Avant-folk producer and vocalist Fiona Soe Paing brings 30 years of influences to her new project, from singing with all female punk bands in London, a Brighton experimental choir, to collaborating with dance music producers in London, Brighton and New Zealand. Since her debut solo track was released on Warner Music on BBC world music DJ Charlie Gillet's "Sound Of The World 2007" compilation, Fiona has been refining her unique sound, developing her production chops and continuing to experiment across genres and continents.
Returning to her Aberdeenshire roots, Fiona Soe Paing’s second solo album “Sand, Silt, Flint” is a re-imagining of haunting folk tales and traditional ballads from North East Scotland. Discovering she was related to one of the original ballad singers John Strachan, who was recorded by folk archivist Alan Lomax, she was sparked to create an album inspired by the stories, songs, landscape and language of her home county. Combining Fiona’s experimental electronic production with traditional instruments, the album includes contributions from traditional Scottish, classical and experimental musicians, including renowned fiddle
player Paul Anderson MBE.
Having been mentored by Brit Award Winner Beth Orton, Fiona cites Orton as an important influence, but takes the “folktronica’ sound into much deeper, darker territory. Murder ballads and bleak tales of mysterious, tragic deaths bring to mind the work of Nic Cave’s work with PJ Harvey, while the warmth and texture of the production has influences in mystery-shrouded Scottish electronic duo, Boards of Canada.
Image: Isla Goldie
