With songs in Portuguese, Sofi Tukker wants to make ‘songs that we want to hear and that we feel are not being made’

In a way, it is somewhat ironic how two completely different people, whether in personal or musical tastes, can come together to do something and do very well. This is the case of Sofi Tukkera foreign electronic duo that makes music with lyrics and Portuguese.

Responsible for creating the band, the American Tucker Halpern and German Sophie Hawley Weld they met in 2014, when they were in college. He played basketball and was passionate about electronic music and dance music. She lived in several countries and studied more “traditional” music, such as Brazilian music. After meeting, the two began this venture and released hits such as “Drinkee,” “Purple Hat,” “Original Sin” It is “Summer In New York.”

Sofi Tukker officially launches ‘Veneno’

The duo’s newest release is “Poison,” which arrived on streaming platforms this Friday, the 10th, and was born from a joke on TikTok. A few months ago, independent artists Mari Merenda It is Sophia Ardessore published a video with a cover “Swirled,” in Ronaldo Silvawith just voice – and Mari played an instrument called asalato.

The video of the two Brazilian women was widely shared Tucker Halpern It is Sophie Hawley Weld, who took the opportunity to make a remix of the cover with an electronic feel. Because of this, several fans began asking them to officially release this version. In other words, they didn’t plan to release “Poison” originally, but public outcry brought this challenge.

@sofitukker#stitch with @ @marimerenda should we finish it? 😝 #producer#remix#getcultured#musicalatina♬ original sound – SOFI TUKKER

“So we went to the studio and wrote a part in English, we did like a drop in another section of the song,” explained Sophie during an interview with Rolling Stone Brazil. Right away, Tucker revealed how they’ve never made a song so quickly from start to finish and release.

It was really exciting… the world was telling us to move fast, and the world was telling us to finish. And we love it. So we’re excited about it all the time. It’s one of those songs that gets better the more you listen to it. I love her more and more every day.

As the artists commented in the conversation, Silva’s participation, Snack It is Ardessore in the track did not reach the production part. Ronaldo Silva allowed the use of one of his works in the remix (with writing credits, of course) and Mari Merenda It is Sophia Ardessore they let Sofi Tukker use their respective voices. This whole process was quite organic.

Something cool to highlight was the friendship that emerged in this virtual and unpretentious meeting. Silva and his wife always talk to the duo and even had a dress made Stamprhythm present in “Swirled,” for Sophie. Furthermore, the duo also met and went on the famous ride with Mari It is Sofia after going viral on TikTok.

It’s an exciting thing and a really cool use of the internet, how we connected, how we’re friends now, how we’re collaborating on a song. […] And even Ronaldo could have said ‘no.’ It seems like everything is connected at the right time and at the right time. Something is telling us, ‘Music is special,’” he said. Tucker.

As with all other projects Sofi Tukkerespecially when we talk about remixes, they don’t plan to simply reproduce a musical genre or type of dance and sound – they want to mix different influences to have the best possible result.

Second Sophie, “There are a lot of different things at the same time, and we love a mix where you listen to it and think, ‘I’ve never heard anything like this before. No, I don’t even know what it is. What do you call this thing?’” Tucker he complemented his bandmate’s speech and commented on how this was always the duo’s idea.

“Because the Sophie was a jazz musician and played Bossa nova and I was a DJ house music,” remembered. “When we get together, we try with “Drinkee,” our first song, doing something that had never been done before, using different genres and just molding them together,” and that’s exactly what happened on “Veneno.”

‘Inspiration is the way music and culture travel and people can inspire’

One of the most common things in electronic music is seeing remixes being made, whether of other songs, instrumentals or even dialogues and speeches. In this, there is an exchange and interaction, however indirect, between artists. In fact, my first contact with Sofi Tukker It was during college, when I heard “Rave dos Bailes – DRINKEE,” of DJGBR.

When they heard that there is a remix of “Drinkee” of funk, so much Tucker how much Sophie They were quite surprised and eager to hear this version (when the interview was over, I showed it to both of them, who showed their desire to “make it official,” since “Rave dos Bailes – DRINKEE” is just in YouTubeoutside of streaming platforms, but this is still uncertain!)

For Sophie, the fact that artists perform remixes of other works “is the most beautiful thing”: “Inspiration is everything. And the way music and culture travels and people can inspire… that’s how we create new things. This is how society evolves.”

“And I just think it’s really exciting to be in this time, honestly, where you have access to so many different styles of music, and people are increasingly open to different languages, different rhythms, different everything,” he added.

Furthermore, the two artists noticed how every type of music has an influence, like Brazilian music has an influence on African music, for example. Sophie stated how unnecessary it is to be “purist about a genre,” in that Tucker added:

It’s actually not very creative when that happens. Just let something live and have its own life, like ‘Drinkee‘ has already had a life of its own and so many remixes, it can be found in so many different places. It takes us to different parts of the world constantly.

A very different kind of sound

Not just with some Portuguese lyrics, but the way Sofi Tukker making music is quite different, especially in relation to the electronic music scene. A good part of this, according to Sophie, is the fact that the band’s entire creative process is organic.

“It’s the meeting of our brains, which are very different. And when we mix them together, it’s something unique,” ​​she said. Tucker also took the opportunity to show his point of view. “She didn’t listen to electronic music and dance music before we started the band. That’s really beneficial for us because she doesn’t get caught up in subgenres and what other DJs are doing at the time and stuff.”

We just make music that we want to hear and that we feel like aren’t being made. You know, I think it’s more important for us that it doesn’t sound like other things, rather than that it does.

The next era of Sofi Tukker is closer than you think

In 2023, Sofi Tukker performed two shows in Brazil: at Lollapalooza (March 25) and GPWeek (November 5). In the most recent, Tucker It is Sophie They stayed a few extra days in Brazil to work out some details for their third studio album as a duo.

As Sophie advanced to the Rolling Stone Brazil, the duo’s new album (still without a defined name or release date) will have a second version in MPB, with acoustic versions made by Brazilian producers, composers and artists. Their next visit to the country should take place after the release of the album, in the post-wet tennis (2022).

wet tennis was made during the pandemic, so the duo thought of songs to be listened to at home – and several of them are outside the setlists festivals to “keep the energy” high, but he is featured heavily in solo performances.

“There will probably be more energy on this next album, which will be better for live shows. But, you know, I think it will always be a little bit of everything,” he said. Tucker.