he absorbs his surrounding wherever he goes and therefore needs to be mindful about what he's looking at and doing because it affects his psyche. He talks about avoiding Instagram and Twitter and getting high to blur out the realities when all he's seeing on the news is death and destruction from as soon as he logs online.
In terms of production, 'Sensitive' follows tender chimes or bells that sit alongside Thomas' buttery vocals. The relationship with lo-fi is still present even though it follows a hip-hop beat in the background, but it is not overpowering over the calmness of the track. 'Sensitive' uses ambient notes that that merge so well with Thomas' Neo-soul voice and it's fitting that he talks about sensitivity as his voice is tender and soft on the ears.
Artist Perception
FloFilz
"Really excited to share the official music video for 'Sensitive' with Jerome Thomas. We really wanted this track to get visuals and with how hard it was to plan things like a shoot during the pandemic we're even happier that everything ended up working out. And more than that, the team did a beautiful job and created images that we feel perfectly fit the atmosphere of the song. We hope that you'll enjoy the result!"
Jerome
"SENSITIVE ~ you can decide to beat your demons or join them…
I had so much fun bringing the vision of 'Sensitive' to life with the help from some incredibly talented human beings! Making this video brought up certain sensitivities and insecurities of my own, I always saw myself doing choreography one day, but I was nervous, I’m a dance at the club kinda dancer, not actual ‘boom cat 1, 2 step’. So the idea of doing a routine excited and scared me all at the same time… after all I’m an artist… and I’m sensitive about my shit."
Overall
'Sensitive' is a track that has an ability to calm a person whilst also talking about mental health, transforming it into something relatable. There's no doubt social media can get daunting, especially after the two years we just had. As it feeds into constantly seeing negative things online or by "doom scrolling", it comes to a point where it does get too much to handle. With Jerome Thomas highlighting this specific feeling within 'Sensitive', FloFilz creates a dreamy atmosphere surrounding it that, although conflicts with the content of the lyrics, still invites us to stick around and yearn for more.
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