COPPE': Artificial Insemination (Mango & Sweet Rice)

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Posted on Sep 24th 2010 01:11 am

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Coppé: Artificial Insemination

COPPE’
Artificial Insemination
Mango & Sweet Rice 2010
15 Tracks. 72mins18secs

Amazon UK: DLD US: DLD iTunes: DLD

Despite what the album title may suggest, the work of Japanese songstress Coppe’ is never anything else than truly organic. A serial collaborative artist, she enjoys nothing more than confronting her own sonic universe with that of the cream of the electronic world and up and coming talents. She has done so on every single of her eleven albums to date, and her latest, Artificial Insemination, published on her own Mango & Sweet Rice imprint, is no different.

Over the years, she has worked, amongst others, with the likes of Plaid, Ryan Breen, DJ Vadim, Kris Weston, Kettel, Terry D, Nobukazu Takemura, Mickey The Cat, Q Bert, Terminal 11 and many more. For Artificial Insemination, she has reconvened with Kettel, Tipsy, Takachie and Weston, and established new collaborations with Georgian artist Nikakoi or Japanese musician Takachie for instance.

On her last album, Coppe’ tackled the jazz classic Fly Me To The Moon with Atomâ„¢, and it gave her a taste for more, so much so that she recorded a handful of standards with jazz musicians with whom she regularly play in Tokyo, at times retaining most of the song, at others stamping her own twist on them. These recordings were later handed to musicians, who were given carte blanche. The results are particularly varied, from the delicate piano-based Cry Me A River and exotica -infused Satin Doll to the bleepy discoid Day By Day, the ominous and dark You Don’t Know What Love Is, where Coppe’ occasionally sounds surprisingly like Nicolette, or the playful Lullaby Of Birdland.

Elsewhere, Coppe’ continues to push into rich and eclectic territories, managing to collect in one record exquisite pop influences (Forbidden, Resonance), laidback groove (Suicide Sausage), extremely perverted electronica (Love Me Audiolly, Sabi) , angular sampladellic overtones (Gingerly) or distortion-ridden atmospheric mood (Black + Pink). This could sound too much to take all at once, yet Coppe’’s sweet and sour vocals act like a thread throughout, binding these tracks together and giving them a purpose.

Coppe’’s records are like treasure troves, revealing all sorts of little gems, very often over time, making each listen a new experience. Artificial Insemination doesn’t falter, and despite the sheer number of tracks, continues to charm, surprise and intrigue with every listen. Coppe’ is an artist like no other, fiercely independent and creative, and this album is yet another fine addition to her now rather impressive catalog.

Coppe’ is due to play at Ginglink in London on Saturday 9 October, the Old Fire Station in Bristol on Saturday 23 October, and at the Batofar in Paris on Tuesday 26 October. Catch her live if you can.

4.4/5

Mango & Sweet Rice
Amazon UK: DLD US: DLD iTunes: DLD

Filed in Albums | Tags: ,
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2 Responses to “COPPE': Artificial Insemination (Mango & Sweet Rice)”

  1. […] time and contribute their interpretation of Yogurt, a track originally featured on her recent album Artificial Insemination, released last year. And, like her albums, this collection is at once extremely eclectic and […]

  2. […] shows some more angular features and relies on an overall more hectic rhythmic grid. And, if Artificial Insemination demonstrated some unusual acoustic tendencies, Rays is, by contrast, resolutely electronic, from […]