Dummy Mix 155 // Soosh

The latest Dummy mix comes courtesy of Soosh, a Glaswegian producer whose relatively youthful musical life has seen an encouraging and level-headed progression thus far. Having taken a five month break from the UK to record his debut album in Italy, listening to his latest work is proof that the trip has served him well. He’s received warm praise from the likes of Koreless, Dark Sky and Gang Colours for his dreamy synth-led productions in the past, and his work on ‘Colour Is Breathe’ is more evocative and ambient that than of his 2011 self-titled EP, aligning him somewhere between the dreamy vocal stylings of How To Dress Well and the melodic production value of Nosaj Thing. Ahead of the release of his ‘Colour Is Breathe’ LP on 25th February, Soosh brings us an exclusive mix for Dummy packed full of his own material, and spoke to us a little about his past, present and future.

Hello Soosh, please tell us a little about yourself.

Well, I’m Soroosh Khavari and my story begins in Iran, where I was born. The first twists and turns came six months into my life in a crazy, post-Islamic revolution Iran. Being Baha’is my family were persecuted, and many people were being rounded up and killed, so they risked everything and escaped on hired motorbikes as fugitives into safer lands. They eventually made it to Scotland, where I grew up.

When and why did you begin to make music?

I started music near the end of 2010. I took a year out of my job and moved to British Columbia, Canada and having loads of time on my hands, started producing – really just playing around with synths and field recordings. It all took off really quick though – the first tunes I finished made my first release! Going away was definitely one of the best things I’ve ever done. It opened a new world to me.

Tell me a little about your debut album ‘Colour Is Breathe’ – how do you feel it carries on from your earlier work on the EP?

The LP is coming out on Error Broadcast in two weeks and it’s largely a collection of tunes I made last year when I was living in Italy. It’s definitely a progression of my sound and in terms of earlier work it does carry on some of the vibes, but for me my sound has changed a lot. The record was made all on my synths, and without samples this time. It was about really refining everything. It’s quite a personal record; I think it’s come to really define a period of my life and I got my little sister to sing on some of the tracks too!

Do you have a live show? If so, how do you feel its evolving and if not, do you plan to create one?

Yeah I do. I’ve played live once at a festival in Glasgow, but I’m currently re-working it and adding new bits to play more of my material live. It’ll hopefully ready in a couple months, but I feel I need to get more confident with my live synth work before I can play out again.

Who are you inspired by currently?

I’ve always been drawn to texture and good melodies. I care about tunes that really grab you in terms of feeling and intensity. Lately I’m liking what Opal Tapes is doing, especially 1991. I’m also loving the rapper Dels, Wild Nothings and the new Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. I’d recommend Slowwcoach (which is an alias for someone much bigger who I’ll be working with soon) Vessel, Arca, Lapalux, and Blue Daisy’s new material too!

What do you hope to inspire in others with your sound?

It would be nice if it can take people out of the mundane of everyday life for a few seconds; just zone out and associate it with good memories.

The contemporary music legacy of Glasgow is pretty incredible. What’s your take on it all?

Well we are a great bunch, and there’s lots of us too! Whilst I don’t really feel a part of it at all to be honest, I guess something about Glasgow inspires creativity. That and the people love a good party. It all happened very differently for me though, going half way round the world to a relaxed British Columbia.

Apart from the album release, what can we expect from you in 2013?

2013 will be lots more tunes, a remixes EP with some very big names and a collaborative EP with Black Acre’s Memotone. Ihave lot of tunes on the go but they’re going in different directions at the moment, so I’ll hopefully have a cohesive live show ready for touring as well once I figure that out. I’m pretty excited about it all. I feel like I’m only just starting, and I don’t know where it will go…

Tracklisting:

Filthy Huns – All My Friends Make The Best Music [Not Not Fun]
Soosh – Uncertain (Slowcoach remix) [Error Broadcast] ^
Evian Christ – Drip [Triangle]
Wife – Shards [Leftblank]
Klaus – Cypher [R&S]
Evy Jane – Sayso [King Delux]
Soosh – As Forever ^^^
Trance Farmers – Purple Hay [Stone Throws/ Leaving]
Soosh – Colour is Breathe [Error Broadcast]
Lukid – USSR [Werk Discs]
Nosaj Thing – Eclipse/ Blue ft. Kazu Makino [Innovative Leisure]
Synkro – Acceptance [Apollo Records]
Jabu – You & I ^^
Shlohmo – Just Us [FoF]
Throwing Snow – Melum [Snowfall]
Lootpack – Questions [Stonethrows]
Jamie Lidell – A Little Bit More (Luke Vibert remix) [Warp]
Soosh – Too Soon (fLako remix) [Upmyalley] ^
Onra & Quetzal – Wait [Bo Bun Records]
Hudson Mowhawke – Root Hands [All City]
Vessel – Lache [Triangle]
Yayati – De Bons Moments [Fuselab]
Ezekial Honig – Your Face Betray Your Thoughts [Microcosm Music]
Dels – You Live In My Head [Big Dada]
Four Tet – As Serious as Your Life [Domino]
Gerry Read – Purprle Fire [Fourth Wave]
Madteo – Rugrats Don’t Techno for an Answer [Sahko Music]
Arca – Tapped In [UNO NYC]
Vessel – 2 Moon Dub [Triangle]
LOL Boys – Changes (Groundislava Remix) [FoF]
Shed – Estrange [Ostgut Ton]
The Cyclist – Chime [Leaving] ^
James Holden – Lump [Border Community]
Muramic – Green Copy Spain Day ^^
Soosh – Light Shadow [Error Broadcast]
Recondite – Manor [Plangent Records]
Wraetlic – Rats [Convex Industries]
High Places – From Stardust To Sentience [Thrill Jockey]
Soosh – Rainbow Hiccups (Lapalux remix) [Jumble]
Slowwkid – Becasue Of You ^^
Soosh – Just Breathe [Error Broadcast]

^ Exclusive
^^ Unreleased
^^^ Unreleased exclusive