Welcome to library breaks *chopped 'n screwed*! Slow (Motion And Movement),
originally released on Sonoton in 1980, is super-sought-after and full of crazy
dubby, super SLLLLLOOOOWWWWW and super HEAVVVVVY library breaks. It's also home
to blinding new age/synthy tracks that are equally great. It's really varied
throughout, but all absolutely fantastic.
Slow features KPM/Bruton/Sonoton-legend John Fiddy, the mighty Sonoton founder
and composer, arranger and conductor Gerhard Narholz in 2 of his best-loved
guises - Sammy Burdson and Norman Candler (get it?) - as well as a couple of
fine offerings from Antonio Campo.
Heavy opener "Slow Business 1" is veeeerrrrrrryyyyyy slooooooooow with the
phased drums so beloved of Narholz but this time delivered by Campo, with a
proud, deliberate piano melody and great bassline adorning the creeping rhythm.
"Slow Business 2" is equally as slooooooow but without any melodic decoration.
Just pure phased drums, folks! Get sampling. "Moody You" is Narholz's first
track on the record and what a beauty it is. A languorous, insouciant, slo-mo
guitar soul track with warm synths, electric piano and heavy drums. It sounds a
wee bit like an erotic film score, and all the better for it. "Slow Groovement"
is Campo's final contribution and it's definitely his best. It's an ace,
moody-yet-melodic crime/blaxploitation track with gorgeous percussive elements,
mellifluous Rhodes and twinkling piano over a fantastic bassline and drums with
some great electric guitar soloing halfway through.
"Slow Reactor 1" is Narholz again, under his Burdson pseudonym, and it's him all
the way, now, joined by John Fiddy for half the tracks. This one is a tense,
phased, slo-mo thriller with mysterious percussive elements and ominous strings.
"Threat To Research" contains mysterious, dramatic sounds and heaps of
string-assisted tension whilst "Ion Exchanger" is replete with repetitive,
strange accents and sounds; all half-tumbling drums and dead tense, again.
Truly, a taut experience and ideal for adventurous sample-based beat-heads.
"Wave Motions" is a real highlight and the first to feature John Fiddy. It's a
beatless ambient banger with slowly changing sound waves. It sounds like Angelo
Badalamenti would if he were crafting strung-out teutonic library madness in
1980. The A-Side closes with "Slow Motion Link" which is over waaaay too soon
but just simply needs looping. Trust us. Phenomenally dope!
Flip over for "Scenic Vision 1" for here, ladies and gentlemen, we go sublime.
It's an absolutely stunning ambient wonder, with slowly changing textures and
colours that create a peaceful, gliding, tranquil atmosphere of sheer bliss. You
will not want it to end. Whilst "Scenic Vision 2" adds a bass melody, "Scenic
Vision 3" uses the same melody but renders it isolated and lonely in the
background. Haunting, hypnotic and hyper-beautiful. "Study In Brown" is s a
lengthier number, with room to stretch out, and features Fiddy back in the game.
Again, a slow, isolated melody gradually segues - by way of Fiddy's mournful
electric guitar solo - into a slow heavy rhythm with rumbling, groovy bass and
stratospheric drums.
"Deja Vu 1" weaves swirling, disorientating magic. It's described on the
original sleeve simply as "indefinite arpeggios inexplicable vision" and we
can't put it any better ourselves. "Deja Vu 2" sounds like you've heard it
before, it's "as above with melodic line" and really is fun. "Glistening
Surface" sounds exactly as you'd expect, all frisson-inducing movements, slow
waves and generally peaceful scenic sounds. This remarkable library record
closes with "Laser Fight", blasting "utopian percussive sounds" that totally get
under your skin like fireworks through your veins. A neat trick!
Established in Munich in 1965 by Gerard and Rotheide Narholz, Sonoton introduced
library music to Germany. Initially intended to cater to the country's new TV
market, the library also provided an avenue for Gerhard Narholz's astonishing
musical prolificacy, and soon became a haven for a wide range of European
composers and musicians. In 1969, Sonoton struck a deal with the British label
Berry Music for international publishing rights, exposing its catalog to a
worldwide audience; when Berry was bought out by EMI in 1973, Sonoton
transitioned into a full-fledged international label, with successes in the
library and commercial fields and many innovations to its credit. Now a
worldwide operation with hundreds of producers and composers under its employ,
Sonoton nonetheless remains an independently run business still helmed by its
founders - a remarkable achievement in an era when nearly every other major
library has been absorbed by a multinational conglomerate.
The audio for Slow (Motion And Movement) has been remastered by Be With regular
Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's
expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original,
iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to
this long overdue re-issue.
