Chris Coco (b. Christopher Mellor & raised in Charlwood, UK - aka Chris Mel… Read Full Bio ↴Chris Coco (b. Christopher Mellor & raised in Charlwood, UK - aka Chris Mellor), is a DJ, broadcaster, producer, musician & journalist (blogging at ChrisCoco.com/blog). His most recent release is Feel Free Live Good (Aug 2010, Big Chill Recordings). His radio show, Melodica (also, podcast from MixCloud.com/ChrisCoco weekly), is growing from it’s Ibiza Sonica base, to include broadcasts in cities intonationally, inc: Sydney, Istanbul & Chicago.

He is working on new music as Normalites (aka The Normalites, with production partner Steve Miller, following-up on Pink Skyscraper's Hôtel Costes 12 inclusion), with his band City Reverb & an un-named project (with production partner Sacha Puttnam). With regular gigs at Supperclub & The Player (both London), plus international shows - Chris is a busy live DJ, too.

Career history:

2009 - started Melodica, new radio show; remixes for Natural Born Chillers and Bardo State; made Feel Free Live Good album.

2008 - started new band City Reverb, cult single releases Time Side On, Central Heating and City Of Lights and live appearances at festivals including Glastonbury and Green Man and a special show at Tate Britain preceded an album called Lost City Folk.

2008 - presented Live Work Music for Ministry of Sound Radio.

2005-2008 - presented Bank Holiday Chillout and music documentaries for BBC Radio 2.

2006 - DJ element on Robbie Williams world tour
playing in the band at all 64 shows and DJ warm up sets at many dates including San Siro, Milan; Parc Des Princes, Paris and The Bowl, Milton Keynes.

2002-2006 - presented Blue Room on BBC Radio 1
legendary, much loved late night weekend show with Rob Da Bank.

1999 - the present: freelance DJ and producer
DJing on every continent except Antarctica, all the major clubs in Ibiza; many major festivals including Glastonbury, Roskilde, Big Chill, Bestival; tours of Australia, Far East, USA etc.
Making compilations including Real Ibiza series, Solar Spectrums series, Blue Balearic, Dub Club, Chillin’ at the Playboy Mansion, Ministry of Sound Sessions, The Big Freeze and Acoustic Chill.

1990s - Editor of DJ Magazine
pioneering dance music bible covering the club scene in its heyday.

1980s - DJ in Brighton, England
pioneering early acid house scene, resident at Coco Club at Zap Club.

Discography:

2010 - Chris Coco - Feel Free Live Good

2009 - City Reverb - Lost City Folk
LP with band and several singles including successful Central Heating (Drumsound & Simon Bassline Smith Remix).

2008 - Normalites - EP
Including Pink Skyscraper, featuring on next Hotel Costes compilation.

2005 - Chris Coco - Heavy Mellow
LP including Drifting featured in Toyota Prius European campaign.

2002 - Chris Coco - Next Wave
LP including favourite Falling, featured on many TV shows including Nip Tuck, a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Albatross feat Peter Green and a cover of Velvet Underground's’ Sunday Morning feat Nick Cave.

2001 - CocoDaSilva - Saudade
One of a series of 12” singles on Kismet records, an ongoing collaboration with dance producer Rui DaSilva.

2000 - Coco & Stonebridge - The Beach
Big room club tune collaboration with dance producer Stonebridge.

1999 - Coco, Steel & Lovebomb - Yachts
lounge favourite, featured on many TV shows and ads incl Sex & The City and Frexinet, Spain.

1994 - Coco, Steel & Lovebomb - It
LP for Warp Records including club classic Feel It.

www.chriscoco.com

City Reverb:

City Reverb are a band. There are three members - a DJ, a musician and a singer. They like Kraftwerk but they also like Nick Drake.

Chris Coco, Nick Cornu and Micky Buccheri met during the sessions for Lost City Folk (Dumb Angel), an album which expanded Chris' original dance oriented tracks into mini symphonies about London life in the 21st Century. On completing what was primarily a recording project, the idea of creating a band began to emerge - a project which would draw on the strengths and characters of each member. The new group aesthetic relies on an economy of sounds. It's a "less is more" approach that strips each song to its bare bones to reveal the honest beauty of its structure. Happysad melodies shimmer above crisp machine rhythm. Plaintive synth lines waft through the mix like London fog. The dub bass is insistent while finger-picked acoustic guitars sew the elements together. The resultant sound is minimal but not stark; the songs often hint at a rustic wonder of the modern world. After months of experimenting, the three Londoners are finally honing a brave and singular voice.

www.myspace.com/cityreverb
http://www.facebook.com/pages/City-Reverb/201479584121?ref=ts

The Normalites:

The Normalites is a collaboration between Chris Coco and Chillout don Steve Miller from Afterlife. The music reflects the pairs’ background in making mellow music but also the slightly awkward nature of both their personalities. Their desire to push the boundaries of a genre they have made their own, their desire to come up with new sounds and ideas, their love of politics, poetry, dub and bass.

www.myspace.com/thenormalites
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Normalites/137654108771?ref=ts

8808
Chris Coco Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You think I wouldn't have him
Unless I could have him by the balls
You think I just dish it out
You don't think I take it at all
You think I am stronger
You think I walk taller than the rest
You think I'm usually wearing the pants
Just 'cause I rarely wear a dress

Well...

When you look at me
You see my purpose,
See my pride
You think I just saddle up my anger
And ride and ride and ride
You think I stand so firm
You think I sit so high on my trusty steed
Let me tell you
I'm usually face down on the ground
When there's a stampede

I'm no heroine
At least, not last time I checked
I'm too easy to roll over
I'm too easy to wreck
I just write about
What I should have done
I just sing
What I wish I could say
And hope somewhere
Some woman hears my music
And it helps her through her day

'Cause some guy designed
These shoes I use to walk around
Some big man's business turns a profit
Every time I lay my money down
Some guy designed the room I'm standing in
Another built it with his own tools
Who says I like right angles?
These are not my laws
There are not my rules

I'm no heroine
I still answer to the other half of the race
I don't fool myself
Like I fool you

I don't have the power
We just don't run this place

Overall Meaning

In Chris Coco’s song 8808, the lyrics challenge the listener’s preconceived notions of the singer. The opening lines state that the listener thinks the singer wouldn’t have a man unless she has him by the balls, implying that the singer is domineering and controlling. However, the following lyrics reveal that the singer writes about what she should have done and sings what she wishes she could say, showing vulnerability and powerlessness. The lyrics then continue to challenge the listener’s assumptions - the listener thinks the singer is a heroine who is strong and wears the pants, but the singer admits that she is too easy to roll over and wreck, and she is usually face down on the ground during a stampede. In the last lines of the song, the singer contrasts her lack of power with the power of the other half of the human race, admitting that she doesn’t have the power, and they don’t run the world.

Overall, the message of the song is that people should not be judged by their appearances or stereotypes. The song encourages listeners to question their assumptions and to see beyond surface-level judgments to the truth beneath.

Line by Line Meaning

You think I wouldn't have him Unless I could have him by the balls
You assume that I would not engage with someone unless I had complete control over them.

You think I just dish it out You don't think I take it at all
You believe that I only criticize and never receive criticism myself.

You think I am stronger You think I walk taller than the rest
You perceive me to be stronger and more confident than those around me.

You think I'm usually wearing the pants Just 'cause I rarely wear a dress
You assume that I take charge in relationships simply because I do not often wear dresses.

When you look at me You see my purpose, See my pride
You observe my determination and my sense of self-respect when you look at me.

You think I just saddle up my anger And ride and ride and ride
You believe that I easily harness my anger and use it as motivation to push myself forward.

You think I stand so firm You think I sit so high on my trusty steed
You think that I am unwavering and self-assured in my actions and decisions.

Let me tell you I'm usually face down on the ground When there's a stampede
In reality, I often fall down and struggle when faced with difficult obstacles or situations.

I'm no heroine At least, not last time I checked
I am not a perfect or flawless individual, and I acknowledge that.

I'm too easy to roll over I'm too easy to wreck
I am vulnerable and susceptible to being taken advantage of or being hurt.

I just write about What I should have done I just sing What I wish I could say
My music is often about missed opportunities or events that did not go as planned, and I use it to express what I wish I could have done or said.

And hope somewhere Some woman hears my music And it helps her through her day
I aspire to connect with other women through my music and to inspire them in their daily lives.

Cause some guy designed These shoes I use to walk around Some big man's business turns a profit Every time I lay my money down
Everything I use and buy, including my shoes and my money, is controlled by larger corporations and groups run by men.

Some guy designed the room I'm standing in Another built it with his own tools Who says I like right angles? These are not my laws There are not my rules
Even the physical spaces I inhabit were designed and constructed by men, and their preferences and standards are imposed upon me.

I'm no heroine I still answer to the other half of the race I don't fool myself Like I fool you I don't have the power We just don't run this place
I am still subject to the demands and expectations of men in our society, and I do not have the power to change that fact. We, as women, do not have control over the world we live in.

Writer(s): Ani Difranco

Contributed by Abigail F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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