Umi Copper is Confronting His Demons One Soulful Song at a Time

The Pharrell-cosigned artist's 'Requiem' EP is out April 27 via Black Acre.

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umi copper

British independent label Black Acre recently celebrated 10 years in the game, and it doesn't look as if they're going to slow down any time soon. From raw rap to smooth soul to experimental electronic music the label is unconstrained by genre or style, and their next release is another impressive one.

Requiem is the debut EP from L.A.-based singer and multi-instrumentalist Umi Copper, whose memorable voice soars and swoops over production that varies from bold and multi-layered to sparse and simple. Copper has been making music for around 10 years and has been working on this EP for about a year, and "All" is an impressive introduction to his talents. The song was originally premiered in Pharrell William's recent guest mix on OVO Sound Radio on Beats 1, and today it's officially released.

"All" is a deeply personal and meaningful song, and Umi Copper tells us the thoughts behind it. "Man is a contradiction by default; we carry good and evil equally for the most part," he says. "The problem with modern day society is the want to suppress that balance. I believe in order to grow, man has to fully embrace all sides. There is a constant internal and external struggle to either 'Build or Destroy’; to act like we are greater than this is just a lie. We are everything and all that's surrounds us in every way. So I attempted to express the pain of trying to admit this and accept how visceral that realization is. I am ‘all’, from the best to the most fucked up parts of me. I’ve created love but I have also destroyed love in the worst way. This track was the start for me expressing the understanding of my nature.​"

Listen to Umi Copper's "All" now and look out for his excellent EP Requiem, out April 27. Learn a little more about the enigmatic artist below. 

Why did you title the upcoming EP Requiem?

I titled the project Requiem because every track represents the passing of a spirit that once died or passed through me; a call to those who are no longer here, confronting my past demons head on. I needed to pay a sonic homage to that energy and those experiences.

Do you make music and work with others or is it more a solo thing?

Almost always solo first. I'll sit with chord progressions and melody ideas for a couple of months and just meditate on them; I need to be unbiasedly addicted to the vibe and aura of the most elemental details before I even decide to start the skeleton of a track. Later on I'll bring in a select few when the time is right, so we can begin to expand on the overall sonic vision in post with live horns, strings, etc. The process is always custom from scratch, never a format.

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