Artist: @soelaela
Stream/Buy: www.linktr.ee/scissorandthread

Soela is the DJ and production alias of Elina Shorokhova, a Russia-born Berlin-based experienced pianist and vocalist who has made a hugely impactful transition into electronic music.

Having released material on such labels as Kompakt, Dial, Shall Not Fade, Lost Palms, E-Beamz, Red Ember Records, Sushitech, and others, Soela joins the ranks of Scissor & Thread for this exquisite album - Dark Portrait. 

The album opens in a typically understated manner with Unsuitable - a melancholic trip-hop adjacent track that sets the tone for the next 8 pieces. As Soela explains, “I was dealing with some very complex feelings, so I came up with this album, which helped me not to despair, to work on myself, to grow internally, and to start listening to myself. It helped me to keep sane when my country invaded Ukraine with a full scale war. It absolutely broke my heart, and music was one of my main salvations.” 

This complex mix of emotions plays out across the album with tracks that utilize her beautiful musicality (Through the Windows feat. Francis Harris and Philipp Priebe, Drowning feat. Module One) and ear for details with skittering beats, ambient soundscapes (Spirits, Lost In The Fog) and lose-yourself dancefloor moments such as the collaboration with Lawrence on February Is Not Going To Be Forever. The title track Dark Portrait combines dubby elements with affecting pads and melodic touches, while the lead single Even If I Ask You Stay delves into multiple feelings around escaping toxic situations, and battling depression. It features a powerful vocal from Soela supported by a deeply affecting arrangement. The closing track The Darkest Hour Before Sunrise brings a sense of hope and light, balancing subdued keys and strings with ethereal tones and atmospheres

Dark Portrait

Soela - Unsuitable



My heart is in this ongoing zest for discovering & emphatically listening to melodies in spacious, atmospheric & ethnomusicological airwaves. 


https://www.mixcloud.com/babakalb/.

Desde fines de los 90 Ism4 aka Vibrant Soul ha estado inmerso en la escena underground, explorando, coleccionando, pinchando y produciendo desde su ciudad natal, Montevideo. Con los años profundizó su camino estudiando guitarra, percusión y armonía, lo que le dio una visión singular dentro del house. Su música combina la calidez orgánica con el pulso electrónico, siempre guiada por el groove y con un fuerte apego a la cultura del vinilo.

Since the late ’90s Ism4 aka Vibrant Soul has been immersed in the underground, digging, DJing and producing from his hometown of Montevideo. Over the years, he deepened his craft through studies in guitar, percussion and harmony — a journey that shaped his personal approach to deep house. His music blends organic warmth with electronic pulse, always guided by groove and rooted in the culture of vinyl.

Scissor & Thread is cut from a different cloth than your average dance imprint.

Soela - Unsuitable

Scissor and Thread