Max Cooper (music producer)

Last updated

Max Cooper
Selector Pro Kyiv 08-12-2017 Max Cooper.jpg
Max Cooper in 2017
Background information
Born (1980-05-19) 19 May 1980 (age 44)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Genres
Website maxcooper.net

Max Cooper (born 19 May 1980) is a London-based [1] electronic and techno music producer who has been releasing music since 2007. He has received positive reviews from magazines such as Clash [2] and critical acclaim for his debut album Human. [3]

Contents

Cooper has released more than seventy original tracks and remixes, and more than twenty accompanying video works, [4] [5] primarily on London label Fields and German label Traum Schallplatten. [6] His remixes range from avant-garde composers Michael Nyman and Nils Frahm, to bands like Hot Chip and Au Revoir Simone, to techno acts such as Agoria, Sasha and Guy Andrews. [7]

Early life and education

Cooper was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland to parents of Australian descent. [8] He attended the Holywood Steiner School and was inspired to become a geneticist after reading various science books as a child. [8] Although he did not receive formal music training, Cooper started playing violin at age 12, but eventually stopped: "I never enjoyed it [violin] and didn't pursue it to any great degree—the music wasn't right to be honest." [9]

Cooper received his PhD in computational biology from the University of Nottingham in 2008. [8] During his doctoral training, his research interests focused on modelling the evolution of gene regulatory networks—he specifically examined the evolution of feed-forward loops, [10] and studied the evolutionary influences of binding site organisation during transcriptional processes. [11] After completing his doctoral work, Cooper held a brief post-doctoral position as a geneticist at University College London. [1] [12]

Career

Music

Max Cooper in 2011 Max Cooper.jpg
Max Cooper in 2011

In 2010, Cooper decided to focus entirely on music production and his music is influenced by his science background. [1] [13] In terms of musical references, Cooper has cited Jon Hopkins, Sigur Rós and Ólafur Arnalds, adding that his influences are "mainly electronica more than techno". By 2012, he was voted in the top 20 live acts of the year for two years running on Resident Advisor [14] [15] and named a Beatport artist of the year. [16]

Cooper released a two-part EP, Conditions One, on 10 December 2012, which also featured Braids, Ghosting Season and D/R/U/G/S (a.k.a. Callum Wright). [17] That same month, he achieved the number 5 spot on BeatPort's "Top Artists of 2012" [18] and was voted a "top 20" live act by the readers of canonical electronic music website Resident Advisor. [19]

Cooper encourages fans to produce their own videos for his music, with the results displayed on his website. [20] [21] He released a music video for the song "Pleasures" that was animated by artist Cédric de Smedt. [22]

Cooper revealed that some of the artwork on his album covers [23] was inspired by his flatmate, who is a graphic designer. [24]

In December 2013, Cooper announced the release date of his debut album Human as 10 March 2014. The album was preceded by the single "Adrift", which was released on 16 December 2013. In regard to "Adrift", Cooper explained that it is "more of a personal piece of music for me than a club track, which is the approach I’ve taken for the whole album". [25] Human received critical acclaim and was described by Clash as "sumptuous, enticingly beautiful". [26] The release was followed by two remix EPs, Inhuman One and Inhuman Two, with remixes from Rodriguez Jr., Lusine, Harvey McKay, Jack Dixon and Olaf Stuut. [27]

Cooper on musical forum The Selector Pro in Kyiv (2017) Selector Pro Kyiv 08-12-2017 Max Cooper 1.jpg
Cooper on musical forum The Selector Pro in Kyiv (2017)

In September 2014, Cooper launched his debut audiovisual show Emergence at the Decibel Festival in Seattle. Performed entirely live and solo, it is a one-man show that ties together his scientific, experimental, musical and visual interests in a single conceptual festival artwork and is on tour in Europe. [28] [29] [30] [31]

In early December 2014, Cooper released his follow-up to Human, the "Kindred EP" featuring singer Kathrin deBoer from trip-hop band Belleruche and remixes from David August and Throwing Snow. [27] The EP features Cooper's experiments with the sansula instrument and the polyphonic analogue Prophet 08 synth [32] and was described by Fact as a "gorgeous slice of electronica". [33] During the summer before the Kindred release, Cooper released "Tileyard Improvisations Vol. 1", a collaboration fusing jazz and electronica. [34]

Max Cooper released his second collaboration with classically trained pianist Tom Hodge, "Artefact" as well as a remix EP of the same name. The music combines piano music with electronica and glitch and was inspired in part by an excursion Cooper made to the Teotihuacan pyramids in Mexico. [27] [35]

Glassforms, a collaboration between Cooper and Bruce Brubaker, featuring the work of Philip Glass, was released 5 June 2020. [36] According to Cooper, "It was a refreshing process coming from my usual approach of mousing around music projects, building things in tiny iterations at a time, and it fed into my solo project techniques a lot as well." [37]

Live performance

Cooper has gained an international reputation as a leading electronic composer for both his unique sound and immersive audio- visual live shows.

Cooper has performed at numerous festivals, including Glastonbury Festival, [38] Fuji Rock Festival, [39] Bestival, [40] Latitude Festival, [41] Awakenings Festival, [42] MUTEK, [43] Amsterdam Dance Event [44] and Decibel Festival. [45] He has also performed live with artists such as Echaskech [46] and Baltimoroder. [47]

Other projects

As of 2011, Cooper is working with software company Liine on music-production software that is influenced by science. [48] In December 2012, he wrote a blog for British music magazine NME . [49]

Equipment

Cooper uses Ableton equipment and Akai APC40 controllers. [50] He is also an early adopter of unusual club sound systems, performing in August 2013 on a 3D sound system called "4DSOUND". [51]

Selected discography

Studio albums

Singles and EPs

TitleLabelYear
AscentMesh2023
SpectrumMesh2022
EverythingMesh2022
MapsMesh2021
HopeMesh2018
World Passing ByMesh2017
ChromosMesh2017
Artefact (with Tom Hodge)Fields2015
Artefact Remixes (with Tom Hodge)Fields2015
Tileyard Improvisations, Vol. 1 (with Kathrin deBoer and Quentin Collins) Gearbox Records 2014
Kindred EPFields2014
Inhuman TwoFields2014
Inhuman OneFields2014
AdriftFields2013
Fragments of Self Part Two (with Tom Hodge)Fields2013
Fragments of Self Part One (with Tom Hodge)Fields2013
Conditions Two (with Kathrin De Boer)Fields2013
Conditions One (with Braids)Fields2012
Mechanical Concussion EPHerzblut Recordings2012
Egomodal EPTraum Schallplatten2012
Empirisch EPTraum Schallplatten2011
Metaphysical EPTraum Schallplatten2011
Amalgamations EPLast Night on Earth2011
Miocene EPHerzblut Recordings2011
Metaphysical EPTraum2011
Expressions EP–2010
Series EPTraum2010
Ediolic SpectraBedrock2010
Chaotisch Serie EPTraum2010
InhaleExhale EPVeryverywrongindeed2009
Stochastisch Serie EPTraum2009
SymphonicaTraum2009
Harmonisch Serie EPTraum2009
Crushbox EPAutist2008
FRANKFirefly Recordings2008
One Is None EPEvolved Records2007

Remixes

TitleLabelYear
Ólafur Arnalds – ypsilon – Max Cooper remixMercury KX2019
Rob Clouth – Shedding Layers – Max Cooper remixMesh2018
Christian Löffler – Vind – Max Cooper remixKi Records2017
Sasha – Channel Deq – Max Cooper remixLateNiteTales2017
Guy Andrews – In Autumn Arms – Max Cooper remixHoundstooth2016
joeFarr – Spectate – Max Cooper remixLeisuresystem2016
Michael Nyman and David McAlmont – Secrets, Accusations and Charges – Reconstruction and DeconstructionLast Night on Earth2012
Sasha – Xpander – Max Cooper remixDeconstruction2011
Hot Chip – I Feel Better – Max Cooper remixFlash2010
Andrew K – The Doppler Effect – Max Cooper remixVise Versa Music2010
Au Revoir Simone – Take Me As I Am / RemixMoshi Moshi2010
Abe Duque & Blake Baxter – What Happened – Max Cooper remixProcess2009

[56]

Related Research Articles

Ableton AG is a German music software company that produces and distributes the production and performance program Ableton Live and a collection of related instruments and sample libraries, as well as their own hardware controller Ableton Push. Ableton's office is located in the Prenzlauer Berg district of Berlin, Germany, with a second office in Pasadena, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Angello</span> Greek-Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and record label owner (born 1982)

Steven Patrik Josefsson Fragogiannis, better known by his stage name Steve Angello, is a Greek–Swedish DJ, record producer, remixer and record label owner. He is a member of Swedish House Mafia, together with Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simian Mobile Disco</span> English electronic music duo

Simian Mobile Disco are an English electronic music duo and production team, formed in 2003 by James Ford and Jas Shaw of the band Simian. Musically, they are known for their analogue production. Ford is also known for his production work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Booka Shade</span> German house music duo

Booka Shade is a German house duo. It is made up of Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier, described as veterans of the Frankfurt electronic music scene. They have released 7 studio albums, including Memento (2004), Movements (2006), The Sun & the Neon Light (2008), More! (2010), Eve (2013), Galvany Street (2017), Cut the Strings (2018), various EPs and a mix album for DJ-Kicks.

Colin Bailey, better known by his stage name Drums of Death, is a London-based electronic musician, originally from Scotland. His music is a blend of techno, house, and electro. He is known for energetic and exciting live shows and has said in interviews that his debut album is all "Love songs and rave horns".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Kimbie</span> English electronic music group

Mount Kimbie is an English electronic music group consisting of Dominic Maker, Kai Campos, Andrea Balency-Béarn and Marc Pell. Mount Kimbie was formed in 2008 by Maker and Campos. The duo expanded on the musical template of the UK dubstep scene, releasing early EPs Maybes and Sketch on Glass to critical praise the following year. Their debut album Crooks & Lovers in 2010 received further acclaim and was listed as one of the defining albums of the decade by DJ Mag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afrojack</span> Dutch music producer and DJ (born 1987)

Nick Leonardus van de Wall, better known as Afrojack, is a Dutch DJ, music producer and remixer. In 2007, he founded the record label Wall Recordings; his debut album Forget the World was released in 2014. Afrojack regularly features as one of the ten best artists in the Top 100 DJs published by DJ Mag. He is also the CEO of LDH Europe.

<i>Resident Advisor</i> Online music magazine and community platform

Resident Advisor is an online music magazine and community platform established in 2001 and dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. RA's editorial team provides news, music and event reviews, as well as films, features and interviews. Resident Advisor also provides global event listings and ticket sales platform, club and promoter directories, artist and record label profiles, and the RA Podcast.

Paul Rose, usually known as Scuba, is a British electronic musician, now based in Berlin. Described as 'one of dance music's most inventive producers', he has released five albums, numerous singles and EPs, and a handful of compilation and mix albums. His style has been described as dubstep with a later 'shift toward a brighter and more eclectic approach to production'. In 2013, he won an award for Best Live Act from DJ Mag.

Egyptrixx is a Canadian electronic musician from Toronto, Ontario. Psutka also releases music under the names "ACT!" and " Ceramic TL", is a member of experimental folk project Anamai, and works as a studio producer and composer

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audien</span> American DJ and producer

Nathaniel "Nate" Rathbun, better known under his stage name Audien, is an American DJ and electronic music producer. Audien has released many singles and remixes for electronic record labels including Enhanced, Perceptive, Armada, Black Hole, and Nervous. His tracks have appeared on Corsten's Countdown, Tiësto's Club Life, Above & Beyond'sTrance Around The World, and Armin van Buuren's A State of Trance compilations.

Terje Olsen, known professionally as Todd Terje, is a Norwegian DJ, songwriter, and record producer. His stage name is a homage to house music producer Todd Terry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eats Everything</span> Musical artist

Daniel Pearce, better known as Eats Everything, is an English DJ and record producer. He came to prominence in 2011 with the release of "Entrance Song" on Pets Recordings. Since then, he has received critical acclaim for a number of solo releases on Dirtybird, Hypercolour and Futureboogie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrés Bucci</span> Musical artist

Andrés Bucci is a Chilean electronic music producer and DJ. He is known for his solo work as well as for his role as a member of Plan V. He is one of three Bucci brothers, all DJs and electronic music producers.

Johan Linus Eklöw, better known by his stage name Style of Eye, is a Swedish DJ, record producer, songwriter and percussionist. He was part of the electropop music group Galantis from 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Vangeli</span> Musical artist

Maksim "Max" Vangeli is a Moldovan DJ and record producer based in San Francisco, United States.

Daniel Gardner is a Canadian electronic musician known better by his artist name Frivolous. Born in 1980, near Vancouver, B.C., Gardner received early training in classical piano, but found his calling when he undertook Electronic Music studies. He moved to Montreal in the early 2000s and then to Berlin in 2005. In 2012, Gardner returned to Canada's west coast, while continuing to maintain his Berlin ties and tour internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leon Vynehall</span> British producer and DJ

Leon Vynehall is a British artist and producer. He released his second album Rare, Forever on 30 April 2021 via Ninja Tune.

Deniz Kurtel is a Turkish installation artist and electronic musician. She specializes in creating interactive sculptures featuring LED lights and mirrors and has participated in various festivals, exhibitions, and design weeks around the globe. Starting with her debut album in 2009, “Music Watching Over Me,” she has regularly toured as a musician. Her song "The L Word" made NPR's Favorite Songs of 2011. Working both in Berlin and Brooklyn, she is in the process of further integrating her art and light installations into her live performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rumpistol</span> Danish producer and musician

Jens Berents Christiansen, also known as Rumpistol, is a Danish producer and musician, who writes and performs electronic music. He has been releasing music since 2003 and has received positive reviews from magazines such as Intro.deDe:Bug and Danish magazine GAFFA. The latter gave Rumpistol 6/6 for his 2008 album Dynamo.

References

  1. ↑ "Max Cooper biography". residentadvisor.net. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  2. ↑ "Max Cooper announces debut album Human – hear tearjerking new single 'Adrift' – FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music". FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music. 11 December 2013.
  3. ↑ Donaghy, John (2 April 2012). "Watch the new video for Max Cooper's "Micron," released today on Beatport". beatport.com. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  4. ↑ Max Cooper – via YouTube.
  5. ↑ "Max Cooper". beatport.com.
  6. ↑ "premiere: guy andrews, in autumn arms (max cooper remix) – i-D". I-d.vice.com. 17 June 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 Skrufff, Jonty (9 November 2010). "Max Cooper: I Don't Believe in Miracles (interview)". trackitdown.net. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  8. ↑ Lavin, Polly (15 November 2010). "Amalgamating the rhythm – Max Cooper presents his vision". ibiza-voice.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  9. ↑ Cooper MB, Loose M, Brookfield JFY. Evolutionary modelling of feed forward loops in gene regulatory networks. Biosystems 2008; 91: 231–244.
  10. ↑ Cooper MB, Loose M, Brookfield JFY. The evolutionary influence of binding site organisation on gene regulatory networks. Biosystems 2009; 96: 185–193.
  11. ↑ "Interview: Max Cooper". The Burlington Project. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  12. ↑ Taylor, Ken (12 July 2012). "Max Cooper". beatport.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  13. ↑ "RA Poll". Resident Advisor.
  14. ↑ "RA Poll". Resident Advisor.
  15. ↑ "Beatport News names its Top Artists of 2012". Beatport Buzz.[ permanent dead link ]
  16. ↑ "FREE MP3: MAX COOPER (D/R/U/G/S REMIX)". mixmag.net. 12 December 2012. Archived from the original on 15 December 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  17. ↑ "Beatport News names its Top Artists of 2012". beatport.com. 21 December 2012. Archived from the original on 27 December 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  18. ↑ "RA Poll: Top 20 live acts of 2012". residentadvisor.net. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  19. ↑ Max Cooper fan video page Archived 13 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ↑ Murray, Robin (4 November 2011). "Max Cooper Unveils Fan Video". clashmusic.com. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  21. ↑ Bennett, Neil (17 December 2012). "Cédric de Smedt's striking animated music video for Max Cooper's hypnotic Pleasures". digitalartsonline.co.uk. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  22. ↑ Slater, Ben. "Max Cooper – Positive Mutation". Behance. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  23. ↑ Forsyth, Laura (28 November 2011). "Max Cooper: Genetically Enhanced". theskinny.co.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  24. ↑ Coultate, Aaron (10 December 2013). "The UK techno producer's first full-length is due out in March 2014". residentadvisor.net. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  25. ↑ "Premiere: Max Cooper – Empyrean". Clash Magazine. 26 February 2014.
  26. 1 2 3 "Max Cooper". beatport.com.
  27. ↑ "Max Cooper on emergence and his new live show – Ableton". ableton.com.
  28. ↑ "Max Cooper – Emergence Tour". Max Cooper. Archived from the original on 30 April 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  29. ↑ "World Party Calendar 2015 :: International Clubbing Event Listing:: Club, Music, Dance, Parties, Events, Dates, Venues & Line ups". ibiza-voice.com.
  30. ↑ "RA News: Max Cooper takes Emergence on the road through Europe". Resident Advisor.
  31. ↑ "Max Cooper – Releases – Kindred EP". Max Cooper. Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  32. ↑ "Max Cooper returns with Kindred EP – listen to the starry-eyed 'Origins' – FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music". FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music. 18 November 2014.
  33. ↑ "Max Cooper Feat Kathrin DeBoer, Quentin Collins – Tileyard Improvisations Vol. 1". Discogs. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  34. ↑ Kokiousis, Chris (11 March 2015). "Max Cooper and Tom Hodge Announce New Collaborative EP". XLR8R.
  35. ↑ Cooper, Max. "05.06.20 Work". Max Cooper. Max Cooper.
  36. ↑ Cooper, Max (13 November 2020). "Q&A with Max Cooper". ImmersiveAudioAlbum.com. ImmersiveAudioAlbum.com.
  37. ↑ "2014 | Glastonbury Festival". Glastonburyfestivals.co.uk. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  38. ↑ "FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL '15". FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL'15. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  39. ↑ Murray, Robin (31 August 2012). "Bestival 2012 To Be Live Streamed". clashmusic.com. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  40. ↑ "Latitude Reveals More Acts For the 2015 Festival!". Latitude Festival.
  41. ↑ "Max Cooper". Awakenings.
  42. ↑ "Elektra and MUTEK Inhabit the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal to Celebrate their Combined 15th Anniversary". MUTEK. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  43. ↑ "Extra 4DSOUND show Max Cooper at ADE Soundacademy – Blog – Amsterdam Dance Event". Amsterdam Dance Event. Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  44. ↑ Reynaldo, Shawn (25 September 2012). "Max Cooper's Decibel Mix". XLR8R. Archived from the original on 14 December 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  45. ↑ Saque Ferreira, Nuno (10 August 2011). "Sat 3 Sep @ Ginglik". altsounds.com. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  46. ↑ Di Tullio, Joanna (20 September 2012). "IN THE MIX: MAX COOPER". digboston.com. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  47. ↑ "Max Cooper on his 120 track live set and production techniques". lostinmusik.net. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 7 August 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  48. ↑ Cooper, Max (5 December 2012). "Why Skrillex And Co.'s EDM Explosion Is Something To Celebrate". NME. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  49. ↑ Robertswaine86 (26 May 2010). "Socialeyes Presents Max Cooper at Corsica Studios". spoonfed.co.uk. Retrieved 30 December 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  50. ↑ White, Dan (24 October 2013). "The 4D Soundsystem: Max Cooper Interview". djtechtools.com. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  51. ↑ "Max Cooper – Max Cooper – Human [CD]". Max Cooper. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  52. ↑ Andrew Ryce (15 September 2016). "Max Cooper announces new album, Emergence". Resident Advisor . Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  53. ↑ "Max Cooper – Max Cooper – Balance 030 [2 x CD]". Max Cooper. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  54. ↑ "Max Cooper – One Hundred Billion Sparks (CD)". Max Cooper. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  55. ↑ "MAX COOPER – Releases". Beatport. Beatport, LLC. 2004–2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.