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Part of the SAT × EAF night this Friday April 25th, Toronto-based artist SlowPitchSound brings a unique take on turntablism, blending deep ecology with sci-fi imagination. Known for coining the term sci-fi turntablism, their work fuses classic DJ techniques with live sampling, field recordings, and improvised storytelling to create expansive, cinematic soundscapes. With sets that feel like journeys through parallel dimensions, SlowPitchSound cracks immersive performances where sound and visuals shiK slowly, guided by intuition, nature, and a deep curiosity for the unknown.
PAN M 360: You’ve coined the term “sci-fi turntablism” to describe your work. Can you unpack what that means for you — both sonically and conceptually?
SlowPitchSound: The root is turntablism, but it goes much further from there. Interactions with other sound objects are informed by the techniques that have been practiced on a turntable. I imagine other worlds and realises when I create, this makes it easier for me to stay away from the usual restraints that arise when thinking in musical genres. Hopefully that makes sense.
PAN M 360 : Your performances often incorporate field recordings and real-time sampling. What draws you to those textures, and how do you decide what sounds to bring into a set?
SlowPitchSound: I love that field recordings usually contain many other sounds that aren’t necessarily what you’re actually attempting to record in the first place. There’s an unpredictability that happens in the field that inspires me.. hearing it a slightly different way with each listen. I try not to put too much thought into the sounds I use because I like to be surprised with what can happen to them as well.
PAN M 360: There’s a strong sense of movement and progression in your work. Do you think of your sets as journeys? How do you approach building emotional or spatial arcs through sound?
SlowPitchSound: Absolutely! I love a good journey. My early bar dj days really installed the idea of adding arcs in my sets. Back then I wanted to be creative with my mixing, it kept me on my toes and it was fun to do. The big differences now are that I create my own music live and my equipment is way more integrated with my emotions, so it’s much easier to express myself.
PAN M 360: How has your relationship with turntables evolved over the years? What are you discovering about the instrument now that you weren’t before?
SlowPitchSound: I’m definitely not intimidated by it anymore. We’ve become great partners 🙂 Honestly it’s been a wonderful relationship getting to know it deeper with time. Feels like less of an instrument nowadays and more intuitive or instinctive.
PAN M 360: Nature and speculative fiction are recurring themes in your sound. Are there specific books, films, or life experiences that have shaped this part of your artistic vision?
SlowPitchSound: I’ve always been an outside of the box thinker for as far as I can remember. I’ve also been amazed by the magic of nature and the unknown things out there in the deep universe. I’m sure this is why I so drawn towards anything sci-fi or fantasy. A show that particular stands out from when I was a kid, was called “The Twilight Zone”. It was a black and white TV show, and every episode was so imaginative with some of the most bazaar realities. Really opened up my brain.
PAN M 360: Your visuals are often minimal, abstract, or atmospheric. How do you approach the visual dimension of your performances, and how do you see it interacting with your sound?
SlowPitchSound: Visuals are just the icing on my cake, a very low sugar version. There are so many little details in my sound, plenty to already feed the imagination, so I just like adding subtle slow moving images for atmosphere. Something to help put us in another reality but doesn’t overwhelm.
PAN M 360: Improvisation seems central to your live process. What does improvisation mean to you — and how do you prepare for something that’s meant to remain unpredictable?
SlowPitchSound: A couple things stand out. To me it means really learning how to listen and practice. How I prepare to react to the incoming sounds/thoughts, whether they’re from myself or others is by consistently practicing on many levels. I would compare it to learning a language, the more words you know the better the conversations and those conversations in general are usually unpredictable.
PAN M 360: You’ve spoken about being passionate about the environment and creating meaningful, inspiring work. How does that ecological consciousness shape your sound practice, and what role do you think artists can play in deepening our connection to the natural world?
SlowPitchSound: To me it seems like we as a species are very disconnected with nature nowadays, so as artists whatever we can do to bring more awareness is something worth doing. Art is still a power tool and collectively we can absolutely make a difference. I like to say “be part of the voice of nature”. It’s one of the reasons why I include a lot of nature sounds in my work so that nature could have an opportunity to reach others.
PAN M 360: What are some tools — analog or digital — that you rely on in your setup? Have you built or customized anything that feels essenGal to your performances?
SlowPitchSound: I use a turntable, mixer, sampler and a Korg kaoss pad for looping and fx. My latest customization was pressing a vinyl that includes a bunch of my own sounds and samples to play with live.
PAN M 360: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to emerging artists exploring experimental or cross-disciplinary paths in sound?
SlowPitchSound: Try and let go of what you know about music and focus on practicing the things that feel good on your musical instruments of choice. The more you explore them the more confident you’ll get.
PAN M 360: Montreal has a rich history of experimental sound and performance. How do you experience the city — either as a collaborator, an audience member, or just in spirit? SlowPitchSound: I love spending time in Montreal, especially in the warmer seasons 🙂 There’s such a great energy, and I absolutely enjoy strolling through the alleyways. Over the years I’ve made some great friends in the experimental scene. I’ve attended some amazing shows and have also played some as well including Mutek a couple 6mes, presented at Centre PHI and recently played a cool new experimental fest called Flux. I’ll be back to play Suoni Per Il Popolo’s 25th anniversary festival this June 27th.
