A. G. Cook | |
|---|---|
 Cook performing in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alexander Guy Cook[1] |
| Born | (1990-08-23)23 August 1990 (age 34)[2] |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Gamsonite,PC Music, New Alias |
| Website | agcook |
Alexander Guy Cook (born 23 August 1990) is an English record producer. He first became known as founder of the influential record labelPC Music in 2013; its signees includedHannah Diamond,GFOTY,Danny L Harle andFelicita.[3] The label's style of exaggerated pop tropes grew to serve as the foundation of thehyperpop genre, which Cook is credited for developing and popularising.[4] He later became more widely known as executive producer forCharli XCX. He has released solo music under both his name and aliases likeLife Sim andDJ Warlord.[5]
Cook formed the one-off project QT with musicianSophie and performance artistHayden Dunham, producing the 2014 single "Hey QT". He released his first solo singles in that same year, and was named number 12 in theDazed 100 for "redefining style and youth culture in 2015 and beyond".[6] He served as executive producer on Charli XCX's mixtapesNumber 1 Angel andPop 2 (both 2017), and albumsCharli (2019) andhow i'm feeling now (2020).
Cook's first two albums,7G andApple (both 2020), both explored hyperpop and were met with critical praise. That same year, he won theVariety Hitmakers Innovator of The Year Award in 2020.[7] In 2022, he co-produced the song "All Up in Your Mind" fromBeyoncé's albumRenaissance, which earned him a Grammy nomination for theAlbum of the Year,[8] and he released his third album,Britpop, in 2024. He continued to produce for XCX withBrat (2024) and itsremix album, earning him a nomination for theGrammy Award for Best Remixed Recording for his "Von Dutch" remix.
Alexander Guy Cook is the son of English architectSir Peter Cook and Israeli architect Yael Reisner.[9]Cook is privately educated, having attended the £30,000 per annum King Alfred School in Hampstead, where he met future collaborator Danny Harle.He attendedGoldsmiths, University of London, where he studied music.[9] It was at Goldsmiths he reconnected withDanny L Harle, with whom he had gone to school as a teen.[2] The two bonded over their shared musical tastes for artists includingCaptain Beefheart andArchie Shepp, as well as interest in comedy duoTim & Eric. This grew into a musical project called Dux Content.[10]
Since they did not have a vocalist, Dux Content focused on musical experiments likecompound metres and changes intempo.[10] One of their earlier works was a collection of compositions for theDisklavier, released with Spencer Noble and Tim Phillips under the name "Dux Consort".[1] The pair released their songs with renderings of digital avatars for promotional artwork.[11]
Cook created Gamsonite, a "pseudo-label" collecting his early collaborations.[9] Dux Content released its songs with renderings of digital avatars for promotional artwork.[1] They contributed to the score for Alicia Norman's animated filmHeart of Death and began considering a children's television show titledDux Content's Jungle Jam. Cook and Harle explored how to build rhythms out of a vocalist's natural singing tempo and released the results as "Dux Kidz". The project was noticed by producerSophie, who later worked with PC Music's acts.[10] Cook began working on building flashy websites withHannah Diamond and decided to focus on using websites to promote music.[9]
In August 2013, Cook founded PC Music as a way of embracing anA&R role, with the aim of "recording people who don't normally make music and treating them as if they're a major label artist."[2] In January 2014, Cook released "Keri Baby" as his first solo single, with vocals by Diamond.[12] The track uses pop clichés and glitchy vocals to depict Diamond as a digital entity on a screen.[12][13] His follow-up single "Beautiful" was released in June. "Beautiful" is a pastiche ofEurodance, featuring high, pitch-shifted vocals anddonk sounds.[14][15]Fact magazine called it PC Music's "de-facto anthem", and the song received a remix from Scottish producerRustie.[16]
Cook worked with Sophie to produce a song forQT, a pop singer portrayed by American performance artist Hayden Dunham.[17] She found Cook through his work online and wanted to use a song to market a QT energy drink.[18] Their resulting collaboration "Hey QT" was released in August 2014 onXL Recordings.[19]
On 22 December 2014, A. G. Cook released "What I Mean" from his "Personal Computer Music" mix as a single. The single was made available as a free download via radio presenterAnnie Mac's "Free Music Monday" SoundCloud channel.[20] Opening with muffled dialogue, the song incorporates robotic vocals and a sample ofR&B artistChuckii Booker.[21] Its organ-based arrangement was a more soulful take on Cook's usual style of dance-pop.[21][22] After discussing a collaboration on aCharli XCX album,[23] Cook contributed an official remix of her single "Doing It" featuringRita Ora.[24]
Cook's work received recognition on year-end lists for 2014. "Keri Baby" was listed at number 5 ofDummy magazine's "20 Best Tracks of 2014",[25] andBuzzFeed's "13 Obscure Tracks of 2014",[26] number 1 onGorilla vs. Bear's, "Favourite Tracks of 2014",[27] number 2 onDazed & Confused's "Top 20 Tracks of 2014".[13]Pitchfork ranked "Beautiful" number 30 on its list of "The 100 Best Tracks of 2014".[14]
March 2015 saw Cook'sPC Music head to the US to showcase all 11 of his label's talent at the Empire Garage in Austin, Texas as part ofSXSW. The showcase received positive reviews, withThe Guardian stating that his "entire thundering set [shows] this is a label refusing to be confined by definitions of genre or good taste."[28] On 8 May 2015, Cook performed as part of a PC Music show atBRIC House in Brooklyn, New York as part of theRed Bull Music Academy Festival. The show was billed as the premiere of Pop Cube, "a multimedia reality network".[29]
In January 2016, Chinese singerLi Yuchun, also known as Chris Lee, released a single consisting of songs "Real Love" and "Only You", both of which were produced by Cook.[30] That April, experimental music producerOneohtrix Point Never posted a cryptic video to his Instagram that appeared to show Cook working on a remix of "Sticky Drama", a single from his 2015 albumGarden of Delete.[31] The remix was later surprise-released on 16 December.[32][33] Also in April, Cook made a cameo in Charli XCX's music video for "Vroom Vroom".[34] "Superstar", Cook's fifth single, was released via PC Music on 13 July.[35] On the day of its release, Cook revealed via Twitter that "Superstar" had been in the works for over two years prior, originally beginning as a "topline pitch" forelectro house DJZedd.[36]
In March 2017, Charli XCX's mixtapeNumber 1 Angel was released, prominently featuring production by Cook and others, including PC Music artists and affiliates Sophie, Danny L Harle, Life Sim and Finn Keane, who created the project EasyFX with Cook. This was followed by the mixtapePop 2, also featuring production by Cook and others.Pitchfork Media gavePop 2 a rating of 8.4 out of 10, calling it "a vision of what pop music could be" and "the best full-length work of both Charli and PC Music's respective careers".[37] In July he covered Aphex Twin’s 1999 single "Windowlicker" for his set atField Day which directly clashed with Aphex Twin's headline show at the festival, spending an "intense 48 hours inside a windowless room" to do so.[38]
Cook released a remix ofPhoenix's song "Fior Di Latte" in February 2018.[39] In May, he released a 57-minute mix titledHollywood Ambient, remixing tracks by artists includingRihanna,Sigur Rós, Charli XCX, andKaty Perry, for Sigur Rós' “Liminal” ambient playlist. It also remixed Grimes' song "Flesh Without Blood"; Cook called it "Flesh Without Musk" in reference to her then partnerElon Musk.[40] Cook produced the Charli XCX single trackFocus withJack & Coke in June.[41] In November, he contributed toTommy Cash's second studio album¥€$.[42] He is credited as the producer on 5 tracks on the record, including lead single "X-RAY" which he co-produced with Danny L Harle.[citation needed]
Cook was announced as the co-executive producer for Charli XCX's third studio albumCharli, which was released on 13 September 2019. Cook produced six of the album's seven singles, including "Gone", the third single from the album, which featuresChristine and the Queens. The song was awarded "Best New Track" byPitchfork[43] and best song of the week byStereogum.[44] In October,100 gecs released Cook's remix of their single "Money Machine" to announce their remix album1000 gecs and the Tree of Clues.The Fader called the remix "a disorienting exercise inmaximalism and rapid tonal shifts."[45]
On 6 April 2020, Cook andBJ Burton were announced as co-executive producers for Charli XCX'squarantine albumhow i'm feeling now, which was written in an open-source style, sharing the production process online and utilizing fan input and content.[46] Cook also producedJónsi's first solo music in a decade, the song "Exhale", released on 23 April,[47] and followed this by serving as executive producer on Jónsi's albumShiver, released on 2 October.[48]
On 30 July 2020, Cook announced an upcoming studio album7G,[49] and held avirtual concert overZoom featuringCaroline Polachek, GRRL andThy Slaughter titled7 by 7 on 7 August.[50] Thy Slaughter is a collaboration project between Cook and labelmate Finn Keane.[51]7G was released through PC Music on 12 August,[5] comprising 49 tracks split over seven discs.[52]
On 20 August 2020, Cook released the single "Oh Yeah" and announced another studio album,Apple.[53] Leading up to its release, Cook hosted another free livestream festival acrossZoom,Bandcamp andTwitch entitled 'Appleville', featuring performers including 100 gecs,Alaska Reid, Charli XCX,Clairo,Dorian Electra,Hannah Diamond,Kero Kero Bonito,Namasenda andOklou.[54] All proceeds from VIP ticket sales were donated toMermaids andBlack Cultural Archives.[55] The album was released through PC Music on 18 September 2020.[52][56][57]
After 5 years of collaborating with Charli XCX, in November 2020 the pair was awarded theVariety Hitmakers Innovator of The Year Award.[citation needed] In December 2020, Cook took part inLuckyMe Records' 12 Alternative Futures Advent Calendar Project.[citation needed] Cook's remix ofBaauer's song "Planet's Mad" was released on 10 December.[58][better source needed]
Cook collaborated with Japanese American singer-songwriterHikaru Utada in March 2021, co-producing the song "One Last Kiss", the theme song for the Japanese animated science fiction filmEvangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time.[59] On 9 March, he released a cover ofThe Smashing Pumpkins' song "Today", announcing hisSoundCloud-exclusive albumDream Logic, featuring reworks of7G andApple tracks as well as collaborations with and remixes of Charli XCX, Oneohtrix Point Never,The 1975,Jónsi,No Rome,[60]Oklou,Alex Somers, and Alaska Reid.[61] This was released on 12 March.[60] In April, Cook penned a tribute to Sophie who had died earlier that year.[62]
Cook later announced that further remixes from his would be included on a 21-track joint remix album titledApple vs. 7G. The album was released on 28 May and features remixes from Keane and Hannah Diamond as well as Polachek, Charli XCX and No Rome.[63] Cook released the remixed version of No Rome's "Spinning", featuring Charli XCX andthe 1975, in May 2021.[64][65] In June, Cook hosted and curated his first show in a 4 part residency onBBC Radio 6 music as part of the 'Lose Yourself with...' series.[66] He contributed toLady Gaga'sDawn of Chromatica remix album, released in September 2021, providing a remix for the track "911" alongside Charli XCX.[67] That October, Cook partnered withApple Inc. to release "Start Up", a song that incorporates sounds from Apple products from the past 45 years. It was used as the intro music for an Apple media event that month.[68][69]
Cook co-produced another song with Utada in 2022, called "Kimi ni Muchū", and remixed Utada's song "Face My Fears" for her albumBad Mode.[59] In 2022, he co-wrote and co-produced the song "All Up in Your Mind" withBeyoncé, which was included on her seventh studio albumRenaissance.[70] It earned his firstGrammy Award nomination forAlbum of the Year.[8]
Cook lent additional production to "Lick the light out", featuringMadonna, on Christine and the Queens'Paranoïa, Angels, True Love. Cook also produced the majority of Alaska Reid's albumDisenchanter, which released in July 2023. He worked again with Utada, in a new song called "Gold -Mata Au Hi Made- (Gold – Till the day we see each other again)", the theme song of the movieKINGDOM: The Flame of Destiny, released July 28.[71] Cook also contributed to the score of 2023 filmBottoms, and produced "How to Stay With You" fromTroye Sivan'sSomething to Give Each Other album.[72]
In July 2023, Cook announced that PC Music would cease to release any further new material after the end of 2023.[73] In August, the label released the albumAnother Pobbles Christmas under the name Pobbles, a project which largely involved Cook with visual art by George Michael Brower.[74] Some of the label's final releases include Felicita'sSpalarkle,[75] Hannah Diamond'sPerfect Picture,[76] and Thy Slaughter's debut albumSoft Rock which included features from Charli XCX,Alaska Reid, Caroline Polachek, andEllie Rowsell.[51]
On January 1, 2024, Cook released the single "Silver Thread Golden Needle", his first release following the dissolution ofPC Music.[77][78] He announced his next albumBritpop on 23 February with the release of its title track featuring vocals by Charli XCX.[79] He released theBritpop single "Soulbreaker" on 17 April.[80]Britpop was released on 10 May 2024 under Cook's newly set up record label New Alias,[79] consisting of 24 songs which were split into three discs representing the past, present and future respectively.[81]
Cook was a significant producer on the Charli XCX albumBrat, working on singles "Von Dutch",[82] "Club Classics", and "B2B".[80] He further produced "Hello Goodbye" and "Spring Breakers" on the deluxe version,Brat and It’s the Same but There’s Three More Songs So It’s Not, samplingBritney Spears' "Everytime" in the production of the latter.[83] Charli XCX followed the album with several remixes, including a remix of "Von Dutch" by Cook which featuredAddison Rae.[84] This remix was praised byThe Line of Best Fit, which called Cook's production "idiosyncratic".[85] His "Von Dutch" remix was then nominated for theGrammy Award for Best Remixed Recording.[86]
In May 2024, Utada released a re-recorded version of "Simple and Clean" with Cook credited as a producer.[87] He co-producedKesha's "Joyride" for her upcoming album,[88] and was also a co-producer onF5ve's non-album single "UFO" which released on October 17.[89]
Cook's style of music amplifies the clichés of mainstream pop music from the 1990s and 2000s.[6] He follows the work of "mega-producers" such asMax Martin andJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.[2] Cook referencesScritti Politti's albumCupid & Psyche 85 for its "conscious decision to take pop music and make it as shiny and detailed as possible".[91] He cites Korean and Japanese pop music as influences, as well asgyaru subculture.[2]
Cook begins constructing tracks by constructing chords and melodies note by note.[2] He prefers the sounds of virtual instruments and avoids sound design early in the process, giving his music a deadpan simplicity. He experiments with combining dissonant sounds, and the resulting dense, multi-layered arrangements are influenced by theBlack MIDI techniques.[1][2] Cook's arrangements are inspired by the mechanized music of composerConlon Nancarrow.[92] When collaborating with other artists, he prepares an extensive demo so that they can complete lyrics and record vocals straight away. Cook thoroughly processes the vocals,chopping them to use as a rhythmic element atop the melody.[2]
In contrast to most of the artists on PC Music, Cook wears plain clothing.[93]GFOTY jokingly characterised his style asnormcore.[94]
PC Music is[a] a record label founded by A. G. Cook in 2013. Its first song was made available onSoundCloud the same year.[96] PC Music is known for its surreal or exaggerated take onpop music, often featuring pitch-shifted, feminine vocals and bright, synthetic textures.[97] Artists on its roster includeHannah Diamond,Finn Keane,Namasenda andDanny L Harle. The label has been characterized as embracing the aesthetics ofadvertising,consumerism and corporate branding.[97] Its artists often present devised personas inspired bycyberculture.[98] The label has inspired both praise and criticism from journalists and has been called "polarizing".[99] In 2019 it was described byDazed as one of the 'most exhilarating record labels of the 2010s.'[100] In more recent years it has been noted for its influence on mainstream pop due to the production work by PC Music signees for artists such asKim Petras,Charli XCX andJónsi.[101]
Cook moved to Los Angeles in 2019.[100] He is in a relationship with fellow musician and collaborator Alaska Reid.[81]
| Year | Film | Role | Director(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Charli XCX: Alone Together | Himself | Bradley & Pablo | Documentary film |
| Year | Song | Artist(s) | Role | Director(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | "VIPOTY" | GFOTY | Sneaky Picture Taker | Roland Waters | Companion short film for the EP of the same name |
| 2016 | "Vroom Vroom" | Charli XCX | Himself | Bradley&Pablo | |
| 2016 | "After the Afterparty" | Charli XCX | Zombie | Diane Martel | |
| 2017 | "Month of Mayhem" | GFOTY | Himself | Mr. E | |
| 2017 | "Boys" | Charli XCX | Himself | Charli XCX and Sarah McColgan | |
| 2018 | "X-Ray" | Tommy Cash | Himself | Tommy Cash and Anna-Lisa Himma | |
| 2020 | "Party" | Planet 1999 | Himself | Aidan Zamiri and Eamonn Freel | |
| 2020 | "Oh Yeah" | A. G. Cook | Himself | A. G. Cook | |
| 2020 | "Silver" | A. G. Cook | Himself | A. G. Cook and Aaron Chan | |
| 2020 | "Xxoplex" | A. G. Cook | n/a | Timothy Luke | As lead artist only |
| 2020 | "Today (Live at Appleville)" | A. G. Cook | Apple | Rick Farin & Claire Cochran | |
| 2020 | "Beautiful Superstar" | A. G. Cook | Himself | Prosper Unger-Hamilton and A. G. Cook | |
| 2020 | "Boys From Town" | Alaska Reid | Himself | Santiago Cendejas, A. G. Cook and Alaska Reid | |
| 2020 | "Jumper" | A. G. Cook | Himself | A. G. Cook and Aaron Chan | |
| 2020 | "Big Bunny" | Alaska Reid | n/a | A. G. Cook | As director only |
| 2020 | "Warm" | Alaska Reid | n/a | A. G. Cook | As director only |
| 2021 | "Xcxoplex" | A. G. Cook & Charli XCX | n/a | Actual Objects | As lead artist only |
| 2021 | "Idyll" | A. G. Cook | n/a | Daniel Swan | As lead artist only |
| 2021 | "Show Me What" | A. G. Cook &Cecile Believe | n/a | Prosper Unger-Hamilton | As lead artist only |
| 2022 | "Every Rule" | Charli XCX | Himself | Imogene Strauss and Luke Orlando | |
| 2023 | "Back To This" | Alaska Reid | Himself | Santiago Cendejas | |
| 2024 | "Silver Thread Golden Needle" | A. G. Cook | n/a | Lena Weber & Aaron Chan | As lead artist only |
| 2024 | "Britpop" | A. G. Cook | n/a | Timothy Luke | As lead artist only |
| 2024 | "Soulbreaker" | A. G. Cook | n/a | Gustaf Holtenäs | As lead artist only |
| 2024 | "Heartache" | A. G. Cook | n/a | Jacob Hulmston | As lead artist only |
| 2024 | "360" | Charli XCX | Himself | Aidan Zamiri |
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