Album Review: SOHN - The Wheel

Hey! My name is Slavena and I'm this week's guest writer for Stereofox! Few words about myself - legal adviser by day, blogger by night and a DJ whenever an opportunity presents itself.

As a music lover, I am very keen on picking out and selecting music tracks. It is quite a vast and intriguing research which involves daily (well, nightly in my case) exploration for treasures. In some perspicacious blogs, it is very common to read lots of superlatives about unknown artists who actually have the potential of becoming stars. With my infinite love towards music, it comes to no surprise that sometimes I suddenly fall in love at first listen.

This is exactly what happened to me with the mysterious S O H N. He started taking over the Internet with 2 songs up for streaming on Soundcloud a few months ago. At the moment he has 5 tracks (and an additional acoustic one) which are enjoying a greater media approval every possible second. Sohn is not the typical electronic producer. He is a captivating multi-instrumentalist with a great voice. London-born and Vienna-based musician, he is generically distinguished and tagged in between ambient idm and minimal electronica. At a first listen, he seems minor and lyrical, with simple but overwhelming  tunes, combined with strongly influencing vocals. His clear high-pitched falsetto is simply outstanding and thrilling. An example for this is an acoustic performance in which Sohn shows unquestionable vocal qualities. This song is pure beauty:

His EP consists of 5 precisely arranged and very addictive tracks (I can guarantee). Sohn is often compared to James Blake, but I would say he is rather minimalistic, with a delicate touch when it comes to electronic sounds. The rhythms are less twitchy and rich of smooth rising melodies, culminating in the last track – "Bloodflows". The latter quickly gained popularity after a long and active (fully deserved) fuss about “The Wheel” - a single, which was visualized with a video.

Created for the small dark hours of the day, Sohn's spacious music is exciting and melancholic. The lyrics provoke similar emotions. The wheel opens with the phrase - “I died a week ago, there's nothing left” giving a glimpse into a dramatic scenario Sohn presents with an extremely soulful and touching voice. The finale of "Bloodflows" leaves behind a similar feeling – intensive and gradual; “My love, my love, my love don't love me” - an endless fall into an emotional vortex.

The debut EP of the artist called was released via the new and still unpopular label Aesop and we are eagerly anticipating more pieces of his inspirational and unique music. Until then, every single song deserves a long repeat.