Erland Cooper

Biography

Erland Cooper is a Scottish composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Cited as "one of the most unique, consistently engaging composers of his generation", he was born and raised in Stromness, Orkney. As a solo artist, he has released five acclaimed studio albums, with multiple companion LPs & 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 award and his music is played frequently on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 6 Music as well as featured on multiple television and film productions. He is widely known for burying the only existing copy of the master magnetic tape 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. Along with the premiere, a short documentary about the album's story called Recomposing Earth previewed. 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 with exploring the concept of psychogeography, connecting identity, memory, and place through music, words and cinematography. He explores these themes further by partnering with well-known artists and write

Bio from Wikipedia