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Slow | |
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 Slow in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Vellu Maurola |
| Also known as | DJ Slow |
| Born | 1975 (age 49–50) Vantaa, Finland |
| Genres | Nu jazz,hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | DJ,record producer |
| Years active | since 1992 |
| Labels | Plastinka,Columbia |
| Website | Slow.fi |
Slow orDJ Slow (bornVellu Maurola, 1975, inVantaa, Finland) is a FinnishDJ andmusic producer. Slow is known for hisnu-jazz style and for his production of commercial music for high-profile advertising projects for TV and cinema.[citation needed]
Inspiration fromhip hop acts such asRun-DMC,Public Enemy andEric B & Rakim, led Slow to begin a career inDJing, later making music and remixing other people's tracks. In 1990 Slow met fellow DJJA-Jazz when they worked together in the music department of a department store. With money from his evening job, Slow bought a pair ofTechnics turntables and some records.
He participated in the FinnishDMC Mixing Championships and won the contest four years in a row: in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995,[1] using twoTechnics SL-1200direct-drive turntables and aDJ mixer, with musical styles ranging fromhip hop tofunk andjazz.
In 1995 Ja-Jazz introduced Slow toJames Spectrum, and the three of them formed a band calledPepe Deluxé, playing a mixture ofbig beat,trip hop, andhip hop. The band's first release was a 1998 EP entitledThree Times a Player, which was chosen as Record of the Month byMuzik magazine.[citation needed] Pepe Deluxé's first full-length album,Super Sound, was released in 1999 by UK'sCatskills Records. Due to clearance problems with the samples, they had to produce a new version of the album with many of the tracks rerecorded with cleared samples or live instruments. The new version of the album was released inFrance,Italy,Spain,The Netherlands, theUnited States,Australia, andGermany.
One track from the album, "Woman in Blue" (later renamed "Before You Leave"), was chosen to be used for a worldwide advertising campaign forLevi's jeans in 2001.[2] During this time Pepe Deluxe were also asked to do remixes for artists includingTom Jones,The Cardigans, andEminem.After a lot of promotion and concerts around the world, Slow left the group to pursue solo projects.
Between 1999 and 2001 he worked as Head ofA&R atEMI Finland, launching a new dance label called Nozle, which released singles from dance acts such asCampaus,Z-MC, andJori Hulkkonen'sStep Time Orchestra. Campaus was a dance act Slow started with a Finnish producerRauli Eskolin.
In 2002 Slow formedSlowHill with Finnish saxophonistTapani Rinne of the bandRinneRadio. Fusing jazz sounds with electronic beats, their first albumFinndisc was released onBlue Note Records. In the same year, DJ Slow's single "Got to Funk" reached #1 in the Finnish dance chart,[3] and peaked at #19 on the Finnish singles chart.[4] The track was originally made forHartwall's Upcider drink commercial, but due to positive reception, was eventually released as a single.[5]
In 2003 Slow worked on various remixes such asThe Crash's track "Star", and TV scores for Finnish television.
In 2004 Slow released his debut albumThis Is Now, and began broadcasting a weekly radio show,Burner, on Helsinki's Groove FM with hip-hop artistPaleface.
In 2005SlowHill released their second albumFennika on Plastinka Records, and remixedBWO's "Sixteen Tons of Hardware". WithTapani Rinne, Slow also wrote the score for Finnish movieKoti-ikävä, which was nominated for aJussi Award.[6]
In 2006, Slow played a set atMidem International Music Market's 40th anniversary opening night inCannes.[7] He also released his second albumPronto!, and later that year the album was also released inJapan byColumbia Records. He also played atWallpaper magazine's design awards inLondon, theArtek pavilion at Milan's furniture fair, and the Klara Festival inBrussels, and produced music forNokia,IKEA, andFinlandia Vodka among others.[8]
In 2010SlowHill returned with their third album,Muzak.
Slow co-produced on "Brujería" on the albumAguilera byChristina Aguilera in 2022.
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