This track is about emergence from the combination of polar opposites. Fragments of self from very different places, but part of the same whole.

Combining classical and computational elements is something I've been experimenting with for some years, but this attempt to combine the extreme opposites of each was spurred on by some chance DJing experiments, a fortuitous collaboration opportunity, and the amazing work of my friends Olafur Arnalds and Vaetxh (Rob Clouth). I found that I could mix the most beautiful and delicate piano solo of Olafur, with the most hyper-edited and jarring glitch of Vaetxh, and that the result actually worked, well, for me anyway, even if half the people in the club stood confused about how to dance. So when the opportunity arose to work with the pianist and composer Tom Hodge, I wanted to try and create this form of merger of extremes for a release, rather than it being confined to my DJ toolbox (also on the classical meets glitch history from a slightly different angle, check out "Rossz Csillag Alatt Született" from Venetian Snares 2005!).

After some discussion of ideas and approach with Tom, he sat and played and made some recordings for me, which I then chopped and build chords and structure around, sent them back to him to play over the top of again, and then back to me to edit and glitch the playing along with the nasty noises. My detailing process was that of finding some interesting sound sources (binaural recordings, drum hit samples, clangs and slams etc) and using some Max for live randomisation chains to generate lots of partially random complexity which I could then edit as audio before repeating the process with additional layers, eventually bringing the recorded piano audio in to the editing too.

At completion of the audio I was really happy to find out that Nick Cobby, one of my favourite video artists and long standing collaborator, was available and interested in working on the visual side of the project. He took the combination of seemingly incompatible opposites, and applied it visually with his beautiful generative forms, smooth and organic for the melodic sections, and jagged and abrasive for the percussive sections - big thanks to Nick for his amazing work as always!

So, that's probably enough ranting about this track from me, aside from why it is like it is, I hope it's something that you can enjoy irrespective of the conceptual faff.

Buy on Beatport

Fragments of Self - with Tom Hodge - Out Now on FIELDS

This track started as a beautiful short piano solo from Tom Hodge. I wanted to keep the focus firmly on the piano and just introduce some subtle electronic elements, while looping Tom's short sections to give a full arrangement.

The percussive clicks came from a visit to Manchester when I played at WHP. The day after a friend was kind enough to offer us free tickets to see Manchester United play Fulham in the FA cup, so I brought my binaural mics along to capture the sound of the huge crowd. I'm not quite ready to introduce huge crowd cheering noises into my tracks (maybe the EDM career can begin next year), but I found that even when the sound of the crowd was cut down to little fragments using Monolake's Granulator, they still had a nice quality. So the percussion on this track are made from the sound of Old Trafford, and there are some points in the track (right at the end for example) where I open the release a little and you can here some crowd coming through.

You can buy the full release on iTunes at http://www.smarturl.it/FragmentedTwo

Buy on iTunes

Amorphous Romance - with Tom Hodge - FIELDS

Just before the arrival of summer this year, Christian Löffler is set to release his next musical statement and autobiographical journey named “Young Alaska” on Ki Records. The German producer unveils his unique soundscapes by delivering seven tracks which are deeply rooted, once again, in harmony and emotion. Löffler's unique sound based on an intense melancholic feel brought him a busy touring schedule performing at clubs and festivals all over the world. He sticks to his calm approach to electronic music and proves, through his live-sets, that emotions control the dance floor, creating a real sense of euphoria. His experiences on the road are reflected on “Young Alaska,” which is largely inspired by these journeys and places he has visited. From the peaceful landscapes of the title track to the melodramatic heights of “Mt. Grace,” he took “Notes” back home to transfer the impressions into his music. Songs like “Beirut“, “Veiled Grey” and “Alpine Sketch” are very diverse but come together harmoniously on this release. As on his debut album, he once again collaborates with Danish vocalist Gry and Me Succeeds lead-singer Mohna on “All Comes” and “Beirut.” During the course of “Young Alaska”, Christian tells the story of his journey over the course of the past two years.


Young Alaska

Veiled Grey

Christian Löffler - Veiled Grey

New track from Grandbrothers debut album 'Dilation' - Out Now!

Listen to the album on Spotify:
http://hyperurl.co/99jqvj

VINYL: hyperurl.co/0qni9n
CD: hyperurl.co/m3qg7y
MP3: hyperurl.co/jbznyb

Listen to more from 'Dilation':
Naive Rider - bit.ly/19gicP4
Wuppertal - bit.ly/1KSuWab
Ezra Was Right bit.ly/1fcVI2A

facebook.com/grandbrothers
facebook.com/futureislisteningmusic

Album on iTunes

Grandbrothers - Rotor

DARKWATERS - POP TYPE BEATS (41)

@ratandco

Webzine : http://urlz.fr/2LOl


PREMIERE : Rat & Co - Spring 2 [Smooch Records]

with @parraforcuva
„Als ich mit dem Songwriting angefangen habe, hat das Klavier eine wichtige Rolle beim Zugang zu meiner Kreativität gespielt. Es ist ein Symbol für meine ästhetische Wahrnehmung der Musik. Besonders die Leichtigkeit der softeren Töne harmoniert sehr gut mit meiner Musik. Schon ein paar Tastendrücke können so viel ausdrücken, das können nicht viele Instrumente. In vielen meiner Songs benutze ich das Klavier und in einigen ist es sogar das Schlüsselinstrument."

Read More here: http://i-d.vice.com/de_de/article/piano-day-quotes
& here: pianoday.org

Get It Here

Christian Löffler - Pigment (Parra for Cuva Piano Reinterpretation)

Grandbrothers new album 'Open' to be released via City Slang on Oct 20. 

Pre-Order: https://grandbrothers.lnk.to/openYD

Grandbrothers - Long Forgotten Future

Taeuschungs-Blume :: Dominik Eulberg

Alek Fin - Waiting Like A Wolf (Robot Koch Rmx)

Waiting Like A Wolf (Robot Koch Rmx)

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mads-Bjørn/44811799937?fref=ts

White Trees (2012)

Sign up for updates & exclusive experiences: 

Max Cooper is an electronic composer, multi-disciplinary artist, music label founder and former scientist who has carved out a unique space in music and visual art.

He holds a PhD in computational biology at the same time as being the first contemporary electronic musician to perform at the ancient Acropolis theatre in Athens and one of the first clutch of musicians to produce in Dolby Atmos.

Cooper has enquired for over 15 years through music, collaborations, and his label Mesh, to explore the intersections between the arts and sciences with installations, performances, immersive experiences, online media, music videos and live events.  Anchored throughout is his emotive approach, connecting how ideas and forms feel, in a manner accessible to us all. 
 
As an artist synonymous with the evolution of club culture, Cooper honed his craft as a DJ with a 10 year residency at legendary Midlands techno event Firefly where he formed a foundational relationship with Architecture Social Club, with whom he still collaborates on extravagant immersive installations.

"I want to encourage the acceptance of electronic music as an art form like any other. Bringing electronic music and abstract audio-visual projects into concert halls, museums and galleries is liberating - the art world opens up doors to communicate in ways that aren’t possible elsewhere."
  
Pivoting from computational biology to electronic music might not seem like the most natural career transition, but for Cooper the commonalities are obvious:
 
"In both fields, you're in a sense, free. Free from the limits of living systems, free from the limits of corporeal sound. The only constraints are in your mind."

www.maxcooper.net 

Contacts:
Management: James Palmer-Bullock, The Wild Seeds - james@thewildseeds.com 
Label: Anthony Faulkner, Mesh – anthony@thewildseeds.com 
PR: Neil Bainbridge, Neighbourhood PR - neil@nbhd-group.com 
Radio: Matthew Maxey, Enganche - matthew@enganche.co.uk