Six Of The Best: Ladakee

Ladakee, the solo project of Newcastle‑based musician Sarah Suri (Nano Kino, Prospect of Power), recently dropped their latest single Traveller, which is taken from an upcoming album release. Inspired by Cindy Lee and Kikagaku Moyo, the track drifts through spacious, reverb‑soaked textures, with resonant guitar lines hanging in the air over sharp, mesmeric beats and a moody, lurking bass that hypnotises as much as it gets feet tapping.

Here, Sarah shares her ‘Six of the Best’ influences across music, film, and TV…

TV – The Sopranos 
I was actually a bit late to the party with The Sopranos, having first watched it in 2012 (13 years after it first aired). My dad is a huge film enthusiast with great appreciation for The Godfather, Goodfellas, Scarface etc. I fully anticipated a similar vibe from The Sopranos but was pleasantly surprised to find its focus to be a psychological one. Beyond the obvious brutality of the mafia and all that comes with it, the show manages to tap into the minds of all its imperfect characters creating the perfect anti-hero in Tony Soprano and his associates. My favourite episodes usually include the dream sequences or when Tony is in a coma. They tap into that subconscious fear, desire and childhood trauma which are present in all of us (even though we aren’t all mob bosses). The way it ventures deeper is what captivated me and I’ve probably watched it all the way through about 6 times. It’s also really funny but in the most subtle ways. 

TV- Midnight Diner 
I’d wanted to go to Japan since I can remember. I was an early Pokemon card enthusiast as a child going to conventions to trade cards with my plastic binder, a huge Studio Ghibli fan and Lost in Translation dreamer. I also took Film Studies in college watching Hong Kong based films like In the Mood for Love and Chungking Express – there’s something about Asian cinema that seems more able to translate love and loss with such beauty. I stumbled upon Midnight Diner on Netflix in 2022 and absolutely HAD to go there after watching it. The series orbits around an obscure restaurant in Shinjuku in Tokyo (where I later visited) which opens from midnight until seven in the morning. Here, each standalone episode follows a specific regular visitor telling their stories of heartbreak, personal challenges, nostalgia and human connection. It is so beautiful to watch, and you feel completely immersed in the surroundings. Following the series, I booked to go to Japan visiting Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Tokyo. It’s easily the best holiday I have ever had and the series captures what it’s like to be there perfectly. Also- the food that is prepared there is very appealing and a good advertisement to go! 

FILM – Comet 
Again, I stumbled upon this film and wanted to watch it mainly because Emmy Rossum was in it (love her). It’s such an under-related movie and it’s so heartbreaking and relatable. Sam Esmail is so vulnerable it makes me cry every time I watch it. I’m a total romantic and adore films which explore relationships and their imperfections. It grapples with fate, the paths we take and the choices we make. Would highly recommend. 

FILM – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Where do I even start?  Heart shatteringly amazing. I fell in love with the concept of the film immediately and, at times, who wouldn’t just want to erase the pain of something coming to an end? The soundtrack is just wonderful as well with Beck’s Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime and Phonecall by Jon Brion. I think Phonecall has certainly influenced some of my Ladakee songs, especially the instrumental ones. I studied Michel Gondry in college watching films like ‘The Science of Sleep’ and music videos like ‘Around the World’ by Daft Punk, ‘Star Guitar’ by The Chemical Brothers, ‘Everlong’ by Foo Fighters and Kylie Minogue’s ‘Come into My World’ (huge Kylie fan btw). Him and the likes of Spike Jonze are among my favourite directors as they create these dreamlike spaces which somehow feel familiar and real. Again, massive influence to the feelings I try to evoke in my music. 

MUSIC – Cindy Lee ‘Diamond Jubilee’
A friend of mine shared this album with me and I absolutely fell in love with it. It was one of those albums where you have to sit down and actually listen to it, explore it track by track and write down what you think about it and share your favourite tracks. It was like a new project or something. Truly exciting. There are a whopping 32 songs but they’re all like going on a trip down memory lane musically, which for me spans the likes of The Beach Boys to Donna Summer. My favourite tracks are Baby Blue, Dreams of You and Glitz. All are pretty early in the record but Glitz makes me feel like I’ve just walked into Studio 54 or something. Like the opening credits to an awesome glam-rock movie. It’s easily one of, if not my favourite, records! 

MUSIC – The Strokes 
I know, I know- they’ve gone a bit rogue now (for me anyway) but The Strokes were absolutely my first love musically. My parents loved David Bowie, Lou Reed and Roxy Music and just generally had really good taste in music. My brother is 5 years my senior and went off to university at the time of NME and indie sleaze. He would feed me music through mix CDs and tapes. When we were on holiday in the Lake District, we went to a record shop and he handed me Room on Fire and said ‘You need to listen to this’. He deliberately concealed the first album from me so I actually fell for the second first. Then came ‘Is The It’ and I was just like- my life is my own I can do whatever I want! I was 15 and became obsessed with them. I was drawing their posters in Art classes and had them all over my walls. I can totally hear their influence in any of the music I write. That melancholic melody woven throughout. Not sure about the autotune now though hehe.