A dark period in his life, Human gives Cooper a ‘gateway in letting the light in’ and the emotions are heartfelt throughout.
Gaining critical acclaim through his two previously released EPs ‘Who Knows’ and ‘Colours’, Glaswegian electronic producer Jon Cooper has gained a reputation for creating magical and diverse landscapes. This skill has earned him praise with the likes of Jon Hopkins and Gilles Peterson. As Gilles Peterson puts, “Human is amazing”.
Time opens up the album and quite fittingly, the ambience of this track is definitely one that is both timeless and an exploration of time itself. A spacey entrance, one can envision a journey through the stars as we embark on Cooper’s quest.
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‘Blood Type’ features the vocals of Eliza Shaddad in what is a dreamy and floaty track, encompassing a unique sound that is both uplifting but also somewhat damaging. With this sense of being stuck in limbo, Cooper perfectly translates his troubles into performance. The album offers a wide spectrum: the house music tone of Limbic to the minimalist and ambient landscape of closing track ‘Note To Memory’. The relationship between the producer and the listener is an intimate one – fully engaging and acts as a beautifully orchestrated soundtrack rather than a collection of tracks put together.
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Human could easily be accompanied as a movie soundtrack because of its cinematic, vivid and atmospheric nature. This is no surprise as Cooper’s love affair with film is present, whereby the producer wishes to merge the cinematic side and the electronic domain together. All in all, Human is the musical project in which Cooper tackles his darkness head on, and in doing so, pours his emotions into multi-layered soundscapes with cinematic builds and pulsing beats. By the end of the album, the listener feels a sense of clarity and self-discovery, as though Cooper has seen the light at the end of the tunnel.
Turtle releases his album Human via Beatnik Creative on June 30th.
Words by Matthew Barlow