SlowState is the solo moniker of Perth musician Louis Frere-Harvey.
A project years in the making, the ambient soundscapes of SlowState is akin to a love child between Amon Tobin and Sigur Ros (maybe with a sprinkle of Prefuse 73).SlowState's self-titled EP is designed to slow you down to an almost stop, listening as sounds pulse and swell around your head. Large sonic landscapes contrast against intimate, dry, slow-motion vocal grabs, this musical journey is one to listen right through until you drift away.
Who is SlowState? I'm a classically trained percussionist, grew up on punk rock, Dashboard and hard-styles, DJd trap around Australia as Command Q for a few years and now collect Warhammer and teach music. I write slow music at night and usually fall asleep doing it.
I sound like... If Sigur Ros found an old 808 and collab'd with James Blake.
My first gig was... SlowState is yet to be seen live; the live experience is currently in development – it's quite unique.
When did you settle on the group's name, and was it a unanimous decision... Practising drums for 10,000 hours led me to discovering this place in the mind which has been coined the 'Flow State' (Tash Sultana's 2019 album!) and I took this but slowed it down, it became SlowState.
In the studio I usually... My studio is my bedroom where I write, record and imagine all the concepts into existence. I always have empty coffee mugs floating around and some sticks somewhere to hit things with.
If I could tour with anyone... I would be honoured to tour with Sigur Ros. They definitely changed my perception of how fast I thought music had to be.
Social media is... A blessing and a curse – we honestly live in the coolest moment in human history, but no one knows how to control this beast it's become. Maybe a few too many opinions flying around. Twitter hurts my brain.
My favourite app at the moment is... My parking app. Never have to buy a ticket at a machine again.
To date, my most embarrassing moment was the time... I shat on a wall. Don't ask.
Life on the road can be... I used to tour A LOT with Command Q. It's taxing, you're always tired, clubs smell heinous in the daytime, but being in a new city and meeting new people every night is unparalleled. So many cool meals and amazing shows.
If you'll have me on your bill, all I ask is that our rider contains... A USB of local producers music! This was easily the coolest part about touring.
The most scary scenario I've found myself in, was... Being threatened with arrest in Berlin – we jumped some fences we weren't supposed to, but we ended up bribing our way out.
What famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band? I would talk endlessly highly of Skrillex – lucky enough to meet Sonny in Sydney at an after-party once, hands down the nicest guy in the industry. Also been a huge musical guide to me since the FFTL days in '06/'07.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party (why?)... Trump, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un. Chaos. Fairly self-explanatory.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? Massaman urry is the ultimate. I found a new shop called The Spice Rack, and you can open up jars of pretty much every spice in existence and just fill bags.
No matter the expense, send me a case of... New socks. Actually when we were touring, we always had a fresh pair of socks on our rider. I think we were given a pair once on the Sunshine Coast.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was... Actually, yesterday. COVID is probably the most I've exercised because too much time on my hands.
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Cleaning my car. I've gotten pretty good at keeping the house clean! But my car just always seems to fall short.
Do you have any phobias... please explain? Releasing music. SlowState is a reflection of a visceral reaction I have to emotional experiences and sharing this with the world is frankly terrifying. But sometimes you have to swallow your ego and roll the dice outside of your familiarities.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? If so, what type? I've actually been watching 'Big Brother' for some reason, and been thinking how crazy of a social experiment it is! I remember doing jury duty and spent four weeks in court on a murder trial, also a crazy experience. I think I'm ready for BB.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? My target is Angus Dawson, great musician and also my housemate, and next time we play a show interstate I'll tell him I left his SPD-SX on the plane. . . again. . .
