Rekorderlig Sauna Sounds are all about embracing the unique, quirky and innovative – together, we’re presenting some of country’s most trailblazing up and comers, getting them sweaty and ready to show off what makes them so special.
Sydney producer CLYPSO is one of the more vibrant artists to emerge in the last year or so, the kind of artist who has been impossible to ignore. Crafting infectiously catchy, tropical electronica, the musician draws in equal measure from glitchy synths, grimy basslines, and afropunk-influenced beats.
There have been frequent comparisons to the likes of M.I.A. and Santigold since she began to catch people’s attention, but there’s something notably distinctive to the music CLYPSO is making too.
With all this in mind, one might be surprised to learn that a young CLYPSO was first compelled to make music by way of theatrical acrobatics. “As a kid, I would always play keyboards: my mum got me into that. But I think the first thing I thought I really wanted to write music was when my mum brought me to a Cirque du Soleil show, and I was just looking at the band the entire time.
“I thought they were the coolest thing ever, composing for acrobats; it was just such an eclectic sound that I really love. They’ve got the band to the side and it’s so great to see that happening; it’s instruments that as a kid you don’t really know of – bongos and middle eastern drums.”
Apart from that formative experience, CLYPSO says many of the elements that characterize her distinctive sound are drawn from a more subconscious level, and she’s influenced by the kind of sounds she was exposed to as a young person. “It’s all things I’ve heard for many years, that have just seeped into my whole entire being. From my experiences growing up, it’s just become a part of the fabric.”
Youth is, of course, a particularly impressionable time for one’s musical framework to develop, and that’s certainly true in CLYPSO’s case. “[When you’re young] you link music with an experience or a feeling, and that’s really the main thing for me. It’s a vibe,” she explains.
What might be a little surprising when one first hears her music, is that a lot of it has been carefully written with live reproduction in mind. There’s a kind of frenetic energy underlying tracks like ‘YOLO’ and ‘Pop Roll Flow’ that makes them feel almost purpose-made for the dance floor.
“100 per cent, that’s exactly right,” she says. “I’m always thinking about the performance side of things; I think that’s a huge thing for me. When I go to shows I just really want to be taken somewhere else, I just want to be immersed, so I’ve always had that in mind. I suppose I just think about what I would enjoy, what I would bop to.”
Speaking of bops, CLYPSO recently performed a very interesting little set for the Rekorderlig Sauna Sounds, a vibe she admits was a little different to what she was used to; reworking her song YOLO for a very unique live setting.
Watch: CLYPSO performs ‘YOLO’ for Rekorderlig Sauna Sounds
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Her live performances may be unmissable, but that’s not to say CLYPSO isn’t keeping busy on the production side of things too. ‘Pop Roll Flow’, her most recent track, just had an accompanying music video released. With its earworm-y chorus and incredibly dancey beat, it’s a song that manages to represent a lot of CLYPSO’s key sounds across its three minute track length.
A burst of vivid colour and neon lights, the video suits the music perfectly. And on that note, actually: it’s difficult to ignore the striking visual aesthetic that is deeply intertwined with CLYPSO’s music. “I feel like the music informs the visual. Primary colours and block colours really kind of fit it.”
Looking ahead, CLYPSO’s got another single in the pipeline and is working on a debut EP. She’ll spend the summer doing what she loves to do – performing – with a slew of headline shows as well as festival slots.
If there’s a single artist that encapsulates the sun-drenched sound of summer better, I can’t think of them.
If you like what you saw in the Rekorderlig Sauna Sounds performance, subscribe to see more here.
