We catch up with Danish wunderkid SLOWOLF for a New Noise chat.

Slowolf’s glitchy electro beats juxtaposed against his taste for tripped-out, melodic hip-hop and fiery production has been catching the eye of every tastemaker throughout Europe over the past couple of months, ensuring his tracks are readied for every summer playlist. We caught up with the guy ahead of his gig at London’s Editions Hotel to find out more about his friendship with Benny Banks and ‘sleeping’ with Jimi Hendrix.

Slowolf, you seem like a bit of an enigma – How did you come up with your moniker?

I truly love slow down tempo music, I really just cannot sleep when its full moon and also slow and wolf is my fave words.

Tell us a bit about your journey? How did you get into the music industry and where did making music begin for you?

Almost since I learned to walk I have been playing the drums and from there I went on to the MPC starting to make beats. Working on the MPC in the studio and playing it live on stage is for me like playing the drums, its all about crazy odd rhythms and stuff.

What kind of stuff were you listening too as you were growing up?

When I was a little boy my dad used to blast real loud Jimi Hendrix and John Coltrane out of the speakers and instead of a teddy bear I slept with a Jimi Hendrix LP cover. Later on I started to buy my own LP’s, the first one was Fear Of The Black Planet with Public Enemy and from there I was hooked on hip hop.

How does Copenhagen compare to other cities you’ve visited / played / recorded in, for musical inspiration?

Don’t wanna hate on my home town but I get so inspired when I am away, the Bounty EP was recorded in places like South France, Mallorca and Italy.

Do you cite any other musicians as being a huge creative inspiration?

RZA and Kanye have inspired me a lot over the past years. Also I find loads of creative inspiration in the work by dope film directors, designers, architects and chefs.

How did the collaborations with Benny Banks and Raekwon happen? Are you guys all good pals?

Raekwon was doing a show near Copenhagen in Malmö, Sweden. I reached out to a friend of mine who knows Raekwon from back in the days. Rae responded real quick and recorded his verse the same day in his hotel room in Malmö. I hooked up with Benny when i was in London a while ago and we had a great studio session getting his part down. They are two of my fave rappers so for me its a dream come true.

If you had the choice of picking anyone to work with on one of your tracks – who would be your first choice?

Cyhi the Prynce and Meek Mill are on top of my wish list.

Tell us more about the new EP – What can be expected from it? Any surprises?

I am really happy about the sound and vibe on the EP and it have been a real pleasure to work with some of the rappers I love the most. Until now the reactions have been amazing, feels like it just dropped at the right time.

How do you think your forthcoming work will progress from the present EP?

Right now I am in the studio working on my next EP, don’t wanna waste time when inspiration is here. The sound is familiar with the Bounty EP but taken in a new direction, cannot wait to share!

If you could have produced any other track by any other artist – which track would that be?

I don’t have like there is that one track. Lately I have been listening a lot to WondaGurl’s stuff. Travis Scott’s Uptown really had a strong impact on me when I heard it for the first time. Same thing happened when I found out the track was produced by a 16-year old girl.

Are there any tracks on the EP that you favour or are most proud of?

I love all of my kids equally 🙂

How was the London Editions gig? Have you had any disastrous live gigs?

The Edition show was awesome. I hooked up with so many nice people that night and having Dream Mclean and Takura with me on stage was mad dope. London is like a new home for me right now, love the vibe and energy over there!

Where else can we find you throughout the summer? Any Festivals planned?

I am playing a show at Roskilde Festival start July bringing my feature artists from Bounty and my next EP on stage – so excited!

 

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Words: Shane Hawkins.