The frenetic world of electronic music is full of distractions and diversions, hindering the ability to find transcendent music. Let Oggie James be your guru and lead down the path to musical Enlightenment.
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Casual fans will know SOPHIE for the equally massive tracks "Msmsmsm" and "Lemonade" from the hyper-kinetic album Product. Bigger fans will know her widespread songwriting and production credits for the likes of Madonna, Charli XCX, and Vince Staples. To say that 2017 was a big year for her would be a vast understatement. She was on two of the biggest tracks of the year with Cashmere Cat and Lunice, as well as her own stunning breakout "It's Okay To Cry." And while we look forward to her album Whole New World, I can't help but share a remix of what was my favourite track from Product.
Qim's first release comes in the form a future bass remix of SOPHIE's "Just Like We Never Said Goodbye." The allure of the original is clear, while in stark contrast to the aforementioned cuts from Product. It is more of a standard song, subverting the psychotic stabs and fearsome flourishes that most have come to know SOPHIE for. It is at once bright and beautiful, yet also dark and haunting. While the unhinged club quality of SOPHIE is undeniable, this track has harnessed that energy, directing it into an incredible piece of art, which in my mind sets the stage for "It's Okay To Cry."
As I often say with remixes of this nature, you must tread lightly, in effort to both maintain the original's artistry and not debase its allure. Qim has done that quite well. The raw nature of his future bass flip works perfectly with SOPHIE's original. The new upbeat and optimistic drop is a more overt example of the heights achieved in the original, and yet it still plays perfectly with the careening chords and sub-bass that kept it grounded and sneakily sad. I find I'm still partial to a lot of future bass and the potential it holds, and it is generally the drums fills that seal the quality, to which Qim has delivered. The lead into the drops just always seems to hit my heart in the right place, making this a surefire second and third listen candidate. You'll have to get those on Soundcloud though as no download is currently available.FOLLOW QIM: FACEBOOKSOUNDCLOUDTWITTER FOLLOW SOPHIE: FACEBOOKSOUNDCLOUDTWITTER
It's quite simply ridiculous how many nights in November I've been waiting for with baited breath. First, Ryan Hemsworth, then the Hyperhouse Tour, Lemaitre and Chet Porter, the Shelter Live Tour, Lido and now this, Cashmere Cat and SOPHIE's stop at The Hoxton. Add to that Lane 8 Saturday, then Drezo and Booka Shade next week and this November may be the best month of music ever. It really proves that while festival season may be nice, the fall club scene cannot be topped. I've had my tickets for tonight since the presale, as I never miss a chance to catch Cashmere Cat. Add to that the enigmatic SOPHIE and tonight is the kind of night dreams are made of. While I beat all of my friends to the punch with Cashmere Cat, I was still rather slow on the uptake. It took a facebook post from AlunaGeorge directing me to his "With Me" (from his second EP, Wedding Bells) for me to finally come across the genius that is Magnus August Høiberg. After playing "With Me" on repeat for an hour, I decided I better check out more of this Cashmere Cat character, and I was not disappointed. Both of his EPs were absolutely gold through and through. Hear for yourself below or via Spotify here.I've truly yet to come across any artist that compares to Cashmere Cat and his production style. Yes, there are similarities with the likes of Ryan Hemsworth, Hudson Mohawke and Lido, but there's something about Cashmere's sound design and impeccable atmosphere that makes his tracks so alluring. It should also be noted that Cashmere Cat is not just a producer par excellence, but his DJing skills saw him represent Norway in the DMC World DJ Championships 4 years in a row. With that in mind, I'm hoping he throws in some of his newer releases too, and perhaps some stuff from his forthcoming album, that we've been patiently waiting for. To put a cap on Cashmere Cat, I'll leave you with an example of his incredible mixing style, and his new music video for "Trust Nobody."
Joining Cashmere Cat at The Hoxton tonight is the enigmatic SOPHIE. His (yes SOPHIE is male) most notable production "MSMSMSM" grabbed the electronic music scene by the family jewels. It is so aggressive and turnt, yet somehow beautiful and emotive, there's no way to quantify just how crazy people go when it comes through the club speakers. SOPHIE is shrouded in mystery, not having released an original production since 2015. In fact his most recent production credit comes from Charli XCX's Vroom Vroom EP, with whom he has toured, working closely to premiere several new productions. SOPHIE's cultivation of his enigmatic image is truly is a work of art. You'll be hard-pressed to find many live videos, or sets of his online, and the one you'll most likely be directed to, a Boiler Room set from 2014, features a hired performer behind the decks, miming the prerecorded set SOPHIE had already laid down. He does however appear in this video dressed as a security guard.
Tonight is sure to be one to remember. At the time of writing this, tickets are 90% sold out (online) but as per usual, there are sellers on the facebook event page, and there will likely be tickets at the door.
Norway's SVANI recently broke the quadruple digit followers mark on her soundcloud and has graced us all with a five track bootleg pack for our listening and DJing pleasures.
