We met with Cook Strummer to discuss his upcoming ‘Berlin Gets Physical’ release on the long-standing Get Physical label, delving into his musical journey and early influences.


Welcome to Music is 4 Lovers. Can you tell us whereabouts in the world you are right now and how you’re doing?

Thanks for having me! I’m currently in Berlin. I’ve been touring over the summer, and it feels so good to be back after the pandemic. 

What’s the mood like where you’re living with everything going on over the last couple of years?

The mood is optimal. The projects I’ve been working on for the last three to four years are finally being released. I couldn’t wait any longer. The previous two years have been formative for my music career and allowed me to enhance my production skills and shape my productions. 

I’m intrigued about your artist name. Where did this come from? 

I have a few stories about my artist name; I’m not sure which one is real anymore! I chose Cook Strummer at first because I thought it sounded nice. The meaning came after I had to explain to people because my name on the first lineups was “Cock Stroker” or “Coke Struggle”. I like to cook in my free time and feel many similarities between music production and cooking. ‘Cook’ also refers to Captain James Cook, as I felt like a music explorer when I moved to Berlin ten years ago. “Strummer” refers to my main instrument, the guitar. But it also refers to Joe Strummer from “The Clash”.

What were your earliest clubbing experiences that influenced you the most?

I started clubbing in Belgium at a very young age (around fourteen years old). At first, it was drum n bass parties, then techno. But what influenced me first was earlier than that. When I was ten years old, my uncle (a DJ back then) gave me a tape from ‘I Love Techno 1997’, featuring Jeff Mills, Daft Punk, Dave Clarke, Robert Miles… I remember thinking, “What is this crazy music?”. 

When I got older, even if Rock music was my music of choice, I kept on partying (and organising parties in Brussels, with crews like Play Label and Indie Club, in clubs like “The Wood”). It was only later, ten years ago, when I moved to Berlin, that I dived deeper into serious electronic music production. I used to party at Bar 25, then Kater Holzig / Katerblau, Sisyphos, Berghain. These clubs had a significant influence on my journey for sure.


Your latest release on Get Physical Music, titled Berlin Gets Physical brings together a plethora of talent. What was your inspiration for this release (beyond the obvious connection of Berlin!), and what were some of the challenges? 

The inspiration was simply the friends I have met over the years, sharing stages, partying and producing music with them. I’m very thankful that Get Physical allowed me to curate this compilation. It took three years to put together. The main challenges were keeping in touch with the artists, ensuring everything was on track, finding the right songs and tracklist, etc. I also want to mention that we teamed up with Mazel Galerie, who sponsored the vinyl production. One of their artists, Brusk, painted the cover. The gallery produced its limited edition version that will only be sold on their end. Get Physical has another version that will be distributed on all the platforms with a  cover adapted by Mirjam Schmid. Daniel Jaeger has handled the analogue mastering at his brand-new studio. All in all, I am very proud of the result.

We’re big fans of the cosmic, dark disco sounds, of which this release has plenty. Have you always been a devotee of this sound, and where did your love for it begin?

I’m a big fan too! My love for ‘dark disco’ began in my teenage years, with post-punk first, and bands like Joy Division, Cocteau Twins or Bauhaus. Then, in the 2000s, I listened to LCD Soundsystem, Vitalic, Simian Mobile Disco, Justice, Digitalism and Boys Noize. Those years marked the advent of what we now call ‘Indie Dance’. A mixture of electro, pop, indie rock, dark disco and other genres.

I was even part of the first and only Indie party at “The Wood” (Brussels) in the early 2010s, called ‘Indie Club’, where I was DJing this type of music. I’ve always tried mixing my rock background with electronic music, which seems to work now.

When did you first start producing, and what are your go-to pieces of equipment? 

When I was ten, I asked my parents to get a Roland Groovebox for my birthday, but my dad told me I could choose my own musical instrument if I kept learning piano until my twelfth birthday. I received a Roland EG-101 “Groove Keyboard” with a small sampler, and it all started from there. 

When I turned fourteen,  I got familiar with DAWs. Fruity Loops at first, then GarageBand. But it was more for experimenting, as I was still going to studios to record my band EPs. When I moved to Berlin in 2012 I started with Ableton and learned the basics of sound engineering and proper music production. 

Over the years, my setup reduced drastically, from tons of analogue gear, to a Microkorg, Moog Sub Phatty, Nord Drum 2 with pads, my guitars, a Rode NT2-A microphone, and the rest is digital – mainly Native Instruments products, and the Komplete Kontrol S49 midi keyboard. Nowadays, I share a studio and work with Daniel Jaeger who handles mixing and analogue mastering. But I mainly produce at home.

What’s your creative process like when in the studio?

I need to be triggered by something. It can be a good gig I’ve played or attended the night before, a mood or a sunny day. Usually, I start with the kick; then I jam on the keys until I find something appealing. I’m a big fan of ‘happy accidents’, when I play something that wasn’t supposed to be there. 

Where can our readers expect to see you off the back of this release?

We have a few showcases planned to promote the “Berlin Gets Physical” compilation release, including the 15 artists who participated. These will be in Paris at Fluctuart in collaboration with Mazel Galerie (one of their artists, Brusk, painted the VA’s cover), in Berlin at Kater Blau (end of September), in Turkey at Dream of Utopia (19-24 October), and a couple of other showcases to be confirmed (in London and Barcelona).


Cook Strummer ‘Berlin Gets Physical’ is out on 23rd September 2022

PRE ORDER HERE


Follow Cook Strummer on 

Soundcloud | Instagram | Bandcamp 

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