Fiona Soe Paing

After reviewing Plum and Pumajaw recently Ralph's continuing in his mission to bring you the best in Scottish electronica.  So here's the sublime Fiona Soe Paing, based in Aberdeenshire and who has been evolving her unique brand of experimental, vocal-led electronica since 2007. 




One of her first home demos, sung in fledgling phrasebook Burmese, was discovered on Myspace by the legendary BBC DJ Charlie Gillett who sadly passed away just over two years ago.  He included it on one of his 'Sound of the World' compilations, released internationally on Warner Music, alongside artists including Gotan Project and Devendra Banhart. 


THE TOWER OF BABEL EP is accompanied by a limited edition DVD of music videos by New Zealand animation artist Zennor Alexander. Their previous collaborations have been screened on The Arts Channel on Sky TV New Zealand, as well as at film festivals including Digital Fringe Melbourne and NEON digital arts festival Dundee. 





'Behrot' is an almost wistful track with a swell of soft electronic waves lulling the your senses before Fiona's sensual vocals almost unnerves the listener towards  the end.




In early 2012, Fiona was granted funding through Creative Scotland to make new work, and two of the new tracks are included on the TOWER OF BABEL EP.

TOUR DATES are planned for 2013 including gigs with Plum 26th Jan in cellar 35,Aberdeen, then February 15/16 at Aberdeen’s very first festival of electronic arts at the Lemon Tree and Club Snafu, and a follow-up EP of remixes by Black Lantern Music artists including Morphamish and Texture, is planned for the spring. 




She cites Bjork as one of her influences and that is most evident in the track Daymoon Sun.  Atmospheric, powerful electronica overlaid with her elegant, evocative and dark vocal.





The title track 'Tower of Babel' has an altogether more industrial soundscape and it's hypnotic beat is matched by the edgy animated video by Alexander. 

PRESS:

Fiona Soe Paing interview @ The Electronic Music Experiment



"Seriously left-field electronica - I love it, it's effective - Rob Da Bank would be proud."
- Ally McCrae, BBC Radio 1: Introducing

"A tough-but-sensual slice of modern electronica... Soe Paing's extraordinary vocals are really what separate these tracks from the pack... these artfully multitracked performances convey urgency, ecstasy and a haunted sense of dislocation."
**** - The Skinny








"Inhabiting the same territory as other big game players such as Memory Tapes, Four Tet and Fever Ray... but also adding something wholly unique...starkly minimal yet lushly layered, eerily haunting yet evocatively sensuous and simplistic in outlook yet complex in execution."
- Sadie Marren, Quotidian Times









"Like watching a snake slowly moving; you’re drawn to it’s movements but wary of it’s venom... What I’m hearing are hit songs from a decaying future that’s a lot more impressive than where we are in it’s scope. This is the music I hear when reading Neuromancer or Virtual Light."

- toeleven.net








Now one thing you might not expect with all this gritty, dark, surreal electronica would be Fiona's dog.....so may I introduce you to.....Fluffy.....