Louis Cole and the LA Scene
One of my favorite artists of all time is Louis Cole, due to his musical versatility and structure in composition. He has been featured on many projects, including Vulfpeck’s “It Gets Funkier IV”, taking over the drums for Jack Stratton and Theo Katzman on that song. I have been following Cole since his KNOWER days, which I suppose are still going on, but today I want to focus on Time, as well as how it relates to the prominence of Californian artists, specifically in Los Angeles.
Time is Louis Cole’s third full LP, following Louis Cole and Album 2. It was released almost two years ago on September 21st of 2018. After hearing previous singles "Weird Part of the Night" and "Things" while watching the fascinating music videos that came with them, I was beyond stoked to hear the new album. Cole blends his funk drumming background with outlandish audio noodling of great proportions, whether it be from crunchy synths, groovy bass lines, or an impressive vocal range. While there may be chaos going on in the background, Louis still knows how to keep things in line and create a cohesive experience.
While the album itself is a classic, what I find even more impressive is how essential location is to creating the ingredients to this record. He is located in Los Angeles, an obvious capital for cultural consumerism, but he still remains relatively unknown in many circles. However, it’s interesting to see the featured artists on this record, of which include KNOWER collaborator Genevieve Artadi, Thundercat, and Dennis Hamm. Thundercat has appeared on many records to the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, and Kamasi Washington. Dennis Hamm has played piano for Artists like Larry Carlton, Jonathan Butler and Simon Phillips to name a few. Artadi just released a solo album this year, and remains an integral part of Cole’s success. It all just goes to show that it’s more about who you know even if you have the same baseline level of talent in comparison to other musicians and producers. For Cole, Flying Lotus’ label Brainfeeder has been gracious, and I am excited to see where he will land next.
You can check out Time here.
Live 2019 here.
