Get to know...Slow It Down

SLOW IT DOWN

Who: Jamie Gardiner & Ralph Thomson
Sounds: Mid-tempo Funk, sublime Disco & grooving Hip Hop

So, in the first of our new features for 2011, we're going to be shining the spotlight one particular Glasgow artist, producer or visionary who we feel deserves some extra coverage due to their inexplicable talents. And what better way to begin then with masters of the bomfunk re-edit, Slow It Down...

Born out of a love for pioneering Hip Hop breaks, irresistible 80's grooves and searing Soul samples, the production duo of Jamie Gardiner and Ralph Thompson have been claiming a lot of attention recently. With thousands of plays a week on Soundcloud, mixes comissioned by Radio Magnetic and more blog love than we care to mention things look set to get quite hectic in 2011. Taking classic tracks from by-gone eras, stripping them back and re-building them as the embodiment of turbo-funk is how we like to describe Slow It Down, but what makes their tracks so damn popular?

For us it's their ability to source out forgotten gems, the record collecting dust in the corner, the songs you know, but never really took the time to love. It's these perhaps overlooked classics which Slow It Down really make their own. Forgive this 23year old writer for never having heard early 80's Soul-funkers 'Change', but after hearing Slow It Down consolidate the groove on 'Change Of Heart' - one of the first edits they sent us - they never sounded so relevant. With Disco reaching new heights of popularity with the likes of Azari & III, Tensnake & Aeroplane reclaiming BPM's in the low 100's it's not surprising that these classic records that Slow It Down have so masterfully reincarnated are now gracing the cooler dancefloors of our fair city, not to mention claiming attention from the likes of Q Burns, Sleazy McQueen and Social Disco Club.

Check out a few of our favourite edits below as well as their recent mix for Radio Magnetic:

Lowrell - Mellow Mellow (Right On) Slow It Down edit - 6A - Warped to 88BPM 320kbps by SlowItDownGlasgow

Orlando Johnson and Trance - Turn The Music On (Slow It Down edit) - (Final) 112 BPM - 320kbps by SlowItDownGlasgow

Bob Sinclar - So High (Slow It Down Rework) 113BPM - 320kbps by SlowItDownGlasgow

Slow It Down - Radio Magnetic Promo Mix - Winter 2010 by SlowItDownGlasgow

We recently caught up with Jamie, one half of Slow It Down to discover more about the origins of the project and where they plan on taking it. He also dropped us a little present in the form of an exclusive free download of their latest edit which you can find after the jump....

S: Ok, so let’s start with how this project began, what initially inspired you to start creating these incredible re-rubs and edits? Was there a particular tune or era of music which really got you excited?

J: "I grew up listening to black music, in particular hip-hop and always admired the way guys like DJ Premier, Pete Rock and Just Blaze took snippets of obscure funk and soul tracks and made it into something fresh and exciting.

My idea to start producing was to really showcase a lot of the 'breaks' that these guys used and incorporate into my own productions.

I went to Croatia's amazing Garden Festival this Summer and was blown away by the sounds I heard; really soulful edits but with that modern edge and I started to put together edits pretty much as soon as I got home.

I've dabbled with the the Tech House sound and landed some pretty decent gigs out of it but it lacks the soul and that good feeling that the oldies do, so the 60's to 80's soul and funk era inspires me for sure."



S: What would you describe as the concept behind Slow It Down, the majority of your tracks are edits of classic soul, funk & disco, but with the production skills you have are you not interested in producing your own material?

J: "Slow It Down is myself and Ralph wanting to drop the tempo and get away from that 126-128 techy sound that's dominating Glasgow at the moment and make our on mark on the local scene and hopefully beyond.

We do have plans to produce our own tracks from scratch but I have an incredibly short attention span and the idea of starting with a kick and snare bores me to tears.

We want to wait until our production skills are to a level where we are confident that we can approach labels knowing that they stand up to what else is out there."

S: Production wise, what set up are using to create your edits and could you give us a brief insight to how you approach a song and some of the process you might go through to create the final cut?

J: "I spend maybe 6-8 hours of digging for each track before I decide to use it, I only want to mess with an old track that I'm sure no-one else has edited and put my own stamp on it - there's 40+ years of classic tracks out there so I don't see the point in rehashing what's already been done.

We start off using Audacity which is a free audio recorder that I record my dj sets into, drop the full track in there, and chop it into as many as 30 loops, and pick the best dozen or so that we want to use.

From there we warp my loops in Ableton and arrange the warped pieces in Logic Pro, EQ'ing and smoothing out the sound as we go along before bouncing down to the finished track.

A lot of people add heavy delays, reverbs and filters but we want to maintain the integrity of the original where possible.

I hate Ableton for anything other that warping, the layout is backwards to me, although loads swear by it."

S: You also started a club night last summer called Slow It Down. With your own edits gaining wider recognition, do you intend on developing the night further in 2011?

J: "Yeah we have plans to host a handful of off the radar free parties in Glasgow and beyond this year. We're enjoying having the time to get into the edits at the moment - but we will get some parties arranged for the not too distant future."



S: Finally, is there one edit you’ve produced which you are particularly proud of and who do you site as your current musical influences, is there anyone we should keep an eye on?

J: "We like them all for different reasons but the Orlando Johnson one was the first to really get attention from guys who we look up to on the scene like Q Burns, Sleazy McQueen, Social Disco Club, Bicep, Rayko and closer to home Solardisco, One More Tune and Thunder Disco Club.

People from all over the world are playing the track out and it makes the hours spent in front of my Mac worth it!

We're working on an edit at the moment that's going to be exclusive to the Thunder Disco blog that I think is the best yet, It has that Italo sound with a bassline that will rattle your teeth out, I think it will really work on the dancefloor.

I would definitely be looking out for Fantastic Man (Wolf Music) who I think will be huge this year, his 'Look This Way' track with the Erkah Badu sample is a breath of fresh air on the house scene, also Brightons BlackLodge, who as well as incredible edits has some great slo mo house tracks and remixes that are getting better with every release.

My friend Dean Smith who plays a big part in the Croatian festival scene is also knocking out some really respectful edits and original tracks which are coming out in the Summer, plus guys like Ooft! and Craig Smith continue to put out amazing tracks and I'm sure they will keep raising the bar in 2011."

So, now your on a first name basis with Slow It Down, how about a slice of their sexiest, slimline edit yet? Exclusive to Synth, here is their take on 90's RnB classic 'U Know What's Up' by Donnell Jones. Oh baby...

Donnell Jones - U Know What's Up (Slow It Down edit) by Synth.

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