Exclusive Premiere: Max Cooper’s ‘Origins’ (David August Remix)
When London artist Max Cooper compiled his holiday wish list, David August‘s name sat right at the top.
“He is probably the best musician in house music for me,” says Cooper. “His work has always stood out.”
More from Billboard
It’s not difficult to see why. With mesmerizing releases on top shelf labels like Solomun’s Diynamic and Dixon’s Innervisions, the 23-year-old Hamburg prodigy has emerged as one of house music’s brightest hopes.
On his remix of Cooper’s “Origins,” August patiently introduces a plodding broken beat amid nervous pads and panned atmospherics, allowing it to evolve while a percolating arpeggiator navigates the listener through an unpredictable soundscape. It would be an impressive track coming from an artist of any age, testifying to August’s striking combination of melodic sensibility and studio maturity.
Cooper originally assumed August would be too busy to remix the track and was thrilled with his handiwork.
“I love how he’s fused the broken and bass elements and 4/4 parts, and rounded the whole thing off with the beautifully effective arpeggiated synth riff,” he says. “I’ve been having a lot of fun playing this remix in recent times.” Listen to the full premiere of August’s remix exclusively on Billboard:
Fresh off the release of his debut album Human in March, Cooper has been road testing the dazzling new audiovisual live show he unveiled at Seattle’s Decibel Festival in September. Cooper’s own accomplishments render his effusive praise of August all the more meaningful.
“He’s got an amazing ability to combine melody, groove and production technique in a way that gives pieces of music with total class, that put a smile on my face when I play them, and that also sound huge on every club system I’ve ever tried them on,” says Cooper. “It’s a fucking difficult balance to achieve, something I’ve never managed with my own work.”
Max Cooper’s Kindred EP will be available through London label Fields on Dec. 1.
Best of Billboard