Experimental/Electronic charts

Review: The late SOPHIE Xeon shaped modern pop and experimental music with her Grammy-nominated 'Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides' and 'PRODUCT' series in the mid-to-late 2010s, working alongside A.G. Cook and PC Music to create some of the most futuristic and bubbly music. Xeon produced for Vince Staples, Madonna and Charli XCX before her sudden passing in January 2021, she is known for her unique, textural production style that has even been featured in McDonald's adverts (of all places). Her first posthumous project has been lovingly brought to fruition by her family estate run by her brother, handpicking songs he says she would've wanted to be released that were nearly finished. The first track 'Reason Why', featuring Kim Petras and BC Kingdom, has long been a fan favourite since live performances and leaked demos hit SoundCloud over four years ago. It's a spacious and squeaky clean dance track, one of many examples SOPHIE produced, showcasing what pop's future could look like.

Review: 3 years after SOPHIE Xeon's tragic, untimely death in Greece, her estate - managed by her brother - has finally fulfilled their promise of putting the finishing touches on, and releasing, "nearly finished" tracks from a vault of "hundreds of songs". In the family's official statement, they said "It feels only right to share with the world the music she hoped to release, in the belief that we can all connect with her in this, the form she loved most," and, so, to the shock of fans worldwide 'Reason Why' released on the 25th June in its final form after five years of leaked demos and live performance videos to go by. It's SOPHIE at some of her best, rich textural and multilayered production backing one of the popstars of a generation - where it usually tended to be Charli XCX, whom SOPHIE created the 'Vroom Vroom' EP with, here Kim Petras takes the mic, another of SOPHIE's close circle of collaborators.

Review: Almost three years exactly since SOPHIE Xeon's brother revealed his plans to begin work on the first posthumous project compiling the late Scottish producer's unparalleled work, the self-titled SOPHIE album was announced via Transgressive and Future Classics - two labels that SOPHIE worked with to release 2018's grammy-nominated Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides. The 2LP has been constructed and mastered by her "most cherished collaborators" and containes an album of tracks that were "near completion" according to the family. Xeon made waves in the music scene following her PRODUCT series, a completely fresh and unique style of irreplaceable production rich with wet bass and handcrafted synths that has influenced everyone from Flume, Arca, Madonna and FKA Twigs. 'Reason Why', the lead single, is a perfect example of the vision for pop music SOPHIE had - bubbly, polished to a mirror sheen and infectiously danceable.