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Chris Coco
Chris Coco - BiographyChris Coco is a DJ, producer, broadcaster, critic, music junkie., DJing everything from house and party bootlegs to indie rock 'n' roll and dub all over the world.
Raised in Sussex, Chris was a prime mover in the acid house boom of the late Eighties. His Frenzy and Coco Club nights turned Brighton's Zap Club into the South Coast's party epicentre. His DJing inspired him to make the enduring party classic ‘Feel It’ by Coco Steel & Lovebomb. But Chris' more complex, downbeat side was already starting to emerge on the group's debut album 'It', released on Warp Records in 1994. Drawn to increasingly chilled sounds, Chris reconnected with a passion for moody electronica, dub reggae and film soundtracks first nurtured as a youthful fan of New Order, Kraftwerk and The Velvet Underground.
Chris then spent the late Nineties juggling multiple careers. He was the editor of dance music bible DJ Magazine but it was under his Chris Coco guise that he became a globe-trotting chillout champion, spinning everywhere from sunset parties in Ibiza and Brazil to fashion parties for Fendi in Tokyo; from film parties on the beach in Cannes to theatre launches is London; from big sunny outdoor events in Sydney to smoky after hours clubs in Naples. He also made two experimental electronic albums as Coco, Steel & Lovebomb, 'New World' (1996) and 'The Sun Set' (1998), and the lounge classic 'Yachts' (1999) for A Man Called Adam's Other label.
While still collaborating on upbeat club anthems with Rui Da Silva and Stonebridge he compiled the more mellow and relaxed 'Solar Spectrums', 'Real Ibiza' and 'Acoustic Chill' collections. He also remixed tracks by Doves, Afterlife, Giorgio Moroder and others and did a chillout radio show for London’s Jazz FM.
Then, in 2002, he released his first solo album project, the critically acclaimed 'Next Wave', on Distinctive Records. That set included collaborations with singer Nick Cave, author Iain Banks, actor Patrick Bergin and a version of Fleetwood Mac’s 'Albatross' featuring original guitarist Peter Green.
2003 and 2004 saw the release of a 'Blue Room' compilation for BBC Worldwide and and the double mix CD set 'Chillin At The Playboy Mansion with Chris Coco' in the States as well as live radio broadcasts for BBC Radio 1 from festivals like Glastonbury and Sonar and plenty more gigs around the world including a successful tour of Australia and China and several trips to Moscow.
2005 was packed with the release of more new material. ‘Remasterpiece’, an ambient reinterpretation of various classical pieces with pianist Sacha Puttnam, was released on venerable old label EMI Classics; ‘Heavy Mellow’, another artist album with accompanying art visual DVD, came out on Distinctive; and ‘Dub Club’, Chris’s compilation of reggae and dub was released by legendary reggae label Trojan. Chris also DJed for global megastar Robbie Williams and perfomed in his band at the MTV Europe awards (to an audience of about a billion people).
What else? DJing all over the place, doing a couple of remixes, er, all the updated info is at the diary section of chriscoco.com
We catch up with Chris Coco after The Big Chill festival 2005...
Did you enjoy playing?
I was really pleased with the set. It was the first time that i had played the new Heavy Mellow live audio visual show and it worked as well as I had hoped. The crowd were typical Big Chill, open to new music and new ideas and really supportive. I've had loads of mails from people who have checked out my website saying how much they enjoyed the show.
That means a lot too.
What did you think of The Big Chill 2005?
Apart from our set the most fun I had was on sunday after the pre-show stress was gone. Sunday morning is my favourite time at the Big Chill anyway, it's probably the most mellow moment. I really enjoyed just wandering around, checking out the Body & Soul area and bumping into random musical moments - A cello and a DJ at one bar, I Hate Hate on the main stage, Robert Fripp on the Chill stage, just drifting and dreaming really.
What are you up to now?
The current album is called Heavy Mellow. It features a lot of tracks that we played in ou Big Chill show plus a DVD of some of the visuals we used. For all the latest info...
Check:
www.chriscoco.com
www.heavymellow.co.uk
Written: 28th May, 07
Read: 5891 times
