Sotei is composed of two well-known personas from the Polish electronic scene. Sobura plays the drums, Teielte uses samplers, and they are both producers. Their debut album, on which they invited singers and rappers, was released in February 2017. Before that, Sotei polished their art on concert tours, which they began in 2015, supporting British artist Flying Lotus at his gig in June. Back then, the duo was a trio, but bassist Bartosz Wojciechowski did not stay in the band.
Teielte’s real name is Paweł Strzelczyk and he is from Płock in central Poland. Prior to 2010 he had released 4 solo EPs and LPs. His trademark is prominent bass and glitches, as well as extremely scrupulous work on cutting and mixing samples. He started off with hip-hop, but with years his music became more electronic, less rhythmic. Wojciech Sobura is a drummer for Skubasa and Nosowska. He also played for Maciej Trifondis Bielawski, Pablo Hudini, Hey (on Hey in the Philharmonic), and KDMS. He also worked with Galus, a producer from U Know Me studio, where both members of Sotei record their music. He also released a solo album, Organic Lo-Fi, in 2012. He is inspired by jazz, which he merges with electronic music.
The spring of 2016 marked the release of the compilation Albo Inaczej – Remixy (Or The Other Way Around – Remixes, trans. AS), where Sotei contributed with their version of Stres. The whole Or The Other Way Around project was based around the idea of getting vocalists from the 1970s and 1980s Polish golden age to rap. Stres (Stress, trans. AS] by Eldo was performed by Felicjan Andrzejczak, who is known mainly for Jolka, Jolka Pamiętasz (Jolka, Jolka, Do You Remember, trans. AS) and Noc Komety (The Night of the Comet, trans. AS) with Budka Suflera. The Or The Other Way Around record, consisting of 8 tracks with similar idea in mind, was released in 2015. A year after that 15 remixes were released, and among them one by Sotei. Their adaptation is filled with bass, but also really fast, which emphasises the phrase ‘denerwuję się bez przerwy’ (I’m always anxious) sung by Andrzejczak.
The long-awaited premiere of their first album was scheduled for 17th February 2017. Vinyl enthusiasts will have to wait a few months longer, as only electronic version will be available from day one. When it comes to the contents, artists announced ‘a mixture of dancefloor hits filled with the marvellous imagination of two open-minded artists’. The rhythm section is provided by Sobur, while Teietle is responsible for melodies, bass, and synthesisers.
The album’s premiere was preceded by the release of the single Opus a year earlier. It’s a track full of synth and sampled strings and filled to the brim with virtuoso drumming. With the end of January, You Know Me studio released Voodoo, a more spectacular composition featuring a brilliant rapper from Warsaw, Hades. The material seems to be quite diverse and not as elitist as it seemed to be half a year ago.
Sotei have played at Off festival in Katowice, Ment in Ljubljana, Tallinn Music Week, and Spring Break in Poznań.
Jacek Świąder, February 2017. Translated by AS
Discography:
2017 - Sotei