Sofasounds, run by French dj and producer Francis Peyrat, is a London based music consultancy agency, dj agency and a record label.
Arriving from Paris in 1997, Francis was the first resident DJ at the famous Momo’s basement bar, playing such an innovative mix of world beats, downtempo and electronica that his music selection became a key element to “Momo’s” success.
In 2000, Francis decided to broaden his horizons and created “Sofasounds” after being approached by many companies for his music expertise.
While continuing to dj in many bars (Kabaret, 51 Jermyn St, Hilton Hotel’s Zeta bar,etc..) and perform at private events in the UK and abroad (Chanel, Burberry’s, Channel 4, Ozwald Boateng fashion shows and more), he helped restaurant owners and fashion designers create their music identities.
In 2002, Alan Yau appointed Francis music director, music consultant, head of Djs and resident Dj for Hakkasan and its sister restaurant Yauatcha. For the following nine years, the music identity that Francis created contributed to the acclaimed international success that both venues achieved. His work within the group became so influential that it is now a feature of the worldwide openings of Hakkasan restaurants (London Mayfair, Abu Dhabi and Mumbai).
2012 now sees Francis supervising various and exciting projects such as the music selection for Jose Pizarro’s new ventures, London’s new sensational Dorchester Hotel “45 Park Lane” and Wolfgang Puck “Cut” restaurant and the re-launch as a lounge bar of Club Gascon’s sister restaurant Le Cercle.
In March 2012, Sofasounds will launch a strategy & development department to help artists and dj/producers develop their career.
On the production side, while producing music under the moniker of “Gillespie” and “Radar” (available in vinyls and on various digital platforms), Francis has compiled numerous albums such as “Latinize”, “Africanize”, the “Arabica” trilogy and the internationally acclaimed “Arabesque”.
Many of his tracks have appeared on various TV shows and documentaries (BBC, National Geographic, etc) and on compilations including “Best of MTV Lounge 2”, “Music for Cocktails”, “Buddha Bar” and many more.