Gawain Erland Cooper 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 def ...

, 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 (, ; ) 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. Etymology The name "Stromnes ...

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

. 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 fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, economi ...

artist, he has released five acclaimed studio albums, with five additional companion albums and multiple EPs, achieving a number 1 album in the UK classical charts and number 4 in the US Billboard classical crossover chart. This includes 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 BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It primarily plays a wide range of alternative music, from established and emerging artists and bands. In 2002 it was the first national music radio station t ...

as well as featured on various TV network productions. He is widely known for burying 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 magnetic ...

of his first classical album, a violin concerto 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. It dried out on public display in record shops in Scotland for another year and a half and was released and premiered exactly as it sounds from the earth. The record became the first planted number 1 classical album, in collaboration with nature, topping the UK official charts in 2024. He is credited by

Mojo Magazine ''Mojo'' (stylised in all caps) is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer. Following the success of the magazine '' Q'', publishers Emap were looking for a title that ...

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 revolutionar ...

, 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.

Music career

Erland and the Carnival

In 2009, Cooper co-founded the band

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, and drummer/engineer David Nock. In 2010 they released their crit ...

in London with multi-instrumentalist

Simon Tong Simon Tong (born 9 July 1972) is an English guitarist and keyboardist who was a member of the Verve between 1996 and 1999. He has played with Damon Albarn on tour with his bands Blur and Gorillaz, and as a member of the Good, the Bad & the Q ...

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 rock, indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion (music), distortion and effects, a ...

band The Magnetic North with

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 A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...

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 Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

. 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 The common nightingale, rufous nightingale or simply nightingale (''Luscinia megarhynchos''), is a small passerine bird which is best known for its powerful and beautiful song. It was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, ...

'' – #21 on

UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the ...

*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'' *2023: ''Folded Landscapes'' *2024: ''Carve the Runes Then Be Content With Silence'' ;Companion albums *2018: ''Murmuration'' (with William Doyle) *2019: ''Seachange'' (with

Leo Abrahams Leo Matthew Abrahams (born 28 November 1977) is an English musician, composer and producer. He has collaborated with Brian Eno, Katie Melua, Imogen Heap, Jarvis Cocker, Carl Barât, Regina Spektor, Jon Hopkins and Paul Simon. After attending th ...

) *2020: ''Landform'' (with

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

) *2021: ''Holm (Variations & B-sides)'' *2022: ''Music For Growing Flowers'' ;EPs *2018: ''Nightflight'' *2020: ''Eynhallow'' *2021: ''Never Pass Into Nothingness'' *2021: ''Egilsay'' *2021: ''The Island 1961''

Other recordings

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

Youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...

( Butterfly Recordings) – 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