Max HeyraudBelfast’s SOPHIE steps up to the Local Selection with an hour of mind-bending cuts. Moving fluidly from low-slung bass grooves to shuffled Illian Tape-esque techno, hard-drum tribal weapons and beyond, firmly proving why she’s one of the island’s most exciting new selectors.
The Social Sounds boss has become a pillar of Belfast’s current scene. She’s part of a new wave of artists steering the vanguard of what can only be described as the city’s new underground guard. Her party offers a true alternative: left-field, challenging sounds that never veer into self-indulgence. It’s undeniably danceable, yet clearly driven by a desire to expand her crowd’s palette, and that’s exactly what SOPHIE has been striving for.
Her DJ approach mirrors this ideology: a wide-ranging, genre-flexible sound that travels through techno, house, dub and beyond. Her selections lean toward the left-field and forward-thinking, shaped by a clear understanding of how to command a dance floor without relying on the obvious.
This mix is an ode to that philosophy—nimble, light on its feet, but never treading lightly. She stacks one bass-heavy cut atop the next, whether it’s an overarching sub-bass monster or a broken-techno, 90s-leaning UK thriller. It’s a deliberate exercise in pushing the needle, channelling the spirit of artists like Skee Mask, a bold comparison, but one that feels earned.
The mix shocks and surprises at every turn, unconcerned with whether something “should” fit. It embodies what a DJ should do: present the music you love in a way that makes sense, regardless of how unconventional the route may be. And when it comes to connecting the dots in this sonic jigsaw, SOPHIE pieces it together immaculately.