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SICARIA has taken to her fresh imprint, Club Confi:DANCE, to share debut EP ‘Blood, Sweat & Self’.
Comprising of four self-exploratory tracks, the record was inspired by artist and photographer Cindy Sherman and her decades-long performative practice of self-photography under different guises.
The intention is that within a heated 140BPM – and in a genre-fluid motion – SICARIA interlaces various elements of her psyche, from her Moroccan heritage to experimental, delicate vocal chops.
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Think rhythmic tapestries of sound, strong vocals and heavy basslines, to touches of grime and ethereal soul.
“I’m a huge fan of channelling the spiritual realm,” SICARIA explains. “It is a practice that’s been consistent in the maternal side of my Moroccan family for generations and so I picked up a new pack of oracle cards to add to my collection whilst on tour in the US last year. Fast forward to the beginning of 2023, the start of my SICARIA journey, and when doing some personal readings on the future of my music career, I would always draw the ‘Cindy Sherman’ card! I just knew from then that I’d be working her into my music in some way.
“Sherman is known for her conceptual photography in which she portrays herself in a variety of different roles and personas. Echoing Sherman’s visual work, I chose to create four different tracks all flexing diverse flavours by using a variety of distinct styles spanning Moroccan Gnawa, conventional dubstep, dancehall, grime and R&B.
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“The different emotions and themes in each track perfectly reflect each aspect of my personality: with ‘Freak 2 Freak’ and ‘(Not So) Serious Ting’ portraying my darker, heavier and tougher side versus the softer melodic sounds in ‘Still Swingin’ and ‘Tout De Sweet’.”
‘Blood, Sweat & Self’ by Sicaria is available now, check it out here.
Niamh Ingram is Mixmag’s Weekend Editor, follow her on Twitter