Sofi Needs A -nother Show in Denver!

Sofia Toufa - Vocal Artist on 'Sofi Needs A Ladder'
Photo courtesy of:  thatchickelle.com

By: Kristine Condition
In my last post about the Denver Nail Lounge I made reference to a show I saw at Beta a few weeks ago.  Tommy Lee was in town that night, mixing it up with DJ Aero.  I was super enthusiastic about my first opportunity to see him in an electro environment.  Having met him and seen him perform at many Motley Crue concerts, I was certain of the good time I was about to have.

I’m a rocker at heart, but I also grew up dancing to a lot of techno.  It was HUGE when I was a teenager in the mid 90’s, and if you danced – you danced to techno.  You did it looking like David Bowie meets Tim Burton, and that was a highly unusual look at the time.  There was no Lady Gaga, no Rhiana, no one in popular culture making it okay to be oddly colorful and somewhat disconcerting.

Today’s teenagers view an avant garde personal appearance as admirable and desirable because modern media gives them the courage to do so.  Mainstream kids in my day, the cookie cutter mother fuckers, had no appreciation for the eccentricity that was central to the way my friends and I looked, dressed and lived our lives.  They were incapable of understanding our romance with theatrics and the underground, and we were frequently shunned.   Thank God, because that was the point.  Most important to this article is the fact that they did not ‘get it’ with regard to the long nights we spent dancing.

Sofia Toufa
Photo courtesy of: twitpic.com

When I dig past the inevitable painful memories of my teen years, I can find exquisite moments wherein I was dancing.  Moments when I was aloft in smoke and lights and music, feeling beautiful and at home on top of the highest speaker I could climb.  Sharing it with everyone in the room, yet blissfully alone in my pretty techno bubble.  Personal freedom came courtesy of those secret nightclubs and illegal raves and we consumed it ravenously.  Often without all the drugs people assume were part of the experience. The dancing was the drug.

Eventually the kids who kept the GAP in business got hooked on a couple of the techno anthems that were huge at the time.  One night I showed up at my prized underground dance club and every unoriginal fuck I hated in high school was standing in a line that had never before existed.  They were soon to be at the raves too, and the scene met its demise for a while.  C’est la vie.

In 2011 electro music is enjoying the good life again, flowing in the major artery of the mainstream.  As a result, though, the problem of posers is as real as ever.  Except they now try their damndest to look LIKE the subculture.  In short, it is now normal to be weird.  Because this is the case, it’s all the more difficult these days to discover artists and music that are engaging in an authentic way.  I’m always hunting for that raw, genuine edge that is detectable because it emanates from within its source – as opposed to being put on by someone trying to emulate it.

Tommy Lee and DJ Aero
Photo courtesy of: flickr.com

When I saw Sofia Toufa perform at Beta in Denver I surprisingly discovered that flavor of originality and verity that is so elusive.  Needless to say, I was thrilled.  As I said, I went to see Tommy and exploit the opportunity to revisit a strobe light induced oblivion.  Tommy, along with DJ Aero, did not disappoint.  As I danced and pushed drunken bimbos out of my way in the front row, I could see Sofi standing nearby.  I didn’t know that she had any relevance to the show beyond being Tommy’s girlfriend.  I’d encountered them backstage at a different show in the past and their fondness for each other was evident then.  Little did I know that she was about to
take the stage and man-handle the vibrant Deadmau5 hit, "Sofi Needs a Ladder."

I would have grabbed some water in preparation had I known what was coming.  When she broke out with her performance she belted that song like an anthem!  The crowd pulsed under the high pitched cadence and breathy breaks in her vocals.  My own body cranked up the dancing and my only complaint was that there was no speaker to climb.  To be fair I will note that Deadmau5 deserves his lion’s share of credit for the slick production of the song, but when it comes to live performance the producer just isn’t there to carry you.  No problem for Sofi, she didn’t need the help – not even as she deftly climbed on the stage in her sky high red heels.   From under her hoodie a strong, sexy voice filled the dance hall and boom! – the people on the floor were connected.  She had a powerful vibe and an almost a carnal quality.  Needless to say she is definitely well suited to be Tommy Lee’s better half, as they say.  Between the two of them I found my way to many “Hell Yeah!” moments. 

Tommy Lee, DJ Aero and Sofia Toufa perform at Beta in Denver.
Photo by:  Kristine Condition

I’m glad I was there to see their show.  I think Sofi might make it big.  She’s come a long way since I saw her as a backup dancer for Motley Crue.  Even when she was go-going behind Nikki Sixx, though, she demanded attention.  But without trying to overshadow the guys in the band.  She’s a true talent.
My hope for her is that she retains the humility she had at Beta.  It’s what made her so endearing.  In one moment she was all vivacious vocals and confidence, in the next she was visibly moved by the supportive response of the crowd.  She was truly overwhelmed by all the love from the kids sweating at her feet.   She smiled radiantly and she must have said ‘thank you’ a few dozen times. 

So, if she's on her way to fame and international recognition, how can she be part our beloved Subculture - especially when she's not from Denver?  She's one of us, at least for now, because she's real.  It is her underground roots that we love, and the fact that she is staying true to the music scene that is obviously her primary inspiration.  When people bring these traits to Denver, I'm grateful for how they've contributed.  I can’t wait to see what she does next.  F#$! the mainstream! 

Sofi Toufa after performing her Deadmau5 hit at Beta in Denver.
Photo by:  Kristine Condition