by: Michael Cooper
Mar 8, 2018
French producer Slowz built a name for himself on the strength of his first two EPs, 2015’s Paradise and Prime of Life, released a year later. After a 2017 spent focused on a number of edits and remixes — met similar acclaim to his solo productions — Slowz is back in 2018 with another EP, Nowhere.
The 5-track EP is a prime example of the producer’s nuanced musicianship — most pronounced in the introduction of live instrumentation, a first for the artist.
As for the EPs inspiration, Slowz said:
“nowhere. came thanks to my current relationship. It is the place where we go when we want to be safe together. Everyone has this safe place they love more than the others. This is nowhere. It’s a very inspiring time
My music is evolving everyday. Doing my last ep. Prime Of Life was important because it allowed me to know where I want/don’t want to go musically. I wanted my music less electronic and more acoustic than before on nowhere.
One of the most important decisions I made so far was bringing live musicians into the productions. I’m creating music for almost 5 years now and I‘ve always made it alone so far. I started to musically feel lonely, I needed to be in a studio with artists, to touch real instruments, to talk about mix, etc. With the addition of Cyril and Sonny and my great collaborators, I want to do live shows around the world and release more stuff.”
There is considerable depth and range to be found on Nowhere. The EP’s opener, “Excuses,” features the vocals of Canada’s FTRSL and exudes a sensual energy that is equally at home as in the club. The title track, which immediately follows, places heavier emphasis on live elements and a minimalist construction. Subtle production flourishes flitter throughout, but the track’s star is vocalist Brianna Rose, who has an effortless, infectious delivery.
Nowhere‘s halfway mark sees Slowz return to a mostly in-the-box number, with skittering percussion creating a solid foundation for Vivienne Sessoms to riff over. The EP comes to a close with the two parts of “When She Sleeps,” both featuring Hannah Young. Both iterations are structurally ambitious, with the first opting for an bubbly energy, while the second leans back for swaying, hypnotic affair.
The end result is an endearing EP that marks a new chapter for the particular brand of soulful tracks that have long been Slowz forté. The sheer quality of the productions will have listeners coming back for me and, due to their clever, unobtrusive arrangement, are sure to be placed on repeat often.
Categories: Music
