After a string of successful singles, Brazilian DJ Slow Motion unveils his hotly-tipped debut album Weapons of Peace, which dropped Friday 26th April on his own label Ref City Records via Empire Dance. We got the chance to chat to Slow Motion, covering the grounds of his musical journey and influences, the sound that he has developed over time, and his new album ‘Weapons Of Peace’.
Growing up in Brazil, what are your earliest memories of music and what impact did the Brazilian music scene have on your sound?
Brazilian musical culture is very vast and diverse. My greatest memories were the teachings of my father, who always introduced me to national rock bands such as Legião Urbana, Engenheiros do Hawai. One of the great Brazilian artists who has a great influence on my sound is Jorge Ben Jor – I listen to all of his works a lot.
Tell us about your journey as a producer. Is there an album or artist that influenced you to start producing?
I started to delve deeper into the sound of Amapiano due to the influence of a trip to Mozambique, and in this research I got to know ” Kelvin Momo”. The work on all his albums is something really fascinating.
How would you say your sound has developed since your initial output?
I have always maintained a well-defined identity, but over the years I believe that through personal maturity and the improvement of the technical side I was able to produce this album.
The newest album, Weapons of Peace, has just been released! How did the project come about and what do you hope to show with this release? What are some of the main inspirations behind this new project?
A return to the origins and where I connected with electronic music, between 2011 and 2012, which marked the beginning of my journey as a DJ and the world was experiencing the golden times of Deep House, which influenced me a lot and continues in my sets to this day. Combining this with a more current look that I found in amapiano when I was on tour in Africa and connected with this sound. I think my album is the union of these two factors.
Can you walk us through your creative process when creating the tracks for ‘Weapons of Peace’? Were there any specific challenges or groundbreaking moments during its production?
A great curiosity is that it was produced in just 1 week, after that I improved and confused some points, but the main thing was that everything was done together in a moment of creative awakening that hadn’t been experienced for a long time.
This album is a soulful summer mix, for listeners, where or what is the perfect time to listen to Weapons of Peace?
I try to make tracks that can be heard and accepted at any time and that everyone can experience something special to listen to.
Your sound has undoubtedly evolved over the years, but without losing your true roots, what advice would you give to aspiring producers looking to find their own unique sound?
FOCUS! Like every Brazilian affected by economic issues, we have great difficulty at the beginning of our career as the acquisition of equipment and investment in our career is something that has a great impact on our results, but with focus and determination we can achieve results, as well as this hope with all the Brazilian names currently highlighted.
What can we expect from you next year?
A new album!!
