Max Cooper Interview

BBMLive’s Stuart Matson catches up with techno sensation Max Cooper, ahead of the release of his ‘Amalgamations’ EP.

Max made a name for himself in 2009, with the breakthrough ‘Serie’ trilogy, a collection of songs inspired by his studies as a genetic researcher. Each track was based around a different mathematical or scientific concept and was accompanied by similarly themed videos from the animator Whiskas FX.

Max’s subsequent rise in profile, as one of the UK’s brightest emerging DJs, has now enabled him to side-line the genetic research and pursue music full-time. With over 50 original releases, tracks and remixes to his name, his live sets are now in high demand across the globe, from Australia to Sweden, with the producer set to clock up a fair few miles touring in November alone.

His new EP is scheduled for a November 7th release and includes two remixes: a rework of cinematic electronic producer Hiatus’ ‘Third’ and a Get People remix. Considering the success of previous remixes, notably those with Hot Chip and Au Revoir Simone, this new release looks set to spark a big reaction within the dance music community.

So with all the hype surrounding him and his minimalist style of techno, we thought we’d grab a one-to-one with Max and see what all the fuss is about.

Hello Max, you’ve been busy finishing off a new EP and November looks to be just as hectic with live shows all over the place; from Ireland to Australia. How are you enjoying your music at the moment?

I’m really enjoying the travelling and gigs, but I suspect I’ll be pretty broken by the end of the year!

You’ve been making music for a while now, but your assent to the DJing big league was quite a rapid process. What prompted you to shift the focus away from genetic research and towards your music back in 2009?

I had spent a year after my PhD putting together research proposals and new ideas so that I could pursue my own work, but the funding didn’t come through, so I turned to music as an alternative that would also provide the creative and work freedom that I wanted.

Some of your earlier tracks were inspired by scientific and mathematical concepts, would you say that the old day job as a research scientist has influenced you in your music?

It has influenced my music in a lot of ways, mainly through the simple techniques for exploring the possibilities of a complex system (like experimentation and trial and error) and the self belief needed to push something long enough to make it work.

How would you describe the creative process when you sit down to write a song?

It varies from track to track, but generally I’ll have a firm idea, either musical, conceptual, or emotional (or a combination of those) for what I want the new piece to sound like before I’ve started working on it. It’s all about sticking as closely as possible to the pure initial idea so as to represent it as clearly as possible musically in the hope the message can be heard by the listeners. The translation process from intangible idea to tangible music to listener response is highly imprecise so maximum clarity in the first stage is needed. After sticking to that it’s just about experimentation to find what music best fits my initial idea.

Considering your scientific background where do you stand on software v hardware for the production of your music, do you have a preference?

I’d love to own some hardware, it can give an amazing full sound, but it’s expensive and hard to house, I’m still only using software at the moment. As with most things, how you use the tools is more important than the tools themselves.

Your music has a strong visual presence and you have a lot of fans who produce their own videos to accompany your tracks. Is the visual interpretation of your songs important to you?

Definitely, I think visuals can hugely enhance the message of a track and vice versa. And it’s great when I see peoples own interpretations of my tracks with their videos, I can’t thank them enough for putting in the time and effort to do that.

How do your DJ sets differ from your live sets and which is more enjoyable to perform?

Generally the one I have done less in recent weeks will be the one I most enjoy, variety is important. My DJ sets are more wide ranging musically, and more varied, whereas my live sets are constrained to my tracks only, although I do like to use some remixes of my tracks by other people as well, that gives me a bit more musical width which can be really useful in putting together a more complete set. Apart from that, both types of set can differ a lot, from ambient deep melodic warblings to noisy distorted club bangers, it depends on the event.

You have included two remixes on your new EP, ‘Amalgamations’, what do you consider when choosing a song to remix?

I’ll listen to the original track right through and see if anything jumps out and grabs me – It can be something quite small, a short melodic or percussive element or vocal snippet, or maybe the whole track just fits with my mood at the time. One way or another, for remixes I don’t have to force, I can hear something in there I want to work with.

Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with down the line?

Loads of people – Helios, Jon Hopkins, Max Richter, Philip Glass, Autechre, Ochre, Boards of Canada, SBTRK, Apparat, Amon Tobin, Underworld, Alva Noto, Tim Hecker, Ben Frost, Bjork, Radiohead….haha ok I’m getting silly now, but you did ask.

You have produced some very abstract electronica in the past, as well as the more traditional dance-floor techno; are there any genres that you would like to explore in the future?

I’ve been pilfering ideas from pretty much every electronic genre I can get my hands on, but I think it’s the combination of modern classical and electronica that inspires me the most these days.

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By Stuart Matson