On the Peruvian producer’s debut album, which she dedicates to her mother, Sofia Kourtesis showcases her versatility and immerses us in her life.
The title track, ‘Madres’ [Mothers], is a perfect introduction to the album as it shows the musical direction in which Kourtesis is heading, whilst also retaining the strongest aspects of her previous works. The dreamy synths and vocals create a nostalgic feel, with the lyrics singing “Vuelve a casa/ Si tu me amas” [Come back home / If you love me]. This combines with an arpeggiator and Sofia’s own field recordings that give the track a sense of life and spontaneity, without losing its wistfulness.
This liveliness builds in the next track, ‘Si Te Portas Bonito’ [If You Behave Well], which feels much more like one for the dancefloor. It is uplifting and empowering, with its chant-like chorus proclaiming “Vas a querer hablarme/ Vas a querer escucharme” [You’re going to want to talk to me/ You’re going to want to listen to me].
‘Vajkoczy’, named after the neurosurgeon who saved Sofia’s mum from cancer, is one of the most melancholy moments on Madres, and is immediately followed by one of the highlights of the album in ‘How Music Can Make You Feel Better’. Although Kourtesis does leave time for us to dwell on the previous track, the sub-bass eventually comes in and drives the song forward, helping to explain the title and perhaps the way in which she has coped through such difficult times. In what otherwise feels like a sea of chopped vocals and samples, the bass cuts through and allows the song to build towards a climax of controlled chaos and then gently dissipates into silence. The way Kourtesis masterfully structures this track really showcases how much she has in store as a producer.
Sofia does not stop here in her exploration of the genre; ‘Funkhaus’, named after a club in Berlin, appears to be her own take on her friend Four Tet’s eclectic style. The regimental percussion building up alongside a looped vocal sample and the ambient sounds on top is a hallmark of the producer. However, by incorporating recordings from protests into it, she celebrates her love for Peru’s activist culture and mixes it with elements of techno. Having lived in Germany for over 20 years, she encapsulates her binational identity in this fluid yet tightly structured track.
Kourtesis returns to a more nostalgic air in the final three tracks of the album, with ‘Estación Esperanza’ [Hope Station], a particular stand out, and the only feature of the project in Manu Choa.
Whilst Madres may not be particularly cohesive - electronic albums rarely are - this becomes a strength with the sheer variety of styles that Sofia Kourtesis adopts throughout. The whole album is full of life and emotion waiting to be unveiled. It includes some very touching tracks, some dancefloor fillers, but most importantly, it opens up a window into her own life and struggles – something that she points out herself to be very rare in the world of techno.
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