It all started with a dm.
Cami-Oh and The 83rd from Sermon 3 Recordings had known each other from both being involved in the NYC DIY experimental community, were generally supportive of each other online, and constantly at the same events.
So went Cami casually mentioned to Sermon 3 on IG that she was releasing an album, we were excited to hear and generally just stoked on the idea.
But WHAT WE HEARD WHEN WE PRESSED PLAY…
was one of the hardest, forward thinking, experimental, beautifully vocal laiden, lemme bang you out with these drums rite quick, crashing timbral, sonically interesting dance floor ready LPs we’d ever heard.
And so were beyond excited to announce that Sermon 3 Recordings is releasing Cami-Oh’s album thru our label, and premiering her LP, here on S3R News.
World Meet Cami-Oh. And bare witness her earth shattering debut album, Discordia.
Album Artwork by Cami-Oh, Press Photo by Shannon Callsen
Discordia is a sonic joyride packed into a 9 track album featuring NYC hometown heroes like Buttress and Bonnie Baxter. Packed full of engaging moments and ever changing, we had to go behind the LP and bring some context to how Discordia came to be, along with Cami-Oh at this stage in her life. See below:
S3R News: Discordia is such an eclectic sounding album that pushes limits on the dance floor and beyond. Curious as to what your musical and production background is?
Cami-Oh: I started to play drums at the age of 12 and always loved to make a lot of noise vocally. I tried my hand at guitar and piano but always ended up doing drums and backup vocals for bands throughout high school. It wasn’t until I got into music production later that I began exploring electronic producers. My first experience with that was circuit bending a children’s Casio keyboard and recording into Audacity without any microphone. After I discovered Ableton I began to make tracks with VST synths and my voice. If I hadn’t also lived in the UK and then London for a while, I would’ve never discovered such a wide range of dance styles that influenced my productions.
S3R: You’re an active part of the NYC DIY community. What’s your background in that regard, where are you from and how/why did you get involved in mutant activities?
Cami-Oh: I’m from Philly, but spent a lot of time coming up to NYC to go to shows. I moved here in 2016 and began getting involved in various creative communities. It wasn’t until I performed at the local DIY spaces and briefly lived/worked at one that I became aware of the “mutant” scene evolving around me, which was affirmed by the Melting Point rave on New Years Eve. For the first time I feel like there is a place for me and the other outliers in this city. Many artists I know and appreciate are pushing boundaries and using their rage as a form of catharsis–which is much needed in the present day.
S3R: What were some of the production approaches for you in this project?
Cami-Oh: Not many people know this about me but I often record people talking candidly on my iPhone. I don’t really use them ever, but often they’ll spark an idea that I’ll translate into a track from sounds I’ve either collected and manipulated or recorded. I’ll start out with a basic dance track I’ve made layered with the candid iPhone recording, but the iPhone recordings rarely make the cut. On the track ‘Acid Victim’, I actually sampled Kill Alter’s Instagram story. Contemporary art at its finest. On the absurdist ‘Bitchtits (Ode to Shrimps)’ I recorded responses my Google Home was giving me. For my vocals I usually improvise over my tracks, reverse them, and then find more interesting sections that work that way.
S3R: Love this as your debut album. What kind of plans do you have to support the album visually or performance wise? Or in any regard for that matter.
Cami-Oh: I have a couple of music videos in the works that will premiere within the next few months. The first one will be for ‘Liberal Libations’. I also plan on finishing my series of collage works, one of which was used as the album cover. This album explores a lot of different moods and levels of chronic pain I experienced over the winter months, and the collage creatures I create depict that–I plan on completing one for each track. I also have recently gotten into robotics. I hope to someday turn my 2D creatures into my backup dancers.
Cami-Oh has an exciting year coming up. Follow her below to keep up with what’s next:
