Sophie Sirota – Pressure Drop
ln 2023 classically trained violist, composer & singer Sophie Sirota performed at one of the regular-monthly meet-up sessions hosted by Coastal Electronauts in Whitstable, Kent. The performance jump-started her creative compositional juices, writing a new piece for each subsequent event she would play.
The results, collectively, is Pressure Drop, which features six compositions that are as much musically atmospheric explorations as they are singular sounding compositions (all but one of the six pieces was composed using just electric viola, voice and effects pedals).
But when you consider Sophie Sirota grew up listening to her dad’s record collection, immersing herself in everything from Miles Davis and Ravi Shankar to Shostakovich and Pink Floyd, along with influences that range from Björk and PJ Harvey to Massive Attack and Drum & Bass, you start to understand the how’s and why’s of such a creatively minded musician.
The album opens with 'Holding Tension,' which, musically, does just that.
With a background of frantic digital chatter (immediately creating an intentional tension) the atmospheric, eight-minute piece is bedded in a fluctuating Tomita meets Fripp & Eno pulse with plaintive electric viola (processed through a series of Chase Bliss pedals) and haunting vocality atop.
'Mood,' which follows, is a lovely, ambient piece that carries both a melodic fluidity and slightly dreamlike/ Japanese vibe, the latter courtesy of Sophie Sirota’s soothing viola and judicious, multi-settings use of a Mood MkII pedal.
'I Feel' is a pulsating piece that was itself inspired by a collaboration between Sophie Sirota and Terry Lane, performed in tribute to ambient/ experimental/ electronica artist Gagarin (aka Graham "Dids" Dowdall).
As such it becomes an ambient lament in remembrance to the noted soundworld musician, who sadly passed in 2024.
'50:50' is titled to capture the duality of that particular age (the piece was composed just before Sophie Sirota’s 50th birthday and her observation of the "terrifying and wonderful" nature of reaching that milestone).
Reflective and deeply atmospheric (the "wonderful"), with sonic textures created via Boss Metalzone and DD-3 pedals, the piece shifts towards its end to culminate in a more chaotic finale (the "terrifying").
'If I Wrote a Song Would You Like It?', with ethereal vocal parts flitting in and out of lovely rise and fall, is a delicate piece that, like 'Mood,' catches the vibe of trad. Japanese music, in modern, looped, pedal effected form.
'Glitch' is Sophie Sirota’s first dive into the world of beats and software, supported by viola and vocal parts that were recorded live in a single take.
The most experimental track of the six, it’s also the most intriguing, shifting from calmness to harsher chaos.
Expertly mixed and mastered by Peter Coyte, Pressure Drop may be one small step removed from Sophie Sirota's Coastal Electronaut appearances, but it's also, hopefully, one giant leap into a solo album career.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Pressure Drop is available on Bandcamp (Digital Download, CD, Vinyl)
https://sophiesirota.bandcamp.com/album/pressure-drop
Pressure Drop is the second in a series of Coastal Electronauts releases that features regular performers at their monthly electronic music sessions in Whitstable.
Coastal Electronauts have also released two compilations volumes:
Volume 1: https://coastalelectronauts.bandcamp.com/album/vol-1
Volume 2: https://coastalelectronauts.bandcamp.com/album/vol-two
The results, collectively, is Pressure Drop, which features six compositions that are as much musically atmospheric explorations as they are singular sounding compositions (all but one of the six pieces was composed using just electric viola, voice and effects pedals).
But when you consider Sophie Sirota grew up listening to her dad’s record collection, immersing herself in everything from Miles Davis and Ravi Shankar to Shostakovich and Pink Floyd, along with influences that range from Björk and PJ Harvey to Massive Attack and Drum & Bass, you start to understand the how’s and why’s of such a creatively minded musician.
The album opens with 'Holding Tension,' which, musically, does just that.
With a background of frantic digital chatter (immediately creating an intentional tension) the atmospheric, eight-minute piece is bedded in a fluctuating Tomita meets Fripp & Eno pulse with plaintive electric viola (processed through a series of Chase Bliss pedals) and haunting vocality atop.
'Mood,' which follows, is a lovely, ambient piece that carries both a melodic fluidity and slightly dreamlike/ Japanese vibe, the latter courtesy of Sophie Sirota’s soothing viola and judicious, multi-settings use of a Mood MkII pedal.
'I Feel' is a pulsating piece that was itself inspired by a collaboration between Sophie Sirota and Terry Lane, performed in tribute to ambient/ experimental/ electronica artist Gagarin (aka Graham "Dids" Dowdall).
As such it becomes an ambient lament in remembrance to the noted soundworld musician, who sadly passed in 2024.
'50:50' is titled to capture the duality of that particular age (the piece was composed just before Sophie Sirota’s 50th birthday and her observation of the "terrifying and wonderful" nature of reaching that milestone).
Reflective and deeply atmospheric (the "wonderful"), with sonic textures created via Boss Metalzone and DD-3 pedals, the piece shifts towards its end to culminate in a more chaotic finale (the "terrifying").
'If I Wrote a Song Would You Like It?', with ethereal vocal parts flitting in and out of lovely rise and fall, is a delicate piece that, like 'Mood,' catches the vibe of trad. Japanese music, in modern, looped, pedal effected form.
'Glitch' is Sophie Sirota’s first dive into the world of beats and software, supported by viola and vocal parts that were recorded live in a single take.
The most experimental track of the six, it’s also the most intriguing, shifting from calmness to harsher chaos.
Expertly mixed and mastered by Peter Coyte, Pressure Drop may be one small step removed from Sophie Sirota's Coastal Electronaut appearances, but it's also, hopefully, one giant leap into a solo album career.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Pressure Drop is available on Bandcamp (Digital Download, CD, Vinyl)
https://sophiesirota.bandcamp.com/album/pressure-drop
Pressure Drop is the second in a series of Coastal Electronauts releases that features regular performers at their monthly electronic music sessions in Whitstable.
Coastal Electronauts have also released two compilations volumes:
Volume 1: https://coastalelectronauts.bandcamp.com/album/vol-1
Volume 2: https://coastalelectronauts.bandcamp.com/album/vol-two