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Oct 01, 2007 Web Exclusive By Lily Moayeri

 

The Swedish duo of Oscar Simonsson and Magnus Zingmark, professionally known as Koop, have done a great job of adapting—and in the process, owning—music from parts of the world other than where they hail from. On their latest long-player—that term is used euphemistically as it only runs a scant 30 minutes—Koop Islands, Koop feature their latest musical adoption: Jamaica. The album showcases a number of singers, including Ane Brun and Earl Zinger (better known as Rob Gallagher of Galliano fame), whose voices fit Koop’s music wonderfully. However, it is the vibe of Islands that stands out more than anything else. Typing from room 702 at the Gallery Hotel in Singapore, Simonsson explains how the Caribbean may give Islands its title and how early 20th century jazz also left its mark.

Under the Radar: How did the Caribbean tone of the album come about?

Oscar Simonsson: We were interested in using the marimba. It sometimes sounds a bit like steel pan drums, which gives the music a Caribbean touch. That, and also the fact that we think our music is an island of its own, led to the album title. But the most significant tone of the album is the ’30s swing influence.

UTR: What classic jazz from the past do you listen to that has the greatest influence on the overall sound your work always seems to possess?

Simonsson: We like many styles of jazz except for jazz/rock fusion. We are mostly influenced by the classic vocal jazz. Good short songs, swing rhythm, and classic singers like Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra. But the overall sound is mostly depending on how the music is made: sampling and computing, and that comes more from hip-hop and club music.

UTR: Where do you find the samples that make the core of your music?

Simonsson: When we are going to make a new record, we always start by buying lots of bargain records that sound and look interesting. Doing this for ten years, we can almost smell if a record’s got a good sample on it. Then we build up a library with samples in our computers that could either be used in the songs or just serve as inspiration.

UTR: How do you treat the samples to make them sound as smooth and live and real as they do on the album? How are the samples blended with the live musicians’ input?

Simonsson: The more we cut and the more samples we use, the more live it gets. We always have a solo instrument playing live on our songs, and the bass is also mostly played live. These instruments are recorded when the song is almost done, so the musicians has to swing to the samples. But of course there is some cutting and pasting in the live recordings as well.

UTR: What pieces and musicians from past jazz greats do you try to emulate with your songs?

Simonsson: We are not so much into musicians. We are, rather, influenced and inspired by jazz itself. Back in the day, jazz used to be club music that people danced and had a good time listening to. That’s the vibe we want to recreate.

www.dieselmusic.se/koop/
www.myspace.com/koop