Jon Hopkins came back to New York for the first time since his Madison Square Garden show opening for Coldplay, and the scene this go around was much different. I tried to catch him at the Museum of Natural History where he performed with Four Tet, but he was late in arriving, so we rescheduled to do the interview in our offices the day after he performed an intimate show at Pianos.
The composer, pianist and self-taught producer has worked with Brian Eno, Herbie Hancock, David Holmes and the previously mentioned Coldplay, yet few on our shores know of him — except for maybe the song he wrote for Coldplay’s Viva La Vida album, “Light Through The Veins”. His range of ambiant to trance to movie scores is nearly as impressive as his resume, which is just one of the reasons I wanted to talk to him.
Fully display on his upcoming record, and first in four years, Insides [May 5, Domino], Hopkins abilities represent the work of someone who has spent long hours honing his craft. Yes, Insides does include his version of “Light Through The Veins”, but it also includes a thorough representation of someone who is quickly becoming one of the best young producers of our era. As his bio states, Hopkins transcends genres, melding digital coldness with subtle, bucolic textures; veering from skewed elegance to strange, unsettling depths.
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