The evolution of the artist is a subject of pure fascination; in what form is their heart going to unfold among space and time? In what ways are they going to break the rules that they spent so long learning? In what capacity will they redefine their genre or medium, or will they defy one or both of these things?
Halifax producer Michael Coolen, also known by his stage name MichaelMichael, has boldly laid out his artistic journey in the form of a whopping 19-track album that eludes all classification and tells of a mind and heart that is distinctly Coolen’s. This is Gates of Janus (2015-2019).
The album is a six-year-long culmination of Coolen’s creative efforts, many of them reborn from his first venture into the medium.
“I started making the album when I was about 15 and finished when I was 20, so my initial approach was really alien because I had no idea what I was doing,” says Coolen. “And a year later I had to go back and sort redefine and rework old stuff from that era.”
Sonically, each track averages about a minute and a half of just about every fashion and flavour that the electronica repertoire has to offer. Coolen’s collection is very much the auditory equivalent of tetrachromacy; a condition that allows an organism to view the spectrum of colours in four dimensions, thereby allowing them to see colours that humans cannot perceive. Factor in the overwhelming number of tracks and the album becomes an absolute treat for the curious mind.
Gates of Janus (2015-2019) stirs up a peculiar blend of emotions as well; a poppy, colourful exterior is touched every so often with a blend of morbidity.
“In Rome, there was a temple for a Roman God, Janus, who was the god of duality, and the gates of that temple were closed in times of peace and only opened during times of war,” explains Coolen. “When I was 15 and starting the album, I really liked that idea.”
“That’s how I was feeling at the time; like my life was peaceful and young and naive, and I could see the linear duality of being an adult just around the corner in ‘war times.'”
“All of my work is usually centred around the loss of innocence. I firmly believe that the child inside of you and I is strong and can never die, and I want my music to sort of illustrate that energy being suppressed or trying to break free.”
Coolen’s style is about as experimental and alternative as it gets, and its distinction as a coming-of-age journey through the lens of an electronica rainbow makes Gates of Janus (2015-2019) about as unconventional as it gets. Each and every tune yearns to scratch the itch of curiosity and possibility, and Coolen succeeds 19 times out of 19.