Colourful, wonky and off-kilter; there have been a plethora of ways to describe Norway’s indelible mark on electronic music over the last two decades. Whilst he may not receive the widespread acclaim of his compatriot Todd Terje, DJ Sotofett contribution is as important to the musical heritage of his home country and has quietly gained a cult following for his eclectic marathon DJ sets, out-there production and leadership of the unconventional Sex Tags Mania imprint. Now comes the release of Sotofett’s biggest artistic statement yet, Drippin for A Tripp, a ten track mini-album on Honest Jons Records.
The EP opener, ‘Ibiza Dub’, a collaboration with rising star Jakko Eino Kalvino, is one of the most accessible and stunning tracks Sotofett has produced to date. An elegant strum of an electric guitar combines with a gentle sheen of warm analogue synths to create a Balearic anthem that slots right alongside International Feel‘s output. The fantastic ‘Main Bar Mix’ follows a similar Balearic framework, but trades in its atmospheric ambience for a more club-ready sound. From this point the collaborations keep on coming as Sotofett combines beautifully with Lauer on the albums centrepiece, Nimbus-Mix , which recalls the Pender Street Steppers in its use of earthy new age sounds to create a hazy, psychedelic ambience.
The EP’s best moment comes with relative newcomer Karolin Tampere on the fantastic ‘Nondo’ (Original Mix) and ‘Nondo’ (Riddimix). Analogue synths, echoes of African vocals and delicate percussion combine brilliantly to create two slices of tribal-house.
If nearly any other producer had made an EP like ‘Drippin for a Tripp, we would refer to them as brave, experimental and daring. Yet for Sotofett, this is just an extension of a back catalogue that is characterised by the weird and wonderful. Drippin… has added accessibility to his sound without diluting its offbeat appeal. It’s simply one of our albums of the year so far.
