ALEXANDER SOPCHEK

I met Sopchek in Zemun (Belgrade's suburbia) and immediately got interested in a man who has obvious charisma. We spent a day in his studio listening to his previous work and talking about life and, of course, music. His previous work wasn't really in a style that I was looking for apart of his "New Delhi" track from 1988 that I licensed immediately. Next day he called me on a phone and said: I've got a track for you that I did last night and you gonna like it. He took a cab and in no time he was at my place with a tape. And he was right. I loved it. He said that he carried that in himself since early 80's and just needed the right moment to deliver it. And this was the moment, and that was the beginning of his "Masks". Masks are mix of traditional African music and Jazz, inspired by Kenyan and Tanzanian ritual music. Sopchek is also mentioning influences by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, Weather Report, Pat Matheney and George Benson. This is Sopchek's first album for Cosmic Sounds and is entirely dedicated to Africa, particularly Kenya and Tanzania. All the tracks are based on original local stories and are almost short documentaries. Sopcheck's approach to African music is the most original I've heard so far. Although everything sounds so fresh, full of Jazz, Funk and even Drum'n Bass, he succeeded to preserve the roots and original African atmosphere. None of the styles is prevailing. Everything is blended so nicely into original and from now on very recognizable Sopchek's style. (Zeljko Kerleta 2000)