Live Review: Sofi Tukker turn Billie Eilish's ghostly single into a dark dance club mix

29 January 2018 | 8:53 am | Julie Fenwick
Originally Appeared In

Sofi Tukker takes Billie Eilish's 'CopyCat' from pop to club in their new remix, with a deep house beat and zaps of synth.

Well what a year 2017 has been and what a a year it was for some of Purple Sneakers favourite artists.

BILLIE EILISH, 16-year-old grunge goddess and musical prodigy, ended with a Vince Staples collab, a song on the 13 Reasons Why soundtrack and a place on the 2018 Laneway line up. Dance duo SOFI TUKKER also had a cracker of a year, as they were nominated for a Grammy, were named numerous times on various ‘Artists To Watch’ lists and have just recently performed on Jimmy Fallon. Now they’ve come together with Sofi Tukker putting their own twist on Billie Eilish’s track, ‘CopyCat’.

Originally written as an ode to an unnamed artist who Eilish believed was copying her work, the singer instills an unmatched and fiery attitude in the tracks core, singing, ‘If this person hears this song, you know they’re like, I gotta watch out.’ In the original version, piercing vocals cut through a grunge-y and trappy soundscape contrast between well-used silence, lone piano, electronic beat and voice, accentuating an insincere innocence but also explicit confidence. It is ghostly, unworldly and clear in its message, and creates a dark and eerie, almost sinister vibe.

Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter

Sofi Tukker’s remix speeds things up a bit and is different to the squeaky, slightly bubblegum electronic that was present in their previous releases that made them so well known, such as ‘Drinkee’. We can almost see this turning point in their 2017 release ‘Best Friend’, which introduced a darker, inauspicious side to their music. The mix introduces a deep house beat with zaps of synth that siphons the song from pop to club. Gone is the insincere innocence and instead the delivery becomes penetrating, somehow more purposeful. It races through quick trap ticks, adopting dark yet not defeatist themes, and morphs into the club electronic that is, and has, quickly come into fashion over the past couple of years.

Currently Billie Eilish is set on a world tour while Sofi Tukker trots around the European continent. Billie Eilish tour dates can be seen HERE, while Sofi Tukker’s can be seen HERE.

LANEWAY FESTIVAL 2018 DATES

Friday, February 2 | St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, Adelaide SA

Saturday, February 3 | St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, Melbourne VIC

Sunday, February 4 | St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, Sydney NSW

Saturday, February 10 | St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, Brisbane QLD

Sunday, February 11 | St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, Fremantle WA

WORDS BY JULIE FENWICK

SEE MORE: