The Chill Out Tent's Chris Coco has a new album out
A personal note from Chill Out Tent co-founder Chris on his first vinyl release for several years
Hey,
Chris Coco here with a quick note about my new album - Daydream Utopia.
Trying to describe your own work isn’t the easiest thing to do but… It’s a collection of atmospheric, electronic music with plenty of different moods and vibes but, I think, a coherent sound that holds it all together.
I suppose it’s dipping into a feeling that I have enjoyed since I was a kid sitting in the sun on the steps at my grandparents’ house - drifting around inside my head - dreaming of better days, ridiculously beautiful ways of doing things, and imagining the soundtrack that would go with those moments.
It’s not all light and fluffy, because life’s not like that - the moods change, the clouds come and go but the end is bright and clear.
It's not a totally solo project. I work with Maa and Yoshiharu Takeda from Japan, Gallo from Berlin, Yawa Ze from my beloved Ibiza, and genius guitar player and long-term collaborator Nick Cornu.
It’s also the first Chris Coco solo album for quite a few years that has come out on vinyl. Here’s why: I have been working on a few projects with my label - DSPPR Disappear - and found that making a collection of songs for the vinyl format helps the maker to focus on creating something essential, concise and beautiful.
I think that’s because making a record is still a big deal, a bit of a commitment; and it’s something that you want people to be able to play all the way through, again and again. So it leads to some serious editing to get everything you want onto the limited space that’s available and takes some serious thinking about how to make a continuous musical journey across the two sides of black plastic.
The artwork, which reflects the feeling of the album, was put together in collaboration with Anthony at Studio Imeus. After I had named the album, in a moment of creative synchronicity, I noticed the Daydream cloud image on his Insta. I phoned him up and said simply - you’ve made my album front cover - do you want to work on the rest of it?
So, I’d really love it if you have a listen to the music. Here are a couple of easy links.
Bandcamp:
Spotify:
Love and peace,
Chris
PS. If you do want to buy a copy then it's Bandcamp Friday tomorrow, when the site takes zero fees and I get paid a little more than any other day, which is nice.
