What Is SOFI AIRLINES?

SOFI AIRLINES is a live electronic music project by Spicy Sofi where real aircraft cockpit controls are transformed into musical instruments connected to Ableton Live through Python, MIDI, OSC and custom electronics. It is, in short, a cockpit turned into a playable instrument — and a concert built like a flight.

Who created it

SOFI AIRLINES is the flagship project of Spicy Sofi, a Paris-based DJ, producer and engineer. It brings together his two worlds — underground electronic music and systems engineering — into a single live performance.

What hardware it uses

The instrument is built from authentic, upcycled aircraft parts: Boeing 737 overhead panels, Airbus A320 throttle quadrants, cockpit switches, annunciators and a sidestick. Each is reverse-engineered and rewired so its signals can be read by custom electronics.

How the cockpit controls music

A custom Python bridge translates every switch, encoder and throttle into MIDI and OSC messages that drive Ableton Live in real time. Switches trigger sounds, throttles shape intensity, and cockpit gestures become live transitions — with latency low enough that the panel feels like a real instrument.

What the show feels like

The performance follows the arc of a flight: boarding, taxi, takeoff, cruise, turbulence and landing. The audience becomes passengers on an immersive audiovisual journey where aviation, engineering and electronic music meet.

Next: How Spicy Sofi turned a cockpit into a live instrument →