Mr. Chop

Mr. Chop is the pseudonym of musician and producer Coz Littler, who has made a niche for himself with his love of vintage sounds and technology. In his teens, Littler studied music theory for a spell and learned to play guitar, but he has said his most important musical education came from exploring his father's record collection. Littler's dad had eclectic tastes that encompassed beat-era pop, progressive rock, psychedelia, early funk, and Northern soul, and soaking it all in, the youngster developed a keen appreciation for a rich variety of styles and recording techniques that flourished in the 1960s and '70s. In time, Littler learned to play bass, keyboards, and percussion as well as guitar, and he developed a keen interest in recording technique. Littler became a frequent studio collaborator with MF Doom, who has described him as "the illest to grace the boards," and developed an estimable reputation on the U.K.'s electronic music scene. As Littler became dissatisfied with many of the recording studios he worked in, he opted to open a facility of his own, and now runs APE Studios (APE standing for Analogue Production Environment), which features a full complement of vintage analog recording and processing equipment and period instruments, as well as state-of-the-art digital software that allows Littler to combine the best of old and new studio methods. Littler's studio techniques earned him his nickname of Mr. Chop when one of his colleagues commented on his aggressive editing techniques while using Pro Tools. Littler stepped out as a recording artist in 2008 with the first Mr. Chop album, Sounds from the Cave, followed by the EP Lightworlds. In 2009, Mr. Chop released a tribute to hip-hop legend Pete Rock, For Pete's Sake, and 2011 brought Switched On, a celebration of the various classic sounds that influenced Littler as interpreted through a 21st century perspective. Littler teamed with guitarist Bill Ryder Jones from The Coral and Heliocentrics drummer Malcolm Catto for the futuristic 2013 outing, Illuminate.