Cooly G
British singer, rapper, producer and DJ
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Merrisa Andrea Chanlla Campbell,[1] known by her recording alias Cooly G, is a British singer, rapper, producer and DJ, living in London. She has released two albums of bass music on Hyperdub: Playin' Me (2012) and Wait 'Til Night (2014).[2][3]
Music
Her full-length albums "explore more complex, difficult and polarising emotional frequencies than can possibly [be] visited on her club-ready EP output."[4]
Singles and EPs from 2008 onwards have encompassed UK funky,[5][6][7] jungle,[8] garage, grime, deep house and dub.[9]
Alexis Petridis in The Guardian described her debut album Playin' Me (2012) thus: "You hear fragments of lover's rock, dubstep, Soul II Soul, drum'n'bass, UK funky and Massive Attack's stoned melancholy: the end result sounds unearthly, alternately scattered and luscious, and ultimately like no one else. Her vocals – unreconstructed south-London accent, beautifully understated style, lyrics that trace the arc of a relationship going wrong – bring it back down to earth."[10] A review in the NME concurs that "'Playin' Me' develops the UK funky sound she's been pushing for years, with its devastating sub-bass, raindrop drums and warm vocals. Within those vocals is a pop edge, and some of her lyrics could be cut straight from the Top 40 [ . . .] But the best thing about 'Playin' Me' is that for all its futuristic swirl, it's a record about living in London in 2012."[11] Petridis praised the inclusion of a cover of "Trouble" by Coldplay, where as the NME was critical of it.[10][11]
Paul MacInnes in The Guardian described second album Wait 'Til Night (2014) as "bass-driven hip hop; and a lyrical theme, lust."[8]
In 2010, Cooly G set up a record label, Dub Organizer, a name she had previously used for a series of CD-R releases.[12] She played Boiler Room DJ sets in London in 2014 and 2018.[13][14] She has "taught sound engineering and held music production and DJ workshops for disaffected teens."[15][11]
Personal life
Campbell was born in Brixton, South London.[16]
She has two children.[17][18] They lost all their belongings in a fire on 31 December 2018. Campbell had been using a temporary storage lock up in Croydon, which was destroyed in a fire, having abandoned their home after a flood and whilst waiting to move.[19][20][21]
Discography
Albums
Singles and EPs
- Dub Organizer Vol 1 (BM Funky, 2008) – CD-R, EP
- Dub Organiser Vol 1 (Dub Organizer, 2010) – digital
- Dub Organizer Vol 2 (2008) – CD-R, EP
- "Narst" / "Love Dub" (Hyperdub, 2009)[22][27]
- Dub Organizer Vol 3 – EP
- CD-R (BM Funky, 2009)
- Digital (Dub Organizer, 2010)
- "Hyperdub 5.5" (Hyperdub, 2009) – split with Mala; includes "Weekend Fly" by Cooly G
- "Up in My Head" / "Phat Si" (Hyperdub, 2010)[28]
- "Dis Boy" (DVA, 2010) – split with Scratcha DVA*; includes "DIS Boy" by Cooly G
- Dub Organizer Vol 4 (Dub Organizer, 2010) – digital, EP
- Dub Organizer Vol 5 (Dub Organizer, 2010) – digital, EP
- Dub Organizer Vol 6 (Dub Organizer, 2010) – digital, EP
- "Landscapes" / "It's Serious" (Hyperdub, 2011)[29][30]
- Hold Me (Hyperdub, 2014) – EP[31][32][33]
- Armz House (Hyperdub, 2015) – EP[34]