Stylish synthpoppers bring the heat
Who?
Quasi Qui are brother and sister Yehan and Zadi Jehan, who make futuristic, immersive synthpop with apocalyptic lyrical twists. Together, they’ve released a handful of singles, but Yehan has been lauded as a composer and producer in his own right for a number of years, beginning with chart-ready indie pop debut ‘Expansions’ in 2017.
Why Quasi Qui?
Operating in a “dystopian yet utopian sci-fi reality”, their music has the enticing quality of being surreal and yet somehow comforting. Seductive, yet homely. This enigmatic sound, one imagines, is due to the duo’s varied cultural experiences – their Bosnian parents’ love of classical music, as well as 1980s funk and soul – and wide-ranging influences. Yehan says his favourite artists include Björk and William Orbit, while Zadi is a fan of Sade, Frank Ocean and Blood Orange. The pair are currently based in Paris, having recently signed to French indie label microqlima, but their collective name is Italian. Translating as “almost here”, it’s perhaps a nod to the way their music seems to slip through the fingers, charmingly difficult to pin down with its dreamy, evanescent vocals, swirling synthesisers and nonchalant grooves.
Tell Us More…
Quasi Qui’s debut album, ‘Downloading A New Operating System’, showcases more of the duo’s penchant for interlacing their own assemblage of influences with effortless hooks and Yehan’s trademark production. Lead single ‘Directorial Debut’ is a paean to mental frustration with lyrics that pull no punches (“I want to scream / I want to tear a hole in my lung”). The song’s dreamlike video, which shows Yehan and Zadi running through fields being chased by a large white ball, is surely an extension of the unwavering dedication to phantasmagoria and escapism, evident throughout Quasi Qui’s music.
‘Downloading A New Operating System’ is released by Microqlima
