Biography
Although Orri Jónsson and Dagur Kári Pétursson have never shared a country of residence while operating as Slowblow, the resulting recordings convey the closeness of shared domestic space rather than the distance implied by their separate locations. Born 5 November 1970 in Reykjavik, Iceland, Jónsson and Pétursson, born 12 December 1973 in Aix En Provence, France, initiated their joint work in the early 90s. Two albums, Quicksilver Tuna and Fousque, appeared mid-decade via the Smekkleysa imprint. Jónsson, who earned a degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York, later devoted several years to Forsaken Farms, a photographic series capturing the interiors of disused Icelandic farmhouses. He has also curated programs at the Icelandic Film Museum that invited composers including Jóhann Jóhannson and Múm to create fresh scores for archival films. On the duo’s third release, the 2004 album Slowblow, Múm vocalist Kristín Anna Valtysdóttir contributed to four tracks; her performance on “Cardboard Box” was captured inside Jónsson’s mother’s compact Reykjavik bathroom, while portions of the record were tracked inside the former indoor swimming pool that Sigur Rós have converted into a studio. Everyday noises—footfalls across Orri’s wooden living-room floor, a handrail solo recorded on the staircase, squeaking organ pedals, the rhythm of mechanical sewing machines, an inverted washing bin struck as percussion, and sampled fireworks on “Cardboard Box”—joined more conventional instruments such as musical saw, upright bass, and slide guitar, heightening both the record’s sense of proximity and its distinctly Icelandic tone of longing. Slowblow have collaborated with Emilíana Torrini, and esoteric dance project Gus Gus later recorded a version of “Is Jesus Your Pal?” Jónsson served as engineer for Múm’s Summer Make Good. Pétursson, in addition, directs films; he completed Noi Albinoi in 2003 and followed it with Dark Horse the next year.
Albums
