Phat Phil Cooper

12/01/2026

As we approach the BLUE MONDAY, Visions Of Light release their New Order cover and its getting plenty of support.

More info in the comments.

11/01/2026

Further travels and exploration in Asia.

My Hua Hin vlog is now live over on the NuNorthern Soul YouTube channel

Phat Phil Cooper continues the journey through Hua Hin, stepping away from the obvious and into a slower, more considered side of Thailand. The route takes i...

09/01/2026

When I was in Bangkok last month I managed to pin Maarten Goetheer down to have a chat for my NuNorthern Soul YouTube channel. Maarten discusses his journey into music, life in Bangkok, DJ culture in Southeast Asia, and the thinking behind his NuNorthern Soul release Suite For Chick (feat. Pong Nakornchai).

Recorded in the shade of Lumphini Park in December 2025, this sit-down conversation sees Phat Phil Cooper talking with Maarten Goetheer while passing through...

07/01/2026

Scanning and digitising 40 years of memories and finding some absolute classics.

Original Mambo Ibiza sunset with Pete Gooding and Junior Sanchez, must be around 1997 or 1998...?

Check my Sound Factory Tee, gifted by an American friend.

26/12/2025

My latest ROVR radio session is available for playback.

ROVR is a 24/7 radio experience where you can browse shows, discover new artists, explore tracks and labels, and stay tuned with our curated schedule.

07/12/2025

Massive thanks to everyone who showed the label some love on Bandcamp Friday. Every purchase genuinely makes a difference, indie labels and artists feel the impact in a big way, with the lion’s share of revenue coming straight to us. It keeps the whole thing moving and helps us keep shining a light on the music we believe in.

If you’d like to support what we’re building in other ways, there are plenty of simple, free gestures that go a long way, a like, a share, a repost, or hitting subscribe wherever you follow us. It all helps the music travel a bit further.

For anyone who wants to dig deeper, here are the places we’re putting real heart into:

Our blog — where Steve KIW and I forge and wordsmith whatever’s rattling around our heads:
https://www.nunorthernsoul.co.uk/blog

The YouTube channel — my vlogs from the road as I travel, explore, and try to slow things the f**k down:
https://www.youtube.com/

Thanks again for being part of this ongoing journey. Your support keeps the vibe going, and there’s plenty more to come.

05/12/2025

Some nice words to accompany some of the nice music I have released over the years on my NuNorthern Soul label on Dirty Disco website.

Discover ten essential tracks selected by Phil Cooper that shaped the NuNorthern Soul sound. Exclusive Dirty Disco Track Talk.

04/12/2025

The second episode of my journey East is available on the NuNorthern Soul YouTube channel.

In the second instalment of Phat Phil’s journey East, he touches down in Muscat — a place where mountains meet the sea and the pace shifts into something bea...

03/12/2025

My travels East have bought me here! I wonder if they are up for DJs playing 🤣

28/11/2025

My first ROVR session now available

ROVR is a 24/7 radio experience where you can browse shows, discover new artists, explore tracks and labels, and stay tuned with our curated schedule.

23/11/2025

Having previously revisited the work of Ryo Kawasaki and Joan Bibiloni, NuNorthern Soul now shines a light on the expansive back catalogue of Jasper Van’t Hof’s pioneering electro-acoustic Afro-fusion collective, Pili Pili.

Best known in Balearic circles for the epic title track from their 1984 debut – reissued by NuNorthern Soul in 2024 with a fresh Coyote re-edit – the European-African ensemble earned worldwide respect for their cross-cultural sound and the dynamism of their partly improvised live shows.

Formed in 1984 by Dutch pianist Jasper Van’t Hof, the project blended his jazz-fusion roots with the music of North-West Africa. By then, Van’t Hof had already explored everything from traditional jazz combos to experimental ventures, including time in Jean-Luc Ponty’s first band, his jazz-rock outfit Porkpie, the all-electronic album Visitors, and Mama Rose, his celebrated live collaboration with Archie Shepp.

Pili Pili represented a bold new step. With percussionists and vocalists from Benin and Mali – including the now-legendary Angélique Kidjo – plus adventurous jazz soloists such as Tony Lakoto and Annie Whitehead, the group fused programmed and live percussion, electronic and acoustic textures, and Van’t Hof’s distinctive melodies and solos.

NuNorthern Soul’s retrospective centres on the collective’s most creative period, collecting six tracks recorded between 1984 and 2002. Together, they offer a vivid snapshot of the musical riches within the Pili Pili archive.

The journey opens with the percussive drive of 1984’s Ile and closes with the deep bass, gentle guitars, colourful synths and kalimba of 2002’s Soubatcha. Along the way comes the synth-pop-tinted sparkle of Jakko Jakko, the drum-led Life Size (both 1987), the playful flow of 1992’s Hippo Hips, and the cowbell-powered Afro-jazz energy of 1985’s My Gongoma.

As with past retrospectives, the vinyl edition of Selected Works 1984–2002 includes extended liner notes by music historian Matt Anniss, featuring fresh reflections and memories from Jasper Van’t Hof that tell the story of this remarkable cross-cultural collaboration.

li.sten.to/nunssw004

fans

Jasper Van’t Hof’s Pili Pili: Selected Works 1984 to 2002 Links. Available on all popular platforms.

21/11/2025

I had a great chat with Ryan over on Dream Chimney about all things NuNorthern Soul plus the release of Jasper Van’t Hof’s Pili Pili: Selected Works 1984 to 2002

Dream Chimney: Interviews