mitek:	news products artists live distribution shop audio press contact	Andreas Berthling -- Claudia Bonarelli -- Folie -- Johan Fotmeijer -- Martin Jarl -- Håkan Lidbo -- Minimalistic Sweden -- Son of Clay -- Sophie Rimheden -- Johan Skugge -- Mikael Stavöstrand -- Andreas Tilliander -- Vita	Sophie Rimheden ---------- Photos by Michael Tewes © 2003. 2004-02-02 ---------- Sophie Rimheden was awarded the "Manifest" price ---------- Last friday Sophie Rimheden was awarded the "Manifest" price for best Swedish Electronica album 2004 (Hi-Fi, mitek11) we're of course very happy for her and hope that more people will discover the brilliant "hi-Fi" album. More information (Swedish) and some photos at ETC. ---------- Sophie Rimheden nominated for a Grammy. ---------- Sophie just got nominated for a grammy is Sweden. She is in the category "Club/Dance" alongside artists such as Koop, Plej and Hundarna från Söder. The grammy "gala" will be on the 9th of february at Berns in Stockholm, and on the next day it will be broadcasted on national TV in sweden. more info at Grammisnomineringar_2003 ---------- Sophie to support Chicks on Speed on their march Scandinavian tour ---------- Check out Sophie live as support act for the infamous Chicks on Speed! So far these dates are confirmed: 23.03.2004 Malmö [SE] - KB 24.03.2004 Copenhagen [DK] - Vega 25.03.2004 Oslo [NO] - John Dee 27.03.2004 Göteborg [SE] - Trädgår'n 28.03.2004 Stockholm [SE] - Mondo more info at Luger ---------- Lots of "award" nominations for Sophie and "Hi-Fi" ---------- We're very proud to inform that Sophie Rimheden has been nominated in 2 categories in this years P3 Gold Awards. P3 Gold is the price from The Swedish National Radio (SR), awarding swedish artists for releases during 2003. Sophie is nominated in the class "BEST POP" for our "Hi-Fi" album, together with artists Franke, The Radio Dept, The Knife and a bit supprising Andreas Berthling and friends from the Häpna label - Tape. She is Also nominated in the class "BEST FEMALE ARTIST" (also for Hi-FI), this award is voted by "the listeners". Unfortunatly it's only in swedish. The Award "Cermony" is held on January the 23rd, and is live broadcasted on P3. Sophie is also nominated for best Album 2003 at the Scandinavian Alternative Music Awards 2004 The event is taking place in Gothenburg on the 2nd of April. Sophie will also perform live during the evening. The awards are voted by the "public, so please go there and put your vote in Sophie. Finally she has also been nominated for Manifest 2004, a kind of "Alternative Grammy" for independent labels. The party is at Debaser in Stockholm, Sweden on january 29th. ---------- glitch-pop, distorted-disco, electro-bleep-funk?.... it's hard to put a definite label on the music of Sophie Rimheden, a media student and music producer from Stockholm. Hi-Fi, the debut under her own name on mitek, is a complex album with influences from almost everything: some eighties disco pop, some glitches, some dub and so forth. But it all comes together and Sophie carefully constructs something else out of it - something new and fresh, and very very good. ---------- Sophie says she just want to make "happy music" - maybe that's all what's needed to create these thrilling sounds. or maybe it's just as simple as pop music, it gets to you, crawling under your skin. that's what her album is doing for us, anyway - once you have it on your mind it's hard to let go. Everything seems to be right in place, even though it might be hard to believe the first time you hear her futuristic pop songs. ---------- Sophie has been working with different projects for a couple of years. Under the name Hayce she recorded a more trip-hopish album, "underneath the floor", for the swedish label Memento Materia in 1999. Later she started to work under the name Ban Ham and recently under her real name, too. As Sophie Rimheden she has released tracks on compilations like Electric Ladyland (Mille Plateaux) and ElectriXmas, as well as a remix for Universal Poplab (Subspace Communication). ---------- She works with other electronic musicians in Stockholm as well, for example with the producer who is everywere at the moment - Håkan Lidbo. ---------- We're always interested in new ways of sound-experiment, and Sophie represents a new kind of experimental work with sound, voices and melodies. And the result - is truely very exciting. Discography ---------- H2-FI, Hi-Fi Remixes CD, mitek [S] 10.2004 ---------- H2-FI, Hi-Fi Remixes 12", mitek [S] 09.2004 ---------- Miss CD, Smedjebruk [S] 2004 ---------- Hi-Fi CD, mitek [S] 07.2003 Remixes and Compilations ---------- Universal Poplab - Dirtyremix/ Casanova Fall, Subspace Communications [S] 2003 ---------- V/A - Nattskift CD, Flora & Fauna [S] 2003 ---------- V/A - Collectanea DVD, Escapi [S] 2003 ---------- V/A - electriXmas CD, 2002 ---------- V/A - electric ladyland CD, Mille Plateaux [D] 2001 Quotes and Reviews ---------- »What can i say about hi-fi album? gorgeous! absolutely beautiful« Fakezine [MK] ---------- »Funky, experimentell und interessant. Selten findet man eine Platte von der man dies behaupten kann« Phlow [DE] ---------- »Damit gelingt Sophie Rimheden die deklarierte Vorgabe, der Laptop-Szene den notwendigen Kick in neues Terrain zu geben« Maximilian Freudenschuss, Intro [DE] ---------- »Ett av årets mest intressanta namn« - »Knasigt bra, 8/10« Ola Andersson, Dagensskiva.com [SE]. ---------- »#1 - Abstrakt sommardisko« Fredrik Strage, DN [SE]. ---------- »Ett avtryck som kommer att bestå länge« Billy Rimgard, Cricket [SE] ---------- »Galet och underbart« Mats Almegård, Groove .PDF [SE] ---------- »Hemska auto-tuner-excesser« Henrik Strömberg, Groove .PDF [SE] ---------- »Frisch, gewagt, kitschig, hinreissend - genial!« Franziska Petruschke, Unclesally's no# 89 [DE] ---------- »I have to say I haven't heard releases as good as these two in months.« Ian Kadelburg, Radio SKC Beograd [YU] ---------- Groove [DE] ---------- Zero [SE] Resources ---------- GP [SE] Interview swedish Minou 8 [SE] Interview swedish Loop [CL] Interview in spanish and english Intro [DE] Interview in german Plastikmädchen [DE] Pushing things too far, Article in german Plastikmädchen [DE] Interview in English Plastikmädchen [DE] Article in german Nöjesguiden [SE] Interview in swedish. Sonic [SE] Article about women in the music scene, swedish ---------- >> ---------- www.sophier.tk ---------- live dates ---------- For booking requests in Scandinavia contact - Luger bookings Elsewhere go here for booking inquiries Interview ---------- What is your background? ---------- I started to make songs before I started school. At home, in south of Sweden, I sat by an electric organ where I could have beats to the chords I was playing. My whole family plays music, and my parents have always encouraged me and my older brother to put a lot of time in music. When I started school, I learned to play the guitar. The thing I enjoyed the most was to play chords and make new songs. My brother made music on an Atari and a synthesizer, and I sat next to him and learned. When I was about 13 years old I bought myself an Atari and a couple of years later my own synthesizer. For a while I played with a guy who had good studio equipment, but I have always loved being on my own. I bought the two synthesizers that I still own, and started the band Hayce. ---------- Hayce released a trip-hop-pop album in 1999. 2001 I started Ban Ham which is electronica built on guitar and acoustic drums, and a few months later I started the Sophie Rimheden project. All three projects - Hayce, Ban Ham and Sophie Rimheden - are active today. Ban Ham will take part on a DVD-compilation and a CD compilation in 2003. Sophie Rimheden has participated on Electric Ladyland (Mille Plateaux) in 2001 and on a compilation for a Christmas party called electriXmas in 2002. ---------- Who is Sophie Rimheden? ---------- I am usually happy, and I have learned that I have to stay indoors when I am really pissed. Last autumn I went out here in Stockholm and was very angry, and was occupied with my thoughts. A car hit me. My brain took almost all the damage, but I recovered very quickly. Nowadays I am studying film at the University of Stockholm. I hardly notice that I got hit by a car last year. I love animals, maybe more than people sometimes, and I am a vegan. ---------- How do you work with lyrics? ---------- Even the lyrics for Sophie Rimheden have to sound disco from the 80's - short and simple, and easy to sing-along. The lyrics for Hayce are surreal and weird. ---------- What do you usually listen to? ---------- When I put on music at home (besides my own) it has to be different and good. For Sophie Rimheden I get the inspiration from the 80's of course, like Alphaville, Samantha Fox, Sandra, A-ha, Erasure, Depeche Mode and so on. It is difficult to say what I like the most. I like Björk, Dead Prez, Skinny Puppy, Kraftwerk, Tortoise, and a lot more.. I have a wide taste in music. ---------- What else are your inspirations? ---------- I love films, but film only gives the inspiration to make my own film. Since I am studying, I almost only read about the cinema. My old vinyl records from the 80's give the inspiration to make new Sophie Rimheden songs. Good instrumental guitar-music gives the inspiration to make Ban Ham. All music that is experimental and different gives me inspiration to make music. ---------- Do you perform live? ---------- When I perform live, I have my laptop with me, a microphone, an effect, and a mixer. I sing almost all vocals live, but keep a few vocal effects playback to make it sound like the album. I play here in Stockholm about once a month. ---------- How do you work with your music? ---------- When I make a new song, I often start with the drums. I make the drums on my Nordrack 2. I record the midi signals in Cubase on my computer. After that I play melodies and make noise-sounds. When all the midi signals are done, I record the sound on my computer. Then I cut the sounds and put on effects in Sound Forge and then I go back to Cubase where I arrange the song. There I mix the sounds and I record it as one wav-file which I open in Sound Forge at the end. There I make it look pretty ... The last thing is to put on vocals. I make them up in a few minutes, both melody and lyrics. ---------- What are your lyrics about? ---------- My lyrics are about love, because that is what disco music from the 80's is about I think... ---------- How come you work with mitek? ---------- Mikael Stavöstrand became an important contact here in Stockholm, because he arranged all kinds of concerts. When I played as Sophie Rimheden for the first time, he was there and liked what he heard. Since I know him from before, I feel comfortable to release on his label. I have not sent the music elsewhere. ---------- What are your plans for the future? ---------- My future plans are to spread Sophie Rimheden as much as possible and to inspire other girls to make electronic music. I also want more to happen with Ban Ham. The most important thing is to finish my education.