Oliver Coates

On his recent third solo LP, Shelley’s on Zenn-La, London Contemporary Orchestra cellist Oliver Coates refined his rich, avant-electronic sound with an captivating eight-track suite that sat somewhere between the neoclassical compositions of Nils Frahm and the wiggy, blockbuster IDM of Oneohtrix Point Never.

Perhaps due to his work in orchestral scoring, Coates has an immaculate handle on atmosphere in music. No surprise then, that his contribution to our mix series was delivered with a theme: Poltergeists in the Highlands, Vol. 1. Across one hour, Coates paints a wintry portrait of a stint spent recording in Scotland. By pairing audio of a documentary on poltergeists with a Visible Cloaks track, then marrying a throbbing cello with the sound of Genesis P-Orridge reading William Burroughs, the mix has a clear narrative focus which is testament to his aptitude as a creator and a curator.

Halloween might have passed, but the cinematic frostiness of this mix feels perfectly suited to this time of year.

Oliver Coates plays at Le Guess Who?, The Netherlands, 8-11 November