Max Cooper announces biggest ever headline show + shares new video
“I was interested in how straining machines can make them feel more human, pushing my synths to uncomfortable and chaotic behaviours and artefacts which for me were full of feeling, and I asked Optical Arts to try the same,” says Cooper. “You can see some examples of breaking drills and generally a process of creation via destruction. They did an amazing job precisely syncing the many layers of audio to the visual scenes, and making beautiful shots and art from the machines.
“I pushed my synths to uncomfortable and chaotic behaviours to create artefacts of sound which are full of feeling. The writing process was that of countless iterations and searches for machine artefacts. A very simple underlying structure was used to add more than 200 layers of warblings as I looked for sounds to represent the edge of the machines and the start of a more humanised frailty.
“I worked with feelings of playful creation and a touch of sadness. It’s another example where the words describing the piece don’t feel entirely correct or compatible, but when communicated emotionally, musically, can fit without contradiction.”
Finally, in other news, Max Cooper will be hosting the film of his performance Live at the Acropolis on YouTube from 7pm BST tomorrow (Wed 6th July). Watch HERE.
03 July – Largs, The Kelburn Garden Party
22 July – Rome, Videocittà, Gazometro
29 July – Barcelona, Razzmatazz
23 Aug – Montreal, MUTEK (Aether)
26 Aug – Miami, The Ground
27 Aug – Montreal, Stereo (DJ)
28 Aug – Boston, Fractal Fest
10 Sept – Istanbul, Imera & Niks Festival
23 Sept – Szczecin, Karlowicz Philharmonic
30 Sept – Lisbon, Capitólio
7 Oct – Paris, Gâité Lyrique
13 Oct – Berlin, Huxleys Neue Welt
29 Oct – London, O2 Brixton Academy
03 Dec – Luxembourg, The Sound of Data, Rockhal
His work carries an emotional resonance and sensory immersion, often focusing on humanity’s place in the world. He merges electronic music and visual art with scientific enquiry through installations, live performance, immersive audio-visual experiences, a range of digital media and award-winning music videos.
Unspoken Words is Cooper’s 6th studio album and his most revealing work to date, leading the listener through experiences of escapism and connection with personal stories of reflection, acceptance, grappling, idealism and rejection.
The raw expression of Cooper’s own mental state illuminates the universal experience of being human. Unspoken Words offers common ground, a unifying space for anyone who faces internal discordance and feels the need for greater connection and greater expression.
He recently supplied the music for a powerful video narrated by Greta Thunberg and Pope Francis and played at COP26, urging world leaders to consider climate and environment in Covid recovery plans. Last year, he became the first techno artist to play at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.
His label, Mesh, is keenly placed to explore the intersection of music, art and science through interdisciplinary creative collaborations that blur lines between art, mathematics, film, choreography, sciences, architecture, psychology and spirituality.
https://www.unspokenwords.net
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