Friends of Far Afield: Chris Coco

Ahead of the release of our latest guest playlist—curated by legendary DJ, producer and record label owner, Chris Coco—we took a trip to his Brixton home studio to discuss all things music and fashion. 

 
Firstly, Chris, can you tell us what it is you do and how long you’ve been doing it? 
I do a bit of everything, really. I’m a DJ, firstly, but I also run my own label, so produce and release my own records. I’ve been in “the industry” since the acid house days in the late 80’s. I sort of look back over the past 30 years and think, it’s literally been just music. I feel quite lucky, really.  

 
I can see a lot of different instruments knocking about. Do you play all of them? 
Sort of, yeah, but I wouldn’t say I’m the best. I think my main role, really, is producer. I write stuff, and play keys and a bit of bass, but if I want something played to a really high standard, I’ll get somebody else in. But I’d say may main strengths are being able to finish tracks and knowing what’s right for them, whether it be arranging, or taking something away or adding something in. I’m a bit of a musical Swiss army knife, really. 

 
And how did you come to be aware of Far Afield? 
I actually put a mix together for you guys years ago, back when you were called tuktuk. Your Creative Director, Mark, reached out, as he was a big fan of Balearic music and had been following my stuff for a while. Weirdly, though, this time I actually got in touch with you guys, not realising you’d changed your name, as I saw that Phil Mison—who I’m a great admirer of—had recently done something for you. It’s a small world! 

 
Music is obviously a huge passion of yours. Do you get excited about clothing, too?  
There’s some kind of thread that links all the different aspects together, and I find that really interesting. There are so many similarities between making nice clothes and making nice records, you know – maybe it’s the creative process. And you can be as experimental as you like, push the envelope or reference something more classic. Music and fashion are synonymous with each other, and it almost feels as though one couldn’t exist without the other. 

You can purchase Chris Coco's brand new LP here and keep up-to-date with his upcoming events on Instagram.