Interview: sloslylove

12 Sep 2014 — Sam Clark

Five to ten years ago a cursory overview of Eau Claire music probably would have read as homogenized, with acts like Bon Iver, Amateur Love, and the Daredevil Christopher Wright garnering various levels of attention from the public eye. But as many of those projects have either disbanded or gone on hiatus, a proverbial curtain has been pulled back, revealing Eau Claire as a more diverse climate and a decisive component in the Midwest musical landscape. The burgeoning network of house venues designed as safe, all-ages spaces has created an environment for underground rap to flourish and for members of the city’s electronic music guild to hone their craft. 

At the forefront of the latter movement is sloslylove, the moniker of Eau Claire native Feng Meng Vue. After spending a significant stretch of time in Minneapolis, Vue repatriated himself just in time to prep and release his second full-length album, The Haunted, which dropped in July. I recently caught up with Vue to talk about his no-nonsense, natural approach towards making music and his interest in building synthesizers. Check out the interview after the break.

The moniker “sloslylove” seems, at least to me, the perfect combination of adjectives and nouns to describe your sound. Where did the name come from?

"Slow" – adjective: uneventful and rather dull.

"Sly" – adjective: lightly mischievous.

"Love" – noun: an intense feeling of deep affection.

Forget the definitions I listed above, short answer is, I stole the name from a friend back in high school – I believe my sophomore year – I guess the definitions are sorta relevant. Long story, my friend and I joked about starting a 90's cover band, covering cheesy love songs…Never happened; we didn't know how to make music. But the name stuck with me all these years.

You cultivated a rather large interest and following online pretty early on. Has that had a substantial impact on the trajectory of your career?

Not really, it was pretty crazy at first but I thought nothing of it. I don't really focus on what's happening outside of what I'm actually doing, if that makes any sense. I'm just kinda taking things as they come, not really forcing anything.

Talk a bit about The Haunted. Do you see the record as a continuation of Tendencies or more of a step in a new direction?

After I put out Tendencies, I kind of just took a break from the solo stuff to do other projects. That was like two years ago…So, onto The Haunted: I hope it’s nothing like Tendencies. I didn't want to do that album over again. The only thing I want to keep as a constant in all my music is that #feelsright vibe. The Haunted is definitely where I'm trying to go next with my music. I just want to get weird…

One recurring theme in your music is the inclusion of audio samples throughout songs. Where do these samples come from, and how do they fit into the aesthetic of sloslylove?

I watch really slow-paced boring love movies that only your girl or girlfriends would be into. I have my reasons…Let's just say, all magical quotes deserve soundtracks. If I hear Reese Witherspoon say some real soft shit that makes the eyes glossy and there ain't no soundtrack over it, I'm gonna make the soundtrack to it! Also, movie one-liners are my biggest inspiration.

Really though, most my songs are instrumentals. People will create their own stories to those songs. The songs where I include audio samples is just a way for me to set the tone. They’re basically a brief description of what the song means to me without saying much or having to say anything at all, still leaving enough room to make your own meaning. If that makes sense…I hear music cinematically, I see movies musically.

Both of your album covers feature pretty intricate designs, and you frequently perform with images projected behind you. How important is the visual component of your project?

Album covers, design-y things always happen last minute…I don't think much of it, I just do it in collaboration with a good friend of mine. I'll just be like, "Album’s done, I guess I need some art now…" and it kind of naturally happens. The Haunted is my favorite cover though, front to back. If you look closely or pay attention, you'll see many Easter eggs referencing my childhood. Or not…

But yeah, as far as the visual projections go when performing, those aren't me. I can't take credit for the dope animations and time spent. Shout outs to Kimberly Lesik and Eric Wells!

You’ve spent time in Minneapolis and seem fond of California, but you currently call Eau Claire home. What draws you to the town’s music scene?

This is my hometown, I grew up here. Been here since forever. To be real, I wanted to get out of this city for the longest time, and I did, lived in Minneapolis for about seven years. Being away though, at least for me, made me appreciate Eau Claire a lot more. The music here is dope. That's a given. It's the most honest music out there. Everything is made in the blizzard man, that says a lot! Honestly though, everyone in Eau Claire is an inventor. If there isn't something poppin' off over the weekend, you know one of your friends or yourself are going to make something pop off. That's what I'm drawn to, people making their own adventures.

People following you via social media and that have gone to your more recent shows may have noticed that you’re both building and performing with your own synthesizers. Can you speak a bit on that interest and how it’s affected your approach towards making music?

Well, about a year ago, I started learning about modular synths and how they work. I started building my Eurorack Modular Synth about that same time and right now, I have a custom-built 6U case fully filled with modules from different companys. I have no plans to expand at the moment, but I'm sure I will next year or something. I just love gear. Gear doesn't really affect how I make music, it's just another tool to assist in the process. I'm a very hands-on person, so I need to be touching something. Also, it's just so much more fun to have all your machines talking to each other, in time, perfectly synced. I feel like I'm the conductor and my machines are my band mates.

Aside from your own synths, what are your key pieces of gear for recording and live shows?

My live sets are always changing. Sometimes I'll have six machines sync'd up, other times I'll have two machines. I'm always adding and taking things out. The last couple shows I played I used an SP404 and my modular synth.

At home when I'm recording, I usually run all my gear into Ableton. I use a Roland Juno 6 in most my songs. So I guess, that's my main hardware. But as of right now, I haven't fucked with Ableton for awhile now. I’ve been recording all my sequences on my SP404 and SP303.

Between releasing The Haunted and touring around California and Mexico, you’ve had a busy summer. What’s next for sloslylove?

More music man, never stop. #feelsright