Erika de Casier

The Portuguese-Danish singer-songwriter and producer with a flare for ‘feelgood’ chats to Kate Puttick about the joys of learning

- Kate Puttick

It’s probably a sign of the uncertainty of the times that nostalgia for ’90s and ’00s sounds is rife in recent pop. Erika de Casier’s 2019 album Essentials struck a chord with listeners on a similar basis, the unapologetically wistful R&B-inspired vocals framed by a palette drawn from garage, G-Funk, house and other just-about-vintage styles. But the Aarhus artist’s growing catalogue plays that game with significantly more warmth, unaffectedly lo-fi style and artistry than most. De Casier made her first musical outings under the auspices of Denmark’s Regelbau collective, runs her own Independent Jeep label and cycles everywhere – and that down-to-Earth, resourceful charm shines through in her musical choices. Her second album Sensational is out now on the 4AD label and FM had the pleasure of sitting down for a chat with her to discuss it…

What was your earliest dabbling in music?

“When I first began it was this shitty PC and I downloaded this programme no-one knows, Magix. I don’t know if it’s still alive. I didn’t have a Mac or Garageband. I just put these pre-made loops together and recorded rain sounds and put it all in there. Very, very low-key. But my interest grew because I was spending a lot of hours in this programme. I Googled “electronic music course” and this school came up. A school you had to move to, outside of the city, a four-month course. Very intense. When I started that, there were people who were already good at what they did and I was a little bit intimidated by that. But I learned very quickly and I was very interested in what I learnt. It was the first time I learned about different gear. I got my first soundcard. I gradually found what fit me.”