Initially,
Luomo was just another of Finnish producer
Vladislav Delay's many monikers, but after a few EPs for Force Tracks, it became far and away his most celebrated and commercially viable.
Delay (born Sasu Ripatti) first began to garner acclaim in 1999, when the Berlin-based boutique label Chain Reaction released a series of experimental dub EPs bearing his name. The subsequent year, he began releasing music via another esteemed Germany label, Force Inc. He adopted a pair of monikers for this work:
Uusitalo and
Luomo -- the former attributed to his dub-techno recordings released by Force Inc. proper (featured on
Vapaa Muurari Live), the latter to his dub-house recordings released under the Force Tracks sublabel banner.
Vocal City (2000) comprised the bulk of
Delay's
Luomo material, previously released on a series of 12" EPs. The full-length album quickly became a sensation, as did
Delay himself. In particular, the track "Tessio" attained anthem status and was remixed several times over in 2001.
When
Delay returned with more
Luomo material in 2002, contributing "The Present Lover" to the Force Tracks compilation Digital Disco, his aesthetic was slightly modified, incorporating more vocals and a more driving rhythm better oriented for dancefloor play. Released the following year in Europe and another year later in America, The Present Lover offered a full album's worth of this new style, and
Delay even took his
Luomo material on the road, performing live in Europe as well as America. In 2005,
Delay inaugurated his own label, Huume, and reissued
Vocal City accordingly. He then released a new album,
Paper Tigers, in 2006. This third album continued
Delay's progression toward a more accessible style reflecting his affinity for modern R&B. Released in 2008, the relatively stripped-down
Convivial benefited from guest vocals provided by
Robert Owens,
Cassy Britton, and
Scissor Sisters'
Jake Shears. A fifth
Luomo album,
Plus, followed three years later and continued
Delay's balance between full-blown songs and tracks. ~ Jason Birchmeier