When it comes to weird musical structures and wonderfully
poetic ambiences, Coppé has no equals. Her oblique
vision of pop music combined with a totally naïve
and enthusiastic approach contribute to her work existing
on the fringe of avant-garde and playschool classicism.
A self-confessed music junkie, she has over the years
worked with some of the most forward-thinking artists
around, from ex-Orb Kris
‘Thrash’ Weston to British duo Plaid,
DJ Vadim, The Program, Ryan Breen and many more. Yet,
despite these high-profile collaborations, she remains
almost totally unknown, even on the electronic circuit.
Born in Tokyo, Coppé has spent part of her life
between Arizona and Honolulu before returning to Japan
last year. Now celebrating ten years of Mango &
Sweet Rice, her own imprint, Coppé has collected
together thirty-four tracks on a bumper double CD. Far
from being a retrospective as such, this double album
provides a unique opportunity to experience the various
phases of her musical persona. Made up of old unreleased
material, remixes and new compositions, 9 + 10 is possibly
Coppé’s most diverse release to date. Encompassing
anything and everything from surgical R&B, abstract
techno, chirpy drum’n’bass and quirky electronica
to smoky jazz, funky beats, lounge and classical, this
album is a feast for the brain.
The personnel list on this album reads like a who’s
who of contemporary electronic music, from big names
(Kris ‘Thrash’ Weston, beatbox artist Dokaka,
who was recently found working on Björk’s
Medúla,
DJ Vadim, Ryan Breen, Nobukazu Takemura or Qbert) to
lesser known or emerging talents (Mickey The Cat, The
Kitchen Cynic, Tipsy, Legofriendly), all contributing
to the multi-faceted songs and tones collected here.
Yet, despite the impressive range of collaborators,
it is before all Coppé’s personality that
transpires throughout, electrifying each song with her
often disjointed, always acidulated vocals. Willing
to let others distort her voice, she becomes musical
instrument, inserted at the heart of the music.
Although this album spans ten years of relentless work,
it all feels very consistent. Thanks to a clear vision
of what she ultimately wants to achieve, Coppé
makes the most of each collaboration by allowing musicians
to be themselves and absorbing and processing their
various inputs to enhance her own efforts. It is difficult
to single out tracks here as they are only minute, albeit
essential, elements of a far bigger picture, but songs
such as Green Tea Chocolate, Mars 2 Jupiter,
My Tears Become Lavender Oil, The Devil’s
Song, Toy Box or Cutting Toenails
In The Park convey the clearest lines of what Coppé
has to offer and still manage to surprise even this
seasoned listener.
At thirty-four tracks, this album is certainly not for
the faint-hearted, yet the sheer variety of moods, sonic
elements and genres exposed here gives a truly unique
opportunity to explore Coppe’s very personal body
of work.
4.4/5 |
