Since his critically acclaimed release debut in 2019, rising Armenian talent Socko has taken the organic house world by storm with his unique, ethnic-leaning sound palate. Standing as one of the most exciting artists to emerge from the country’s flourishing underground circuit, Socko is extending his native land to the global dance music stage by championing a rich combination of world music sentiments through the intoxicating format of house music.
A firm favourite for internationally-renowned record label The Gardens of Babylon, Socko returned to the imprint back in July with his emotive cut ‘I Need’ alongside neo-soul vocalist D’Litte, giving fans an advanced look at his debut extended player for the famed electronic music house. Now making his presence known on the release radar once again, Socko unveils his highly-anticipated ‘Blast’ EP in full, presenting fans with four deliciously vibrant productions to immerse themselves in. We sat down with the man himself to find out more…
Hey Socko, great to have you with us today. For those of our readers who are not yet familiar with your work, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to be an artist?
Thank you for having me. My name is Armen, for more than 5 years I have been performing under the stage name Socko. For many years I was professionally involved in sports and believed that this was my destiny. But at some point this business ceased to bring me pleasure and I decided to start over. I had a close acquaintance with music in my teenage years. At that time I downloaded FL Studio and tried to create something on my own, but then it all remained just a hobby. Already at a conscious age, I delved into music, hired a tutor to learn musical literacy and began to really create. And here I am now.
Who and what are the main sources of inspiration for your musical output currently?
Literally anything can be inspirational for me – people, nature, some life events, my personal feelings and emotions.
Do you have a particular format you follow when you get into the studio to work on a new track?
I give to myself as much freedom as I can. The most important for me is not to be trapped in the tracks I created before.
What’s your favourite piece of studio gear at the moment?
I love all my gear and constantly buy new ones, but my musical best friend Arturia Polybrute.
You’ve just released your new Blast EP. Can you tell us more about the project?
Blast EP is such a special one for me. Going through some uncertainty is the important part of any milestone. For me it has been sublimed in this 4 track EP where you can sense all the feelings I got. To keep it short, Blast is about the last year or two of my life.
This latest EP is released on The Gardens of Babylon. Is this your first release on the label? How did you connect with them?
I had my first release with The Gardens of Babylon last year (Chemistry EP). I just dropped an email with demos to Shishi around 2 years ago and surprisingly she replied. How excited I was when she liked my music, I was on the cloud 7. That’s how our collaboration started.
Do you have any other releases in the pipeline that you might be able to tell us about?
I have many tracks written, but haven’t assigned them to labels yet
What are some of your main goals for the rest of 2023 and beyond?
My main goal is to reach as many listeners is possible. I truly want my music to reach people and be loved by them. The rest is being done to achieve that.
Anything else you’d like to say before we sign off?
I just want to thank you for your support and hope my new EP will find its place in people’s hearts.
Thanks Socko!
Socko – ‘Blast’ EP is out now via The Gardens of Babylon: https://snd.click/TGOB026