Special thanks to Sophie Xeon's family for their collaboration on this project. Below they share their thoughts on SOPHIE'S legacy:
Music and the future were always at the centre of Sophie’s world. From a very young age Sophie was taken to music festivals and raves, and it was the electronic sounds and futuristic rhythms of mainly underground dance music that really appealed to her. She was greatly influenced by the early work of artists emerging at that time such as Orbital, Moby, the Prodigy, as well as some more established acts like Pet Shop Boys and Kraftwerk. Those formative memories continued to inspire Sophie throughout her life and her own career.
As her love of electronic music continued to grow into her teenage years, she began to focus on her own experiments in music making. Especially drawn to synthesis, Sophie spent many years honing her skills; pushing the limits of what was possible, striving to create the shiniest, most metallic snares and the bounciest, bubbliest bass sounds. Moving into the 2010’s Sophie wanted to create something new and futuristic sounding, while maintaining her energy and endless sense of fun, something severely lacking in dance music at the time. These experiments culminated in Sophie’s seminal collection of singles ‘PRODUCT’.
While touring her own sets, as well as starting to produce pop music for other artists, Sophie and friends began developing ideas for her next era. With it she would introduce a more performative element. Until that point a publicly shy and retiring figure, Sophie emerged from the shadows with the ‘It’s Okay to Cry’ video. With the subsequent ‘Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides’ album and corresponding remix album and live shows, Sophie lets us into her world more, as we travel through space and time on a sonic adventure.
SOPHIE, the self-titled follow-up album, though always intended as a more accessible, more ‘pop’ sounding record, undoubtedly maintains Sophie’s uncompromising and infinitely ambitious outlook. Made with her brother and many of her closest friends and collaborators, the album sits somewhere between a SOPHIE live show in the clouds, a massive party in her recording studio and the sweatiest club you’ve ever been to hosted by SOPHIE and friends.
The future has always been a big part of Sophie, and we hope Sophie continues to be a big part of the future. As always with Sophie, exactly what comes next and what shape it takes remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, there is a lot more still to come.
