Words: James Keith

Having first emerged in the creative Wild West of the post-dubstep years, Cooly G quickly found a fitting home at Hyperdub where she could collaborate and forge creative bonds with long-standing friends like Scratcha DVA and Ikonika. Since those early days, her sound has journeyed through a lot of different vistas; UK funky, R&B and R&G, grime, even acid, house music and techno can all be heard at various points in her career.

Often supplementing her beats with her own understatedly soulful vocals, Cooly’s siren-like voice often drifts in and out of the mix with a warm and intense glow that can often have a disorienting effect on the listener. The strongest example is probably the opening, self-titled track of Wait ‘Til Night. Her vocals are often swirling, disembodied fragments that drift into the forefront before falling away again just as quickly. Coupled with her leftfield rhythms and futuristic soundscapes, the effect is like listening to the soundtrack of a surrealist sci-fi film you haven’t seen yet. In fact, Wait ‘Til Night might be one of her most adventurous projects to date. In addition to the increased use of vocals, the 2014 opus also includes some distorted guitar loops and much more of a focus on melody.

Away from the studio, Cooly is also a renowned selector, dishing out mixes and DJ sets left, right and centre. Those sets usually focus around the bass and house music ends of her palette, though she remains thoroughly unpredictable. Even in a seemingly straight-up house mix, you can expect to hear a flash of grime or a quick burst of funky drums to keep you on your toes. The fact that one of her recent productions was created with a bit of kit called a SUBPAC (basically a wearable synth and speaker), and the eagerness she’s expressed to produce a new album, when it does come you can bet it’s going to be even more ambitious.

Here are 20 reasons to love Cooly G.