Biography
Sofia Kourtesis produces house music as a Peruvian-born, Berlin-based DJ whose tracks balance dancefloor energy with political undertones and moments of reflection. Early releases targeted club environments directly, yet the 2021 Fresia Magdalena EP introduced a more introspective dimension while advancing a social focus rooted in family experiences, a direction she extended on her 2023 debut album Madres.
Raised in Magdalena, the seaside district of Lima, Kourtesis drew calm from the ocean, which also opened access to surfing. Politically engaged parents shaped her outlook: her father worked as a lawyer defending disadvantaged communities, while her mother served as a politician and social worker advocating for the poor. This independent mindset clashed with the rigid discipline of convent school, resulting in her expulsion. At 17 she relocated to Berlin seeking greater freedom and enrolled in film studies. The next year she joined a brief hip-hop project, after which she split her time between courses in Hamburg and New York. While there she booked shows at Hamburg venues including Prinzenbar and Docks, eventually launching her own DJ performances. Back in Berlin, her relationship with Gold Panda, for whom she contributed to the 2013 album Half of Where You Live, prompted her entry into electronic production; Gold Panda later featured on her 2014 EP This Is It.
Her initial two releases on Sweden’s Studio Barnhus label, the March 2019 self-titled EP and the February 2020 EP Sarita Colonia, delivered vibrant dancefloor material driven by heavy basslines and selected film samples. The second of these, honoring the Peruvian patron of the poor whose image appeared on her early artwork, elevated her profile and earned recommendations from multiple outlets. Between that record and the March 2021 Fresia Magdalena EP issued via Ninja Tune’s Technicolour imprint, Kourtesis’s father passed away from leukemia. The release served as a tribute to him, most explicitly on the opening track “La Perla,” where she voiced reflections on the sea, while the title referenced her mother Fresia and the ongoing community efforts in Magdalena. “Estación Esperanza,” built on a sample from Manu Chao’s “Me Gustas Tu,” surfaced in 2022. The full-length Madres, exploring themes of family and club culture, followed on Ninja Tune in 2023.
Raised in Magdalena, the seaside district of Lima, Kourtesis drew calm from the ocean, which also opened access to surfing. Politically engaged parents shaped her outlook: her father worked as a lawyer defending disadvantaged communities, while her mother served as a politician and social worker advocating for the poor. This independent mindset clashed with the rigid discipline of convent school, resulting in her expulsion. At 17 she relocated to Berlin seeking greater freedom and enrolled in film studies. The next year she joined a brief hip-hop project, after which she split her time between courses in Hamburg and New York. While there she booked shows at Hamburg venues including Prinzenbar and Docks, eventually launching her own DJ performances. Back in Berlin, her relationship with Gold Panda, for whom she contributed to the 2013 album Half of Where You Live, prompted her entry into electronic production; Gold Panda later featured on her 2014 EP This Is It.
Her initial two releases on Sweden’s Studio Barnhus label, the March 2019 self-titled EP and the February 2020 EP Sarita Colonia, delivered vibrant dancefloor material driven by heavy basslines and selected film samples. The second of these, honoring the Peruvian patron of the poor whose image appeared on her early artwork, elevated her profile and earned recommendations from multiple outlets. Between that record and the March 2021 Fresia Magdalena EP issued via Ninja Tune’s Technicolour imprint, Kourtesis’s father passed away from leukemia. The release served as a tribute to him, most explicitly on the opening track “La Perla,” where she voiced reflections on the sea, while the title referenced her mother Fresia and the ongoing community efforts in Magdalena. “Estación Esperanza,” built on a sample from Manu Chao’s “Me Gustas Tu,” surfaced in 2022. The full-length Madres, exploring themes of family and club culture, followed on Ninja Tune in 2023.
Albums
Singles
