Cooly G Explained
Merrisa Campbell, known by her recording alias Cooly G, is a British singer, rapper, producer and DJ, living in London. She has released two albums of bass music on Hyperdub: Playin' Me (2012) and Wait 'Til Night (2014).[1] [2]
Music
Her full-length albums "explore more complex, difficult and polarising emotional frequencies than can possibly [be] visited on her club-ready EP output."[3]
Singles and EPs from 2008 onwards have encompassed UK funky,[4] [5] [6] jungle,[7] garage, grime, deep house and dub.[8]
Alexis Petridis in The Guardian described her debut album Playin' Me (2012) thus: "You hear fragments of lover's rock, dubstep, Soul II Soul, drum'n'bass, UK funky and Massive Attack's stoned melancholy: the end result sounds unearthly, alternately scattered and luscious, and ultimately like no one else. Her vocals – unreconstructed south-London accent, beautifully understated style, lyrics that trace the arc of a relationship going wrong – bring it back down to earth."[9] A review in the NME concurs that "'Playin' Me' develops the UK funky sound she's been pushing for years, with its devastating sub-bass, raindrop drums and warm vocals. Within those vocals is a pop edge, and some of her lyrics could be cut straight from the Top 40 [ . . .] But the best thing about 'Playin' Me' is that for all its futuristic swirl, it's a record about living in London in 2012."[10] Petridis praised the inclusion of a cover of "Trouble" by Coldplay, where as the NME was critical of it.[9] [10]
Paul MacInnes in The Guardian described second album Wait 'Til Night (2014) as "bass-driven hip hop; and a lyrical theme, lust."[7]
In 2010, Cooly G set up a record label, Dub Organizer, a name she had previously used for a series of CD-R releases.[11] She played Boiler Room DJ sets in London in 2014 and 2018.[12] [13] She has "taught sound engineering and held music production and DJ workshops for disaffected teens."[14] [10]
Personal life
Campbell was born in Brixton, South London.[15]
She has two children.[16] [17] They lost all their belongings in a fire on 31 December 2018. Campbell had been using a temporary storage lock up in Croydon, which was destroyed in a fire, having abandoned their home after a flood and whilst waiting to move.[18] [19] [20]
Discography
Albums
Singles and EPs
- Dub Organizer Vol 1 (BM Funky, 2008) – CD-R, EP
- Dub Organiser Vol 1 (Dub Organizer, 2010) – digital
- Dub Organizer Vol 2 (2008) – CD-R, EP
- "Narst" / "Love Dub" (Hyperdub, 2009)[21] [26]
- Dub Organizer Vol 3 – EP
- CD-R (BM Funky, 2009)
- Digital (Dub Organizer, 2010)
- "Hyperdub 5.5" (Hyperdub, 2009) – split with Mala; includes "Weekend Fly" by Cooly G
- "Up in My Head" / "Phat Si" (Hyperdub, 2010)[27]
- "Dis Boy" (DVA, 2010) – split with Scratcha DVA*; includes "DIS Boy" by Cooly G
- Dub Organizer Vol 4 (Dub Organizer, 2010) – digital, EP
- Dub Organizer Vol 5 (Dub Organizer, 2010) – digital, EP
- Dub Organizer Vol 6 (Dub Organizer, 2010) – digital, EP
- "Landscapes" / "It's Serious" (Hyperdub, 2011)[28] [29]
- Hold Me (Hyperdub, 2014) – EP[30] [31] [32]
- Armz House (Hyperdub, 2015) – EP[33]
Notes and References
- Web site: Chris. Power. 2021-09-02. BBC - Music - Review of Cooly G - Playin' Me. www.bbc.co.uk.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G: Wait 'Til Night. The Quietus.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G - Wait 'til Night. The Line of Best Fit.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. UK funky: a short-lived sound whose influence lives on. 29 August 2014. The Guardian.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Label of love: Hyperdub. 12 May 2010. The Guardian.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. UK funky isn't back — it never left. 19 January 2021. DJMag.com.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G: Wait 'Til Night review – stripped down seduction. 16 October 2014. The Guardian.
- Web site: Tim. Gentles. 2021-09-02. Cooly G Hold Me EP. 29 January 2014. XLR8R.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G: Playin' Me – review. 12 July 2012. The Guardian.
- Web site: 2021-09-03. Cooly G - 'Playin' Me'. 15 July 2012. NME.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G preps Dub Organizer label compilation. Fact (UK magazine). 9 April 2012 .
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G. Boiler Room.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G. Boiler Room.
- Web site: 2021-09-03. The new generation of women taking over the music studios. 7 November 2014. The Independent.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G: A Woman of Many Talents. www.theskinny.co.uk.
- Web site: 2021-09-03. Cooly G. 6 July 2010. The Village Voice.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G Fire Fund started by Kode9 - The Wire. The Wire Magazine - Adventures In Modern Music.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Crowdfunding campaign started for Hyperdub artist Cooly G following devastating fire. 12 February 2019. DJMag.com.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G Loses Possessions in Fire, Launches GoFundMe. 12 February 2019. Pitchfork.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Fundraiser Launched For Cooly G. Clash Magazine. 11 February 2019 .
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G: Playin' Me. Pitchfork.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G, 'Playin Me' (Hyperdub). 5 August 2012. Spin.
- News: Ben. Ratliff. 2021-09-03. Laid-Back Colombian Folk and Angsty Swedes. The New York Times. 13 July 2012. 0362-4331.
- News: Jim. Carroll. 2021-09-02. Cooly G: Wait 'Til Night. The Irish Times.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G - Wait 'Til Night. Clash Magazine. 14 October 2014 .
- Web site: 2021-09-03. Review: Rewind: Cooly G - Narst / Love Dub. Resident Advisor.
- Web site: 2021-09-03. This week's new singles. 6 August 2010. The Guardian.
- Web site: 2021-09-03. Cooly G - Landscapes. Resident Advisor.
- Web site: 2021-09-03. Cooly G "Landscapes" b/w "It's Serious". 10 November 2011. XLR8R.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Albums of the month. 20 January 2014. Dazed.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G - 'Hold Me EP'. 24 January 2014. NME.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G - Hold Me · Single Review ⟋ RA. Resident Advisor.
- Web site: 2021-09-02. Cooly G: Armz House EP. Pitchfork.