Koop
Sept 6, 8.30pm, Western Market
In their press photo, Magnus Zingmark and Oscar Simonsson recline on a red crushed velvet settee (right), resplendent in black ball dresses, fine jewellery, powdered white faces and stark red lipstick. The look on their painted faces whispers indifference, their repose is carefree. They're ultimate chill.
The Stockholm-based pair look how they sound: cool, downbeat and hybrid. Call it Swedish island style. It may sound like an oxymoron, but this pair from the frozen north bring a tropical splash to their electronic jazz, adding cool licks of bongo beats and lapping waves to the head-lulling swing of the 1930s.
On September 6, Koop will perform at Sheung Wan's Western Market, which hosted DJ Shadow with such success one year ago. Its spacious upper deck is an appropriate venue for an act that feels comfortable on the fringes, but has the following and talent to crowd a large hall not only with people but with sound. The duo, who often perform with strawberry-sweet vocalists such as Ane Brun and Yukumi Nagano, are touring with their third album, Koop Islands, a long-awaited follow-up to their 2001 breakthrough Waltz for Koop.
Jungle drums, marimbas, and seagulls all have important roles to play in Koop Islands. The album, like their earlier work, is built on samples - drums, horns, strings, choirs - but they also play piano and accordion.