Mike Cooper World Slide

• 1. World Slide
• 2. New Hard Times
• 3. New Hula Slide

Preceding the Killing Melody LP by ten years, this EP was recorded by Mike in the late 90s and originally released on his own CDr label Hipshot. A 500 only pressing, these are the last remaining copies.

Mike is a British blues legend. In the early 60s he supported John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Reed, Howling Wolf, Son House and many more American blues artists on their UK visits - as well as backing British r&b bands. He honed his guitar skills to later include steel blues and Hawaiian lap steel guitar. From the 80s onwards, he ventured into more avant garde territory and has continued to beat a path somewhere between all these styles.

The three tracks here represent his later experiments with low fi loops and Hawaiian steel guitar. They were recorded in his kitchen in Rome, on a primitive computer, dumped onto minidisc and then CD. The result is a quiet and multilayered recording. This was a challenge even for Porky's George Peckham to master, but after a few takes, the record was pressed at the old EMI plant, shortly before their machinery was sold off.

World Slide and New Hula Slide demonstrate Mike's fusion of the traditional Hawaiian melody with dirty avant garde loops. New Hard Times is a slide guitar and vocal blues, stripped down and angry.