Listen :: Cooper Saver exclusive mix for Sunset with Adi Toohey

February 3rd 2015

Adi Toohey imported some sounds from sprawling Los Angeles for Saturday Sunset this week. Between hosting loft parties, releasing friends’ mixtapes and tinkering in the studio, Cooper ‘Yes-that’s-my-real-name’ Saver managed to record us a mix and answer a few burning questions. Have a listen while you read below…

 

  • Cooper Saver :: Sunset Guest Mix

 

You’re visiting Oz for a few weeks and seem to be tight with a fair few of the Melbourne lads – Otologic, Sleep D, Mic Newman etc. What’s the connection with Australia?

It seems like I’ve been into so much music from Oz my entire life and coincidentally most of it comes from Melbourne. I’ve never been here until this trip, so it’s great to finally check out the scene. A lot of these guys are people I’ve crossed paths with on other travels or have just been in touch with online for a while; sharing music, projects, ideas etc… that whole sort of thing. And I’ve had guys like Mic Newman and Lewie Day (Tornado Wallace) come through and play for me in LA so that’s also contributed to this Australian connection. And when my friend Kris Baha (who I met in Berlin last year) offered me a place to stay in Melbourne, I figured the time was right to line some things up make it work. All these people are the best.

 

What have you been up to here besides club gigs and making radio?

Luckily I’m here for a minute, so I’ve been able to get outside and explore the city while catching up with friends and making new ones. The weather has been solid so I even had a day out on my friend’s boat which was amazing. I also checked out Sugar Mountain Festival last week, which was a blast. Hoping to see more sights and generally be a tourist over the next week. I need a classic “American with a kangaroo or koala” photo before I leave.

 

You run a club night and mixtape series called Far Away which recently turned two. What are the defining features of the music, the crowd, and the vibe at these parties? Do you plan to keep the monthly format or evolve into something different?

It’s definitely disco heavy, but leaning toward the experimental / weird side of things. I always push for extended sets from the guests I bring in since a typical hour slot hardly ever allows them to lose themselves and take it to that higher level. The mellow warmup is a huge part of the party, and by the later hours it can really get high energy and pumping. Progression of the night is everything.

I’m really happy with the way the crowd has grown – ranging from younger kids who are simply excited to hear something different along with older heads who have been in the game since before I was even born. I even have plenty of friends that are into totally different music scenes that still come out and dance even though they don’t really know much about my world, so it’s really cool to see that sort of open mindedness. Nobody is excluded, and it’s nice to have a crowd in LA that’s hungry for sounds that the big clubs aren’t paying attention to. Keeping the vibe fun and lighthearted is the goal at the end of the day, this isn’t a too cool for school kind of party. I plan on keeping it on a monthly basis, although sometimes when last minute opportunities arise I’ll do two in a month at different locations.

 

Describe some elements of your ideal party venue.

A small-ish sized room with minimal lighting, LOTS of fog, and properly tuned sound. DJ booth on the floor – no superstar stage antics. And a pizza kitchen in the back.

 

What’s happening on the production/release front?

I recently completed a couple of remixes and they both happen to be for LA friends. One is of a solo artist called Harriet Brown. And the other is of Fingerpaint, which is the side project of Tyler Blake from Classixx. Those are coming out soon. Also forthcoming is my single on Vibrations, a side label of the Soft Rocks guys. Bunch of other fun stuff in the works at the moment and lots of collaborations with friends. Excited for it all to come out!

 

Have you been listening to any non-dance music lately?

Yes, tons! I’m shamelessly all over the place. I guess I’ll just list off some of my favorite recently added things in my iTunes. Do people still use iTunes? Maybe I’m not very cool. Anyway…

One of my favorite punk bands of the last few years, Title Fight, just premiered their new album. It’s really great. Not for everyone, especially in the dance music world, but I love em.

 

Panda Bear‘s latest album has been on heavy rotation as well, seems to go hand in hand with the hot summer vibe I’ve been experiencing on my travels thus far. I think this one’s going to be a favorite all year:

 

 

Thurston Moore‘s latest record because, well, do I really need to explain? This song rules:

 

 

Egyptian Hip Hop. I recently discovered this band through Connan Mockasin and have been enjoying their discography. I’m sure everyone knows about them though. But if I’m wrong I hope this helps.

 

 

I’ve also been listening to a lot of Matt Kivel‘s music lately. He’s an LA dude. I haven’t met him yet but he was in another band with some friends of mine. The record he put out last summer is very nice, warm, and dare I say “chill.”

 

 

Thanks for the mix! Tell us a bit about what you’ve chosen to include.

This mix is sort of random. I recorded it the other day, which was the first day of my trip where I decided to literally do nothing. I had a few drinks under the sun prior to selecting the first few tunes, so I think my relaxed state certainly influenced the direction of the mix. Shoes off, shorts on! Lexx’s beautiful remix of ESP by Apiento & Co has become a staple in my early evening sets, and The Emperor Machine’s remix of Paqua is such an underrated jam. Also had to throw in some Australia in there; featuring the latest from Michael Ozone and Fantastic Man. And the spontaneous italo ender is a classic cut.

 

 

Tracklist:

Palmbomen – unreleased
Apiento & Co – ESP (Lexx remix)
Sully – The Simple Things (Michael Ozone remix)
Guido Minisky – Edit Service 30
The Grid – Floatation (Prins Thomas mix)
Paqua – Late Train (The Emperor Machine extended remix)
Love Unlimited Vibes – Untitled
Jex Opolis – On The Cliffs
Lord Of The Isles – Ultraviolet (Beat Broker dub)
RTK – Coconut Bread (Fantastic Man remix)
Stump Valley – The Black Tulip
Lauer – Hafflinger
Fox The Fox – Precious Little Diamond (Shep Pettibone mix)

 

 

Sunset with Adi Toohey | More exclusive mixes

 

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