London-based DJ/Producer System Olympia has been consistently releasing some of the steamiest music around. Last year’s Sanctified EP was 17 minutes & 6 seconds of blissed out seduction. Today she releases Love Language, a twenty-track compilation featuring carefully curated artists to create a mix that transforms listening into a multi-sensory act.
Some Loverboy favourites are musclecars‘ ‘Running Out Of Time’ with it’s raucous blend of Jazz and Techno, Eli Escobar‘s remix of Midnight Magic‘s classic, ‘Beam Me Up’ and of course the dream of an opener from System Olympia herself, ‘In The Heat Of The Night.’
Loverboy catches up with System Olympia to discuss this perfect compilation for a warm winter’s eve, sexual cinematic awakenings and the perfection of FKA Twigs.
System Olympia, hello! Your music always creates such a warm atmosphere. What are you listening to while answering these for us?
Hello! Aw, thanks 🙂 I am listening to Twigs’ ‘Cheap Hotel’. Been listening since I saw the video—she’s always so perfect. I call her untouchable. One of the few perfectionists in the world that actually makes it to make things perfect.
Love Language is a super seductive mix of songs but equally eclectic with post-punk included. When you set about curating it, did you have a clear idea of genres you wanted to include?
I always have clear ideas about what I want to do, or at least the feeling of a clear vision. Once I have that first vision, I start working on the project, and everything kind of shapes itself in the process. I wanted music that could speak emotion without saying anything. We achieved this with melodies from the amazing musicians involved and art from the incredible designer and photographer Dual Room.
Can you describe to us the energy, the mood of the compilation at the beginning and where it takes us? What is the final destination?
The compilation is meant to be experienced like a movie. It’s structured by moments of different emotions. Could be a couple of lovers in a car chase, in a club, making love to strangers in a dark room somewhere, or being apart writing letters to each other. Lovers being hurt, lovers being revengeful to each other. It’s the soundtrack I’d score for a movie made about desire.
You’ve got a fantastic mix of artists on here. Someone like See Thru Hands, for example. I’m intrigued to see how their sound fits into the SO universe, but it absolutely does. How did you discover them?
I can’t remember how I met Duncan from See Thru Hands. I think he asked me to remix a song for Skream he was working on, then we started chatting and he is so funny. He’s a very talented musician and they are rare, but having a proper sense of humour on top of a talent is even rarer. Hot City sounds like Prince mixed with a damp evening in Manchester. It’s moody and nonchalant and so refreshing.
I know you’ve worked with Working Men’s Club. Their music is eclectic too but it’s always interesting seeing where the overlap is. Where do your tastes meet? Can you tell us more about your relationship with them?
Working Men’s Club is actually one man’s band: Sydney Minks-Sergeant. Tom Sharkett (great musician—also featured on Love Language) introduced us online. I heard his music and I was blown away. I hadn’t heard anything as original in dance/electronic since Azari & III. I couldn’t wait to work with him; I remember crying while I was recording my vocal parts on Sanctified, our song together. We share a raw, genuine, unrefined, wild way of translating emotion into music.
We are huge fans of Musclecars too. Love their recent album. How did you meet these guys? How did you choose the track?
Their track chose me. Came randomly in my Spotify one day and I have been playing it in most of my DJ sets since.
I guess when curating for this mix, it’s not always about choosing your favourite but the one that fits the energy best, right? Making mixes I’ve had to sacrifice my favourite track by one artist for a different one of theirs which worked better. Did you have any dilemmas like this?
To be honest, all the songs in this record came along together naturally. There were a couple I wanted but couldn’t be licensed, but the rest came along very smoothly and just meant to be. The dilemma was about everything else but the music. I had to change the album cover and the whole visual identity of the project a few times.
You’ve said every song is a syllable in Love Language which I love. What is the sexiest sounding lyric ever for you, in regards to phonetics, not meaning of words?
I love the intro of “Daysleeper”, when the phone rings and you can hear a woman sighing. When me and my boyfriend first fell in love, he was living in another country and I was travelling the world every weekend for DJing, so we had a few months where we thought we couldn’t be together even if we tried. I remember being lonely in hotel rooms, calling him, and the anxiety I would get when he wouldn’t answer the phone, the thought of him being with another woman. Those sighs in that intro are the sounds of longing, desire and uncertainty that’s part of the essence of romance and eroticism.
You’ve said that you’ve been scoring movies in your head for as long as you can remember. What is the sexiest music moment for you in cinema? For us, listening to LaTour’s ‘Blue’ in the club scene in Basic Instinct is burned into our mind.
I have some sexy movie scenes that made a mark in my fantasies for sure. The Italian references I can’t say—they sound so wrong. One that is more PG is when Wesley Snipes has sex in the office with Annabella Sciorra, for the first time. In Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever.
You only follow eight people on Insta, one of which is Lourdes Leon. Can we expect any kind of project together soon?
I would love to but I just follow her ’cause she’s the most beautiful girl in the world to me.
Lastly we are named after the biggest selling single of 2001 so always ask what is your favourite Mariah Carey song and why?
Loverboy is amazing. My favourite though is Lead the Way. There’s a YouTube video of her in the studio recording it and being the eternal goddess of all singer goddesses.
Love Language is out now via Material Music
Catch System Olympia live
November (every Saturday) – Night Tales Residency, London
Thurs Nov 16 – Phonica Records In-Store, London
Fri Nov 21 – Audio Club, Geneva
