Sofi Tukker is made up of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern. The two have a new album coming out titled DANCING ON THE PEOPLE, and on Friday, September 6 they released ‘Purple Hat’ from the upcoming album. 

The duo recently went over some of their creative process with me during their non-stop international touring schedule. 

Last October Sofi and I discussed New Orleans and the Voodoo Music & Arts Experience. Can you talk us through your trip to New Orleans? What did you get into on and off stage? 

We didn’t get to spend that much time in New Orleans unfortunately but we had two really fun shows. People really know how to get loose and dance their hearts out in New Orleans <3

DANCING ON THE PEOPLE is set for release on September 20. ‘Playa Grande’ with Bomba Estereo is a summer classic. Did you collaborate with any other artists on the album?

For this EP, that’s the main feature, but we collaborated with a couple different musicians to make these songs come to life, including the unbelievable percussionist Roland Gajate, the amazing Jon Hume, and the formidable Bynon. We love all the people we collaborate with as friends and respect them so much as musicians too. 

Where did you record DANCING ON THE PEOPLE? Did it impact the recording process? 

We created this EP in a lot of different places around the world but we finished a lot of the recording in LA. We have been cultivating a really cool community of artists there. In addition to writing the EP, we were hosting “House Tuesdays” at our house where we just had people come over and play around and jam. 

PoloFest was on Saturday, August 31 in Denver. The event combined a polo tournament with live music. Was that your first time experiencing a polo match?

Haha yes neither of us have ever experienced a polo match!! Last time we were in Denver was to throw one of our Animal Talk parties and we are excited to go back with our live show this time! 

Recently the duo performed a DJ show and sold out Club Vinyl in Denver. How was the crowd and atmosphere? 

Sooooo WILD. One of the best atmospheres ever. We decorate the whole club as a jungle and everyone dresses as animals and wears neon animal masks. 

Sofi Tukker will be setting out on the R.I.P. Shame World Tour starting in early October. Do you create a theme for each tour? What inspired this tour? 

We called this tour R.I.P. Shame because we want people to feel like animals on the dance floor. Animals don’t have shame or self consciousness, so why should we?? We want people to feel totally immersed in the jungle dance party and just completely let loose. 

What are some differences between the album Treehouse and DANCING ON THE PEOPLE?

DANCING ON THE PEOPLE feels like a growth into experimenting with some new things and sounds but also feels like us. It definitely has a strong grounding to who we are, even from the very first song we ever made and to Soft Animals. There are so many different types of songs on the EP too. We have songs that feel like our core and there is also some experimenting with new genres and vibes. 

Sofi broke her foot this past summer, what did this do for the creative process? 

Honestly it was the best thing that happened to our creative process. We ended up writing a lot of new music, including our next single Purple Hat, which is definitely our favorite song right now. 

‘Brazilian Soul’ highlights the connections the group has with South America. What are some unknown similarities and differences between the two cultures? 

We definitely feel an affinity with South America, especially Brazil. People value music and dancing in a way that is just so beyond. It seems like almost everyone plays an instrument and has a strong sense of rhythm and dance skills. It’s also so community oriented in a way that sometimes North America can be colder and more individualistic. But those are such broad generalizations. The truth is, we try to create warm, inclusive, dance communities all around the world.

Do you have any plans for 2020 that you can disclose? 

Yessss! Lots more music. We have a full length album coming out. And also a lot more touring around the world :)

Is there anything other key points that you want to discuss on upcoming projects or plans? 

We couldn’t be more excited about our next song Purple Hat. It really feels like the epitome of who we are and what we are creating!

Soph & Tuck