EX.738 Sofia Kourtesis

"I do activism as much as I can." The Peruvian DJ and producer talks about the human rights issues close to her heart, fighting for human rights and the incredible story behind her LP for Ninja Tune. Sofia Kourtesis is a Peruvian DJ and producer based in Berlin known for her buoyant, upbeat music that channels and transmutes sociopolitical activism and personal hardship. While she's put out a number of solo works, her EP Fresia Magdalena and her debut LP, Madres—both of which came out on Ninja Tune—have been received with exceptional critical acclaim and put her on the map as a headlining touring artist. Both speak to some of the discrimination Sofia has felt as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community in South America, as well as how she's confronted difficult topics like family caregiving, illness and death. In this RA Exchange recorded live at C2C Festival in Turin, she opened up about her mother's recent battle with cancer and the neurosurgeon who provided life-saving surgery (as a thank you, Kourtesis took him and his surgery team out to one of her shows in Berlin). She also discusses her commitment to human rights at length. For Kourtesis, music is a form of activism and healing; she uses it to talk about her Latin American community and the movements that are happening, to show the diverse range of demonstrations for equality, for the queer community and for abortion rights. In a touching final moment of our talk, she opens up about the homophobia that ultimately caused her to leave her school in Lima and then to depart from Peru to Europe altogether. She's been based in Germany since she was 17. Listen to the episode in full.