Playin' Me

Playin' Me
Studio album by
Cooly G
Released10 July 2012
Genre
Various
Length52:08
LabelHyperdub
ProducerCooly G
Cooly G chronology
Playin' Me
(2012) 		Wait 'Til NIght
(2014)
Singles from Playin' Me
  1. ""Up in My Head" / "Phat Si""
    Released: 6 August 2010
  2. "Landscapes" / "It's Serious"
    Released: 3 November 2011

Playin' Me is the debut studio album of British UK funky musician Merissa Campbell, known by her stage name as Cooly G. It wasn't until more than a year before the release of Playin' Me that Campbell began work on a full-length debut album as suggested by Hyperdub founder Kode9. Previously-released cuts including "Up in My Head," "Landscapes," and "It's Serious" appeared on the album's final track listing.

Playin' Me was produced with the programs Ableton Live, FL studio, and Logic Pro. While mostly written and produced by Campbell herself, the album also features collaborations with Arethis (Aaron Carr), producers P. L. Stanislas-Renouf, known by his stage name as Simbad, and Karizma. It maintains the same sparse structure and UK funky styles of Cooly G's previous records. In using minimal arrangements, the LP is focused on tension and testing the listener's patience through the use of certain sounds coming in and out of the mix at random. A Pitchfork critic categorized it as "music that knocks you over with a feather" where so much goes on despite its quiet, scarce, and understated structure.

Playin' Me is a much more lyric-focused record than Campbell's previous DJ-set-suitable releases. The album is based on her feelings from a worsening relationship she was in since 2005 when her first son was born. It goes through different moods and the messages are often uninterpretable and contradict with the vibe of the music, indicating the main female character in the LP's relationship story feels disorientate. Playin' Me was also noted by some journalists to be about the culture and lifestyle of London.

Released in July 2012 by Hyperdub, Playin' Me garnered critical acclaim; numerous reviewers praised Cooly G for being able to create a great and unique full-length record, a goal not many dance and dubstep producers were able to achieve. Common highlights in reviews were its lyrics and how the LP mixed together multiple genres. However, some writers also criticized the inclusion of Cooly G's cover of "Trouble," a song by English rock band Coldplay. Playin' Me was in the top 50 of numerous year-end lists by publications such as The Guardian, Gigwise, and The Wire. Time Out London and Fact put it in the top ten on their lists, Fact later ranking it at number 100 on their list of the best LPs of the first half of the 2010s.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference XLR8Rchatterbox was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Cite error: The named reference Pitchfork was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Interview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d Samuels, A. J. (29 June 2012). "AJ Samuels recommends Cooly G’s Playin Me". Electronic Beats. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d Power, Chris (2012). "Cooly G Playin’ Me Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ResidentAdvisoralbum was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference ElectronicBeats was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Ratliff, Ben (13 July 2012). "Laid-Back Colombian Folk and Angsty Swedes". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  9. ^ a b c Sherburne, Philip (8 August 2012). "Cooly G: London Dance Maven Pushes Envelope, Then Shreds It". Spin. SpinMedia. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference CMJ was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference NME was invoked but never defined (see the help page).