Mr. Chop
(Interview by Nicolas Ragonneau, for Paris DJs - March 2012)

Those of you who have been following Paris DJs for years will know about Mr. Chop (aka Coz Littler) for sure. We've been supporting his music since the early days, from the outstanding EP 'Sounds From The Cave' (Jazz & Milk, 2008) up to his recent masterwork 'Switched On' (Now Again, 2011), one of our ten records of 2011 - and believe us, it's still a heavy 2012 rotation. As the man says in his own words, he "provides a blend of futuristic cinematic synthetizer prog, psychedelic funk, jazz and musique concrète". In his studio and vintage instruments sanctuary near Liverpool, the multi-instrumentalist patiently and endlessly sculpts incredible cosmic and liquid sounds, never-heard-before beats and breaks. The alchemist Mr. Chop belongs to a prestigious ancestry stretching from Raymond Scott, Dick Hyman, Pierre Henry, Gershon Kingsley and Jean-Jacques Perrey to Bernie Worrell, Money Mark, DJ Shadow, and other groovy noise eccentrics. Whenever he covers Can, Jimmy Smith, a reggae tune (Greedy G from Switched On) or Pete Rock (For Pete's Sake), Coz Littler adds a touch of wizardry to the originals and turns the standards into genuine Choppy tracks - these melt invisibly into his own compositions. We've caught up with the man as he was working intensively on his upcoming album, due later this year on Now-Again Records. He talks vinyl/analog obsessions, vintage gear, Malcolm Catto, moog demigods, and his next album. In for a penny, in for a pound, we have prepared a killa mix (online on Saturday, 3 March) presenting Mr. Chop's music with two brand new tracks he's exclusively written for Paris DJs' sake!

Mr. Chop
(Interview de Nicolas Ragonneau pour Paris DJs - Mars 2012)

Ceux qui nous suivent connaissent forcément la musique de Mr Chop (alias Coz Littler), car nous l'avons découvert dès la première heure avec quelques singles, puis son fantastique EP 'Sounds From The Cave' (Jazz & Milk, 2008). L'année dernière, l'impressionnant 'Switched On' s'est classé parmi les 10 meilleurs disques de 2011 pour l'équipe de Paris DJs. Comme il le dit lui-même, Mr. Chop "dispense un mélange de synthés rétrofuturistes et cinématiques, de funk psychédélique, de jazz et de musique concrète". Dans son studio vintage à côté de Liverpool, tel un savant fou dans son laboratoire, ce multi-instrumentiste sculpte patiemment et inlassablement des sons cosmiques, liquides, des breaks et des beats inouïs. L'alchimiste Mr. Chop appartient à une généalogie prestigieuse qui s'étend de Raymond Scott, Dick Hyman, Gershon Kingsley, Pierre Henry, Jean-Jacques Perrey à Bernie Worrell, Money Mark, DJ Shadow et bien d'autres excentriques noisy et groovy. Qu'il reprenne Jimmy Smith, un titre reggae sur Switched On ou la musique de Pete Rock (For Pete's Sake), Mr. Chop transforme à peu près tout ce qu'il touche en authentiques morceaux se confondant avec ses propres compositions. Nous avons réalisé cet entretien alors que Mr. Chop peaufine son prochain album, prévu avant la fin de l'année chez Now-Again. Il évoque ici sa passion pour l'analogique et les vinyles, Malcolm Catto, les demi-dieux du Moog et son prochain disque. Et comme un bonheur n'arrive jamais seul, le Paris DJs Soundsystem a préparé un mix spécial Mr. Chop, à venir samedi 3 mars et pour lequel il a composé deux titres exclusifs !

Mr. Chop - Switched On
(CD/2x10"/9"/Digital) Now-Again / Five Day Weekend FDW7705, 2011-10-17

Now-Again Records, in association with Five Day Weekend, presents Mr. Chop's Switched On over the course of a 9" single and a 2x10" LP. If you're a long-time Paris DJs reaer/follower, by now you know all about the man - but, in case you need a primer: Coz Littler aka Mr. Chop is a producer, engineer, multi-instrumentalist and the proprietor of Cheshire, UK based Ape Recording Studios, one of the finest analog studios in the world.... and a repository for vintage synthesizers, guitars, drums and gear sourced from the world over. Which brings us to Switched On, his homage to the great Moog-lead albums that proliferated in the wake of the synthesizer's invention in the late 60s and early 70s. But, unlike those records - like Dick Hyman's Age of Electronicus which contained one great synth-funk track amidst a series of soft pop hits, this album is all killer, and no filler. Mr. Chop tackles songs by the likes of Can, The JB's, Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Smith via a still-futuristic blend of heavy drums by The Heliocentrics' Malcolm Catto, and his own and funky bassline, fuzzy guitars and cosmic keys.

Mr. Chop - Silver Frequencies
(Promo CD) Now-Again Records/Five Day Weekend FDW 7704P, 2009

Coz Littler aka Mr. Chop has been releasing his music on his own label, then on Gerald 'Jazzman' Short's Stark Reality label, then on Dusty's Jazz & Milk Records. He's now signed on Stones Throw's subsidiary label Now-Again Records and is releasing new music with the help of, among others UK psych-heads, Malcolm Catto & Mike Burnham from The Heliocentrics. Mr. Chop has a new mind-blowing album coming out in november (Switched On), and if you're a fan of mixtures of fuzzy psychedelia, electronics, cinematics, funk and jazz with a heavy dose of mind-expanding tripping grooves, don't pass out on this one... and if you're able to find some information about this promo-only album released in 2009, Silver Frequencies, don't hesitate to share it with us!!!

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band - Rubber Orchestras
(CD/2xLP/Digital) Heavenly Sweetness/Naïve HS048, 2011-09-12

"The griot is the sound of universal culture." The opening words of his third album (after Leggo de Lion on Kindred Spirits in 2007 and Bird Head son in 2009) introduces us to the universe of Anthony Joseph. Born in Trinidad and based in UK since 20 years, Anthony is one of the UK's most exciting and innovative voices, poet, novelist, musician and lecturer. Anthony has called on the talents of producer Malcolm Catto, drummer and lead singer with The Heliocentrics. The decisive presence of the producer isn't the only new ingredient in the retro-futurist blend, which combines raw jazz and deep soul, black rock and Afrobeat, soca funk and free swing... This is no backward-looking revival or sterile fusion; this grand mix gives a new and modern perspective to all these musical styles. There are other guests on Rubber Orchestras, as the singer Jasnett Lindo but also Jerry Dammers, the legendary founder of The Specials took to the controls to arrange and enhance a visionary and revolutionary poem, the iconic suite called Generations. To announce this new fantastic and unique album, Anthony Joseph is back on Paris DJs with a new podcast - and you can still download his Roots & Influences one hour mix from late 2008...

"One of the deeply essential rare groove releases of 2011!!" - Djouls/Paris DJs"
"Rubber Orchestras is simply a grand album. Very impressive." - Nicolas Ragonneau/Paris DJs

Renegades of Jazz is David Hanke, who also produces music under the names of Mad Doc or Unifairfly, and who's also a member of groups Madball Scientists, Mankoora or Mash & Munkee. Renegades of Jazz is raw and heavy produced music, fusing jazz with breakbeat elements, bringing the jazz back to the dancefloor. Started as an experiment in trying something new, they were instantly signed by UK based producer Smoove to his new label Wass Records. After the huge success of the first singles and great feedback from all over the globe, Renegades Of Jazz will deliver a full length album early...

The Rhythmagic Orchestra - The Rhythmagic Orchestra
(CD/LP/Digital) Impossible Ark/Unfold UNFOLDCD012, 2011-03-28

The Rhythmagic Orchestra is a collaboration between acclaimed jazz producer Benedic Lamdin aka Nostalgia 77 and Hugo Mendez of World-renowned tropical music collective Sofrito, based on their shared love of jazz, Afro-Cuban, Latin and tropical sounds. The band comprised a young crop of London's finest jazz musicians and a team of Cuban percussionists. Comprising members of the Nostalgia 77 Octet, the Alex Wilson Band, Jazz Jamaica, the Heliocentrics and Ska Cubano, together the players combine years of experience with innumerable jazz and Latin greats, and had the chops to lay down a session that would have made the dancers at the Palladium ballroom proud. The finished album features a selection of classics of the jazz and Latin canon from the ë50s, with new compositions that stand up proudly alongside. Paying tribute to the giants of Afro-Cuban jazz like Dizzy Gillespie, Chano Pozo and Machito; combining traditional arrangements with Cuban bata drums and a fresh outlook on the Latin jazz sound, all cooked up in 21st century London, the album continues a great musical tradition and adds its own flavour to the melting pot of jazz and non-western music.

The Paris DJs extended family has among the most pro-active in spreading the good word about worldwide African music. Celebrating the recent releases by One Foot In Jail or Franck Biyong on our brand new Colored-Inc. label, and announcing the upcoming albums from Oghene Kologbo (thru Kraked) or Ebo Taylor (thru Strut), here's nearly 4 hours of 21st century afrojazz, afrobeat, ethio-jazz, afrofunk and afrolatin grooves - selected and mixed by Grant Phabao and Djouls who are currently producing new tracks with Afrodyete from the Breakestra, Zak from The Souljazz Orchestra, Franck Biyong, Doctor...

Quantic And His Combo Bárbaro - Traditions in Transition
(CD/LP) Tru Thoughts TRUCD/LP190, 2009-07-06

On the crest of a burgeoning worldwide wave of interest in the lesser-tapped sources of music from the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa, Quantic and his new band, the Combo Bárbaro, are leading the charge. The stunning album, 'Tradition In Transition' (out on Tru Thoughts in July), and upcoming live tour of selected spots in Europe and America throughout August and September, will see this international cast of acclaimed musical creators fusing those rediscovered psychedelic, experimental and rhythmically rich sounds of the past with deep funk and soul elements, giving life to an explosive sonic snapshot of the eclectic and ever-evolving musical landscape of the Americas.

Quantic And His Combo Bárbaro - Linda Morena / Enyere Kumbara
(7") Tru Thoughts TRU7192, 2009-06-08

This covetable 7" single provides the first taste of 'Tradition In Transition', the hotly anticipated upcoming album from Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro, which sees Quantic mining the lesser-tapped musical sources from the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa and fusing those rediscovered psychedelic, experimental and rhythmically rich sounds of the past with deep funk and soul elements and folkloric vocal styles. The stunning longplayer, and upcoming live tour of Europe and America, will give life to an explosive sonic snapshot of the eclectic and ever-evolving musical landscape of the Americas, played out by a carefully assembled international cast of musical creators, including the Peruvian pianist Alfredo Linares; revered Brazilian arranger Arthur Verocai; and British drummer Malcolm Catto of The Heliocentrics.