Chris Coco, also known as Christopher Mellor and Chris Mellor, is a UK DJ, broadcaster, producer, musician and journalist. He is associated with ambient, chillout, downtempo and electronica, and comes from the United Kingdom, with early roots in Charlwood. He also blogs at ChrisCoco.com/blog.

Career

Chris Coco starts out as a DJ in Brighton in the 1980s, where he is a resident at Coco Club at the Zap Club and is part of the early acid house scene. In the 1990s he edits DJ Magazine, helping to cover club culture during that period. From 1999 onwards he works as a freelance DJ and producer, playing clubs in Ibiza, touring internationally, and appearing at major festivals including Glastonbury, Roskilde, Big Chill and Bestival, as well as shows in Australia, the Far East and the USA.

He also makes compilations including the Real Ibiza series, Solar Spectrums, Blue Balearic, Dub Club, Chillin’ at the Playboy Mansion, Ministry of Sound Sessions, The Big Freeze and Acoustic Chill. His live work includes regular gigs at Supperclub and The Player in London.

Broadcasting

He presents Melodica, a radio show that also appears as a weekly podcast through MixCloud. The show begins on Ibiza Sonica and expands to broadcasts in cities including Sydney, Istanbul and Chicago. Earlier broadcasting work includes Live Work Music for Ministry of Sound Radio in 2008, Bank Holiday Chillout and music documentaries for BBC Radio 2 from 2005 to 2008, and Blue Room on BBC Radio 1 from 2002 to 2006, with Rob Da Bank.

Recordings and collaborations

His releases include Feel Free Live Good, issued through Big Chill Recordings, as well as earlier albums and projects under his own name and with other artists. Heavy Mellow appears in 2005 and includes “Drifting”, which features in a Toyota Prius European campaign. Next Wave follows in 2002 and includes “Falling”, used on television programmes including Nip/Tuck; it also includes covers of Fleetwood Mac’s “Albatross”, featuring Peter Green, and the Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning”, featuring Nick Cave.

He works with Rui Da Silva as CocoDaSilva on a series of 12-inch singles for Kismet, and with Stonebridge as Coco & Stonebridge on “The Beach”. With Coco, Steel & Lovebomb he releases the LP It for Warp Records, which includes the club track “Feel It”, and later the single “Yachts”, which appears on television and in advertising, including Sex and the City and Freixenet in Spain.

Other projects

He forms City Reverb in 2008 with Nick Cornu and Micky Buccheri after meeting during the sessions for Lost City Folk. The band releases singles including “Time Side On”, “Central Heating” and “City Of Lights”, performs at Glastonbury, Green Man and Tate Britain, and issues the album Lost City Folk. City Reverb is described as a three-member band made up of a DJ, a musician and a singer.

He also works as The Normalites with Steve Miller of Afterlife, drawing on a background in mellow music and interests in politics, poetry, dub and bass. This project follows the inclusion of “Pink Skyscraper” on a Hôtel Costes compilation. He is also developing an unnamed project with Sacha Puttnam, and is reported as working on new music under the Normalites name with Steve Miller.

Discography highlights

Notable releases associated with him include Feel Free Live Good (2010), Lost City Folk (2009), Heavy Mellow (2005), Next Wave (2002), Saudade One with CocoDaSilva (2001), The Beach with Stonebridge (2000), Yachts with Coco, Steel & Lovebomb (1999) and It with Coco, Steel & Lovebomb (1994).