Uprooting oneself and moving to another continent is no mean feat, yet for Copenhagen-based house producer and live artist, Sonny, a move from his home country Australia all the way to Denmark was a necessary one. Settling in Copenhagen and becoming instantly engrossed with both the underground scene there and Danish culture in general, Sonny now brings together notes from this journey into debut album, Union: Integration Of The Shadow.
At the core of Danish and wider Scandinavian culture, there lies the sentiments of acting with intent and for the greater good, whether this be for the better good of the environment or the better good of others. This undoubtedly influenced Sonny positively, so much so that his previous production efforts leading up to and including this new album project have included an upmost focus on quality, making music with purely analogue formats, in its rawest forms with the view to seeking out the fullest sounds. All released via his own label, Northern Underground Records, Sonny represents and pushes forward a Copenhagen-based house sound, not usually associated with the capital city most well-known for its pacey BPM techno exports.
Having previously only released in EP formats, Sonny found the longer form of an album far better suited to tell the story of his journey in Scandinavia thus far, one that he seeks to continue into the future. Throwing himself into absorbing and exploring Copenhagen and the wider culture, those initial experiences in finding ones way are reflected in ‘Euromantics’; a psychedelic offering, gently weaving musical textures representative of the bliss and freedom with new prospects at ones fingertips.
Referencing new-found cultures, Sonny paints a picture of seasonal changes in hobbies and activities spent alongside friends. ‘Transient Feeling’, inspired by hiking culture and filled with playful, bouncy pads reminiscent of a hiking rhythm, bounding across beautiful Scandinavian planes. ‘Ejskö’ named after the destination of a Swedish mid-summer holiday with friends, paying tribute to the Swedish tradition of Midsommer, in which they celebrate the sun being at its highest point in the sky.
Elsewhere, we hear stories of Sonny finding love with his now, fiancé. Opening the album with ‘The Feels (Eclectic Dreams)’ that speaks openly of his feelings for her and embellished with deep and warming chords. Whilst the 90’s jazz and jungle infused, ‘Liquid Phase’ speaks of them moving in together and the process of folding into one another, getting to know everything about each other, being emotional in front of each other; essentially becoming one person.
Dipping into Sonny’s Japanese house inspirations, ‘Ozone’ injects funky arpeggios and chords whilst also demonstrating his extensive production methods seeking to get the most out of his hardware; a new patch in his Waldorf Bloefeld taking the direction.
Looking back to his home country, Australia, field recordings of the Australian Kookaburra bird can be heard among flitting melodies and the vocals of Sonny’s Swedish fiancé in her native language, on the forward-focused acid-licked vibrations of ‘This Will Be Our Year’; seeing both cultures marry together. Whilst ‘The Great Unknown’ reflects on Sonny leaving Australia and the journey ahead of him, seeing things out with a final camping and surfing trip for a final fix of Australian nature. Rounding off, Sonny links up with close Melbourne friend, Kris Baha on ‘Sensory Systems’ for a cinematic cut; having relocated to Berlin at the same time as Sonny also made his move to Copenhagen, the pair find it advantageous to collaborate together on visits to their respective new cities.
From the sun-soaked shores of Australia to the chillier and often darker backdrops of Scandinavia, Sonny’s ‘Union: Integration Of The Shadow’ LP represents the marriage of those differences and how they have further molded him as a person; seeing beautiful overlaps in his native Australian cultures and those new-found in his now Scandinavian base.
Tracklist:
1. Sonny – The Feels (Eclectic Dreams)
2. Sonny – Ozone
3. Sonny – Transient Feeling
4. Sonny – The Great Unknown
5. Sonny – This Will Be Our Year
6. Sonny – Euromantics
7. Sonny – Liquid Phase
8. Sonny – Eksjö
9. Sonny – Sensory Systems
Sonny ‘Union: Integration Of The Shadow’ LP is out now on Northern Underground Records.
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