SOFIA KOURTESIS Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Peruvian artist in Berlin Sofia Kourtesis has been on an unstoppable rise since she first emerged with a pair of EPs on Studio Barnhus. Brought into the Ninja Tune fold back in 2021, she's developed her debut album in the whirlwind of a rapidly growing profile and the personal struggle of her mother's terminal cancer diagnosis. Through her tenacity, she found a gifted doctor who was able to treat her mother and give her a life expectancy no-one would have thought possible, and so Madres doubles as a tribute to her mother and to the medical professionals who achieved what was thought impossible - as such, it's a powerful, sincere listening experience which fuses deep house with melancholic pop in mesmerising fashion.

Review: "Fresia Magdalena is about activism" says Berlin based Peruvian Sofia Kourtesis. It comes after a breakout 2020 that saw her get props as far and wide as The Observer and Mixmag as well as playing in NME's Top 100 list. She builds on that success with another EP that marks a big step up and features her singing properly on her own music for the first time. The sound sources here owe a lot to Peru, with jingling bells and rumbling bass, rich melodies and also explicit field recordings collected from around the city of Lima. The grooves are rooted in house but explore the every edges of the genre in personal and absorbing ways.