Saturday Spin: Mr. Cooper "Amongst Strangers"


The drawback to downloading music (when you do it to excess that is) is that even when you hear something you don’t really hear it. You listen to it and then file it away instantly to move on to the next thing you got, like there is some kind of expiration date on the file. While I evidently have heard Mr. Cooper’s 2005 disc Amongst Strangers at some point in the past I can’t remember it, and am only vaguely familiar with his name but for a different album I can’t don’t apparently have… oh the joys of four hard drives and not enough storage space.



Perhaps it’s what he was going for, the album is called Amongst Strangers after all and in my mind while it’s not the most amazing piece of instrumental Hip Hop you have heard in your life it is interesting none the less. Where our last guest in the Saturday Spin column was all over the place pulling sounds out left and right and mashing things together that no one would expect to hear mixed and blended Mr. Cooper takes on a more subdued approach.

With twelve tracks, titled one through twelve (simplicity, if not originality, prevails in Coopers mind), we are given a crash course in your basic sample driven beat tape. While it may be a little to down tempo for some emcees any number of “underground” types could fit over these tracks with ease. Filled with ethereal sounds and dusty drums this is like mellowed boom bap. Not quite so much boom but enough to keep your head nodding.



He does tend to repeat the same pattern building up before dropping the beat out only to bring it back in with a new element and then we see more elements come along as the song progresses. But an evolving song is better than a stagnate one any day of the week.

Cooper also seems to have a thing for guitar driven loops. While I’m unsure if they are samples or live playing (another down side to downloading music) I think it’s a mix of both here. If Mr. Cooper ever reads this and is looking for more guitar driven spooky sounds he should definitely check out Gabor Szabo as he is probably the king of eerie Jazz guitar melodies. Hell you should check him out too, especially if you enjoy what Mr. Cooper has done here with his relaxing beats.



Put this on late at night and zone out – you might see some things in the sounds you weren’t prepared for. Or you might just nod along to the steady percussive features and find yourself asleep. Either way I think you may find some enjoyment listening to this disc, as repetitive as it can feel it always has a hint of change lurking in the background.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Curren$y & Wiz Khalifa "How Fly" Review

Image
Two of Hip Hop’s best kept secrets found each other, seemingly through a thick haze of weed smoke – stoners do tend to unite. While Curren$y did enjoy a brief moment of semi fame rolling with Lil' Wayne, he left for potentially greener pastures (addressed splendidly on “S.D.L”) and has been steadily on his grind with the Fly Society behind him. Wiz Khalifa on the other hand has been making a name for himself on both the blog scene and the tour circuit, although he hasn’t made it out to the North West yet. His hustle never did seem appreciated by Warner Brothers who saw a star years ago when they signed him, but sit on the shelf he did until finally gaining his freedom just over 2 weeks ago. Independent is the way to roll and these two obviously share more in common than a fetish for the greenery, fresh kicks, and designer labels. The album gives you much of what you would expect and some of what you might not have. The beats are rocking almost all the way through, some however le
Read more

An Interview With... Carlos Niño

Image
My sonic journey has taken me through many sounds, styles, artists, and scenes. Preparing for this interview was cause to reflect on when I first heard the name Carlos Niño , and I think I can pinpoint it near the beginning of the LA beat era . Since that time his name has floated in and out of my ears depending on how tuned in I was. In more recent times his name has been near the top of my most listened to and cherished artists. These connections, these diverse and non linear weavings of activity are part of what make Carlos Niño’s music so inspired to my ears. He seems to just get it. He makes uplifting, soulful, joyous, energetic music - even when it’s calm and ethereal. As I’ve traveled a new path in my life over the last nearly five years, cultivating and developing spiritual and meditative practices to enhance and enlarge my essence, music has been intrinsically connected. As a doorway into the cosmos, a guide towards something greater, a companion through the dark and light mo
Read more

Supersonic Rainbow Fiend

Image
As I was contemplating this piece, sitting with the three albums being inspected, I was struck with a lot of thoughts around my journey to Jazz. Recently I mentioned my first hearing Kind of Blue and my inability to grasp the beauty of it at the time. I was a high schooler who was consumed with rap just beginning to step away from the stars of the era and digging into an underground that was vibrant and diverse. I had more digesting to do. This is a repeated pattern throughout my sonic history. I find some music that strikes a chord and I dig in. The napster fueled download era was a dream. Then came the blog era which also rewarded this kind of deep dive. I was trapped in a purgatory of my own making as streaming took rise and was fairly tuned out from anything that wasn’t equally dark and hopeless. As I emerged from that darkness and began hearing names I hadn’t heard of before, exploring this world of modern Jazz became the new quest. Initially it seemed too vast, too much. But I
Read more