NEWS
EVENTS
Album of the month: SOPHIE - PRODUCT
Other | Monday 30th November 2015 | Cristina
SOPHIE burst onto the scene in 2013 with the release of BIPP, an EDM record with artistic integrity. It was followed by Hey QT, a collaboration between QT, SOPHIE and PC Music’s A. G. Cook which sounded for all the world like chart pop, but was somehow more FKA Twigs than Katy Perry. SOPHIE’s debut album PRODUCT is more experimental and more personal, continuing in that vein.
Somewhere in between its high-pitched vocoders and stylised synths, PRODUCT is pop music with depth and emotion to rival the work of some of the best lyricists of the generation. Some of it is so far from the overproduction of mainstream trends that it will sound basic to many. However, in reality it’s just drawn from a different tapestry of influences, including various commercial genres of electronic music from around the world, including J-pop, K-pop, eurodance and EDM. What makes SOPHIE’s beats more soulful than soulless is his filtering of these genres through a high art lens. PRODUCT would be at home in a gallery, presented as an installation, as well as on a dancefloor.
SOPHIE anchors the sugar pop of his work to the strong, historic electronic music traditions of the UK, with raw, garage slaps on snare drums and satisfying UKG synths. The LP’s trapstep moments include Msmsmsm and less so, Elle, recalling the neon tunes of Scotland’s instrumental grime and dubstep scene - Rustie or some of the more experimental material by Hudson Mohawke and Lunice, AKA TNGHT.
With a sold-out range of fashion-forward merchandise, including what appears to be a sex toy, released along with the record and his live show launching at Village Underground in January, SOPHIE ‘s debut album is clearly the beginning of a game-changing career.
