Erland Cooper is a Scottish multi-instrumentalist and contemporary composer originally from Stromness, Orkney. As a solo artist, he has released two critically acclaimed albums within a trilogy of work inspired by his childhood home as well as themes of nature, birds and landscape. Cooper's debut solo album was Solan Goose in 2018 on Phases. Originally part of bands The Magnetic North and Erland and the Carnival with whom he has released five acclaimed albums, he has a diverse musical background. Cooper was born and raised on the Scottish archipelago of Orkney and now owns a Londonrecording studio, which has become home to some of the UK's most acclaimed left field producers, artists, and mixing engineers. Cooper also works across multi-arts projects including gallery, film and theatre. He most recently scored NEST - a large-scale, kinetic light and sound installation opening London's first borough of culture, in 2019. He is credited with exploring the concept of psychogeography, connecting identity, memory, and place through music and cinematography. He explores these themes further by partnering with well-known artists and writers in his work and live shows.
Early life
Cooper was born and raised on the Scottish archipelago of Orkney. He was raised with six siblings on the islands by his parents, describing it as a remote yet creative place to grow up. He left aged 18 to travel and studying in locations like London, New York, Edinburgh and Budapest. Cooper spent years studying traditional folk music, Bert Jansch and Davey Graham, sourcing old British songs from the Vaughan Williams Museum and developing his writing skills. He is well known for his contemporary arrangements of traditional Scottish and English folk songs, resulting in a "wild pastiche of digital trickery and oral tradition that channels the spirit of '70s progressive rock while staying true to pop-song brevity".
Music career
Erland and the Carnival
In 2009, Cooper co-founded the band Erland and the Carnival in London with multi-instrumentalist Simon Tong and drummer/engineer David Nock.
In 2011 Cooper co-founded the British shoegaze band The Magnetic North with Simon Tong and singer, composer and orchestral arranger Hannah Peel. Formed in London, they released their debut album, Orkney: Symphony of the Magnetic North on 6 May 2012. Cooper said that the inspiration for the album came from an appearance of long dead Betty Corrigall in one of his dreams, insisting that he wrote an album about his home. This theme is currently being developed into a stage production.
Solo career
Cooper released his debut solo album Solan Goose, heavily influenced by native Orcadian birds, on 23 March 2018. The album is the first of a triptych that reflects on the natural world surrounding Orkney, with its tracks each taking their titles from Orcadian dialect words for birds. Cooper announced the release of the second album in the triptych, Sule Skerry, via Mary Anne Hobbs's BBC Radio 6 Music show on 21 February 2019, where she played the lead single, 'Haar'. The record will be released on 17 May 2019 on Phases.
Writing credits
Cooper is best known for his contemporary arrangements of traditional Scottish and English folk songs, including most notably "Love Is a Killing Thing" and "The Derby Ram" collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams but he has also written for established artists like Paul Weller.
