Gawain Erland Cooper (born 5 October 1984) is a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Cited as "one of the most unique, consistently engaging composers of his generation", he was born and raised in

Stromness Stromness (, non, Straumnes; nrn, Stromnes) is the second-most populous town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the southwestern part of Mainland Orkney. It is a burgh with a parish around the outside with the town of Stromness as its capital. E ...

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

. As an

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

artist, he has released four acclaimed studio albums, with four additional companion albums and multiple EPs, including a trilogy of work inspired by his childhood home, as well as themes of nature, people, place and time. His work combines field recordings with classical orchestration and contemporary electronic elements. Cooper also works across mixed media projects including installation art, theatre and film. He is a recipient of a

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

award and his music is played frequently on

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

and BBC Radio 6 Music as well as featured on various TV network productions. He is credited by Mojo Magazine with exploring the concept of

psychogeography Psychogeography is the exploration of urban environments that emphasizes interpersonal connections to places and arbitrary routes. It was developed by members of the Letterist International and Situationist International, which were revolutiona ...

, connecting identity, memory, and place through music, words and cinematography. He explores these themes further by partnering with well-known artists and writers in his work and live shows. In 2021 he buried the only existing copy of the master

magnetic tape Magnetic tape is a medium for magnetic storage made of a thin, magnetizable coating on a long, narrow strip of plastic film. It was developed in Germany in 1928, based on the earlier magnetic wire recording from Denmark. Devices that use magne ...

of his first classical album in Orkney, deleting all digital files and leaving only a treasure hunt of clues for fans and his record label alike to search for it. He buried the tape in early spring 2021 and intended to retrieve and release it in 2024. After a year and half in the soil, the tape was found in September 2022 by two amateur sleuths. Originally founding member of bands

The Magnetic North The Magnetic North are a British band, formed between multi-instrumentalist Simon Tong (formerly of The Verve, Blur and The Good, the Bad & the Queen), Orcadian artist and producer Gawain Erland Cooper and singer, composer and orchestral ...

and

Erland and the Carnival Erland & The Carnival were a British progressive folk rock band, formed in London, by Orcadian folk guitarist and singer Gawain Erland Cooper, multi-instrumentalist Simon Tong (formerly of The Verve, Blur and The Good, the Bad & the Queen), ...

with whom he has released five studio albums, he has a diverse musical background. He owns a private recording studio in London.

Music career

Erland and the Carnival

In 2009, Cooper co-founded the band

in London with multi-instrumentalist Simon Tong.

The Magnetic North

In 2011 Cooper co-founded the British

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

band

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 Betty Corrigall ( 1770) was a Scot whose body was found 150 years after her suicide and burial in an unmarked grave. Her grave is now a popular tourist site on Orkney, and she was the inspiration behind the 2012 album ''Orkney: Symphony of the ...

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

, with its tracks each taking their titles from Orcadian dialect words for birds. Cooper's second album in the triptych, ''Sule Skerry'', was released on 24 May 2019 on Phases. The album was included on the Scottish Album of The Year shortlist for 2020. In 2022, Cooper provided a soundtrack, ''Music For Growing Flowers'', to the Superbloom wildflower meadow installation within the moat of the Tower of London. The music has also been released as an album and a score.

Writing credits

Cooper is 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 Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

. He has also written for established artists, such as Paul Weller.

Discography

With Erland & the Carnival

;Studio albums *2009: ''Was You Ever See'' EP *2010: '' Erland & the Carnival'' *2010: ''Trouble in Mind'' EP *2011: '' Nightingale'' – #21 on UK Indie Chart *2014: ''Closing Time''

With Magnetic North

;Studio albums *2012: ''Orkney: Symphony of the Magnetic North'' *2016: ''Prospect of Skelmersdale''

As a solo artist

;Studio albums *2018: ''Solan Goose'' *2019: ''Sule Skerry'' *2020: ''Hether Blether'' *2021: ''Holm (Variations & B-sides)'' *2021: ''The Island 1961'' *2022: ''Music For Growing Flowers'' *2023: ''Folded Landscapes'' ;Companion albums *2018: ''Murmuration'' (with William Doyle) *2019: ''Seachange'' (with Leo Abrahams) *2020: ''Landform'' (with

Marta Salogni Marta Salogni is an Italian record producer, mixer and recording engineer. Salogni's musical background was cultivated in her native Italy between the small towns of Capriolo and Brescia, where she spent her formative years, collaborating with ...

) ;EPs *2018: ''Nightflight'' *2020: ''Eynhallow'' *2021: ''Never Pass Into Nothingness'' *2021: ''Egilsay''

Other recordings

*2009: ''What the Folk Compilation Vol. 2'' by Youth (

Butterfly Recordings Butterfly Recordings is the name used by three record labels. 1970s "Butterfly Records", a disco record label created in 1977 by A.J. Cervantes in Los Angeles, California, and closed down in 1980. 1990s "Butterfly Recordings", formed by th ...

) – track "Coming Home"

References

External links

* * *''Erland Cooper's Orkney''. On Open Country, BBC, 16 June 2022 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Erland Living people 1984 births Scottish composers Scottish male guitarists 21st-century Scottish male singers Scottish male songwriters Scottish folk musicians People from Orkney Erland and the Carnival members The Magnetic North members 21st-century British folk musicians 21st-century Scottish musicians