{{Short description|American multi-instrumentalist}} {{for|the YouTube personality|Louis Cole (YouTuber)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}} {{Infobox musical artist | honorific_prefix = | name = Louis Cole | honorific_suffix = | image = File:Louis Cole musician2.jpg | image_upright = | image_size = | landscape = yes | alt = | caption = Cole performing with Knower at The Haunt, Brighton, England, 2018 | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name = Louis Maxwell Cole | alias = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1986|12|04}} | birth_place = Los Angeles, California, US | origin = | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date first) --> | death_place = | genre = {{hlist|Jazz|funk|avant-pop|electronic|indie|lo-fi}} | occupation = {{hlist|Musician|singer|songwriter|video producer}} | instrument = {{hlist|Bass|drums|guitar|keyboards|vocals}} | years_active = 2008–present | label = {{hlist|Brainfeeder|Ninja Tune}} | current_member_of = {{hlist|Knower|Clown Core (speculated)<ref name="cali" />}} | website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} or {{Official URL}} --> | module = | module2 = | module3 = }}
'''Louis Maxwell Cole''' (born December 4, 1986) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and video producer who is the drummer, keyboardist, and bassist of the independent electronic jazz-funk duo Knower. He is speculated to be a member of the avant-garde musical duo Clown Core.
Cole has released five albums with Knower and four albums with Clown Core, beginning in 2010. As a solo artist, he self-released two albums before signing with Brainfeeder and releasing his third album, ''Time'' (2018). His fourth album, ''Quality Over Opinion'' (2022), was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Jazz Album.
==Early life== Louis Cole was born in Los Angeles to a family with musical roots.<ref name="allmusic">{{Cite web |last=Kellman |first=Andy |title=Louis Cole Biography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/louis-cole-mn0003064301/biography |access-date=2021-11-11 |website=AllMusic}}</ref><ref name="bestfit">{{Cite web |last=Richardson |first=Kitty |date=April 4, 2019 |title=The delightful deviance of Louis Cole |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/louis-cole-delightful-deviance-interview |access-date=2021-11-11 |website=The Line of Best Fit}}</ref> His father plays jazz piano, while his mother played bass. Cole started drumming when he was 8.<ref name="bestfit"/><ref name="Guardian">{{Cite web |last=Kalia |first=Ammar |date=2022-10-03 |title=Louis Cole: 'Funk is fun but with jazz you can just go wild' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/03/louis-cole-knower-brainfeeder-interview |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=The Guardian}}</ref> He graduated in jazz studies at the USC Thornton School of Music in 2009.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="usc">{{Cite web |last=Hollins |first=Evan |date=November 15, 2013 |title=Louis Cole and Knower |url=https://music.usc.edu/louis-cole-and-knower/ |access-date=2021-11-11 |website=USC Thornton School of Music}}</ref>
==Career== After graduating from USC in 2009, Cole was encouraged by his friend Jack Conte to put music videos on YouTube, including one called "Bank Account", which showcased a split-screen of him playing keyboards, drums, and singing.<ref name="pitchfork">{{Cite web |last=Sherburne |first=Philip |date=August 16, 2018 |title=Louis Cole – Time |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/louis-cole-time/ |access-date=2021-11-11 |website=Pitchfork}}</ref><ref name="allmusic"/> This video catapulted him into the public awareness, as it was posted on social media by various celebrities and musicians such as John Mayer, Charlie Day, and Björk.<ref name="bestfit"/><ref name="Guardian"/>
After doing several other short songs and uploading them to YouTube, Cole wanted to focus more on writing longer material.<ref name="bestfit"/> He co-founded Knower with another jazz studies graduate, Genevieve Artadi.<ref name="artadi">{{Cite web |last=Simpson |first=Paul |title=Genevieve Artadi Biography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/genevieve-artadi-mn0002958084/biography |access-date=2021-11-11 |website=AllMusic}}</ref> In 2010, he released both his self-titled solo album and the debut album for Knower.<ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="usc"/> After releasing his second solo album, he focused more on Knower, producing three other albums. In the meantime, Cole co-wrote "Padded Cell" for Seal's 2015 album ''7'', and together with Artadi, got featured on Snarky Puppy's ''Family Dinner – Volume 2''. In 2017, he co-wrote two songs for Thundercat's album ''Drunk''.<ref name="allmusic"/> This led to signing a contract with Flying Lotus' label Brainfeeder and releasing his third solo album through the label in 2018.<ref name="pitchfork"/><ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="bestfit"/> The album featured appearances by Artadi, Thundercat, Dennis Hamm and Brad Mehldau.<ref name="allmusic"/> Cole also appeared on Thundercat's 2020 Grammy Award winning album ''It Is What It Is'', performing on a song called "I Love Louis Cole", which was dedicated to him.<ref name="brick"/><ref name="grammy">{{Cite web |title=63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards (2020) |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/63rd-annual-grammy-awards-2020 |access-date=2021-11-19 |website=Grammy Awards|date=December 15, 2020 }}</ref>
In 2019, Cole's "Doing the Thing" was the 80th-best-performing single on the Tokio Hot 100.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.j-wave.co.jp/original/tokiohot100/chart_2019/main.htm|title=Annual Count Down Slam Jam 2019|language=ja|publisher=J-Wave|access-date=January 28, 2026}}</ref> In 2020, Cole wrote an exclusive song for ''Grand Theft Auto Online'' called "Planet X", which was added to the ''FlyLo FM'' radio station through ''The Cayo Perico Heist'' update.<ref name="cayo">{{Cite web |last=McGlynn |first=Declan |date=December 21, 2020 |title=Grand Theft Auto's musical legacy continued to push the boundaries in 2020 — here's how |url=https://djmag.com/longreads/grand-theft-autos-musical-legacy-continued-push-boundaries-2020-heres-how |access-date=2021-11-12 |website=DJ Mag}}</ref><ref name="planetx">{{Cite tweet |number=1339004504151261184 |user=louiscolemusic |title=New Louis Cole song in the new grand theft auto. It's called Planet X. It's about how they will name Planet X after me (when they finally find it). It's a good song. It's on the @flyinglotus radio station. Go listen to it while you run over people or whatever you're doing |author=Louis Cole}}</ref> Knower's song "Fuck the Makeup, Skip the Shower" was previously featured on the same radio station.<ref name="fck">{{Cite web |last=Goble |first=Corban |date=November 17, 2014 |title=Grand Theft Auto V Reveals Expanded Radio Station Tracklists for Game Relaunch |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/57496-grand-theft-auto-v-reveals-expanded-radio-station-tracklists-for-game-relaunch/ |access-date=2021-11-12 |website=Pitchfork}}</ref> "Planet X" was later included in Cole's fourth studio album ''Quality Over Opinion'', which was released on October 14, 2022 via Brainfeeder.<ref name="QOO">{{Cite web |last=Murray |first=Robin |date=August 23, 2022 |title=Louis Cole Announces New Album 'Quality Over Opinion' |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/louis-cole-announces-new-album-quality-over-opinion/ |access-date=2022-08-23 |website=Clash}}</ref> Another single from the album, "Let it Happen", was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals in 2023, and the album as a whole was nominated for Best Alternative Jazz Album the following year.<ref name="Grammy 2024">{{cite web |last1=Minsker |first1=Evan |date=10 November 2023 |title=Grammy Nominations 2024: See the Full List Here |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/grammy-nominations-2024-see-the-full-list-here/ |access-date=10 November 2023 |website=Pitchfork}}</ref>
It is speculated that Cole and saxophonist Sam Gendel are behind Clown Core, a surrealist musical duo of two anonymous clowns who blend grindcore, jazz, and electronic music.<ref name="cali">{{Cite web |last=Kuhn |first=Sarena |date=October 17, 2020 |title=Clown Core's 'Van' is artful absurdity |url=https://www.dailycal.org/2020/10/07/clown-cores-van-is-artful-absurdity/ |access-date=2021-11-11 |website=The Daily Californian}}</ref><ref name="spin"/>
==Artistry==
=== Style and writing === Cole is a classically trained jazz musician and multi-instrumentalist who plays drums, keyboards, guitar and bass, sings, and produces his material.<ref name="allaboutjazz">{{Cite web |last=Sidran |first=Leo |date=November 18, 2020 |title=Who Is Louis Cole |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/who-is-louis-cole-louis-cole |access-date=2021-11-11 |website=All About Jazz}}</ref><ref name="bestfit"/><ref name="spin">{{Cite web |last=Burks |first=Tosten |date=April 5, 2019 |title=Louis Cole Jam Sessions Look Fun As Hell |url=https://www.spin.com/2019/04/louis-cole-jam-sessions-look-fun-as-hell/ |access-date=2021-11-11 |website=Spin}}</ref> His work contains elements from a diverse range of music genres such as jazz, funk, pop, avant-garde, electronic, lo-fi (early) and grindcore (with Clown Core).<ref name="bestfit"/><ref name="usc"/><ref name="cali"/> Cole is a "bedroom" musician who does not like working in a professional recording studio.<ref name="passionweiss"/> He practices drums for four hours a day, and writes music for seven hours a day. Cole feels his mission is to write his own favorite music, and he "never [tries] to make [his] music accessible to anyone."<ref name="bestfit"/> He is known for using strange and counterintuitive chord progressions.<ref name="pitchfork"/> His lyrics often include humor and vulgarity, and his music features home-made videos. Cole is more creative during the early hours of the day, and documents this phenomenon on his song, "The Weird Part of the Night".<ref name="bestfit"/>
=== Influences === Cole's influences include his father, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, The Beach Boys, Boards of Canada, Nate Wood, The Beatles, and Skrillex, among others.<ref name="bestfit"/><ref name="passionweiss"/><ref name="allaboutjazz"/> Cole is also influenced by science fiction and video game sounds and visuals, and notes that the music of classic Nintendo games and ''Tron'' shaped Knower's aesthetic:
{{Cquote|"That music really dug its way deep into my developing brain. There are a lot of imaginative chord changes, pretty melodies, heavy funk grooves, modulations, insane synth trumpet hits and really cool sounds in those games. I still, to this day, strive to include those kinds of things in my music."|author=Louis Cole<ref name="usc"/>}}
Cole is best friends with Thundercat, who has called him "one of Los Angeles's greatest musicians".<ref name="npr">{{Cite web |last=Shapiro |first=Ari |date=November 19, 2020 |title=Play It Forward: Thundercat Eases Loneliness With Trippy Music |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/936186995 |access-date=2021-11-11 |website=NPR}}</ref><ref name="brick">{{Cite web |last=Roller |first=Emma |date=April 12, 2021 |title=Monday Song: I Love Louis Cole |url=https://thebrick.house/monday-song-i-love-louis-cole/ |access-date=2021-11-11 |website=The Brick House Cooperative}}</ref> Flying Lotus has also expressed admiration for Cole on Twitter, calling him "super inspirational" during the writing of his album ''Flamagra''.<ref name="flylo">{{Cite tweet |number=1246168083107950592 |user=flyinglotus |title=I love Louis Cole. I love Louis too. He's crazy. All the stories told n this song are true. Louis was actually super inspirational to me in Flamagra time. Check him out @louiscole and listen to @KNOWER_music |author=Flying Lotus}}</ref>
== Reception == Bob Mintzer has described Cole as "the paradigm for today's musician".<ref name="usc" /> Will Schube of Passion of the Weiss has compared Cole's "auteur approach" to that of another Los Angeles musician, Ariel Pink.<ref name="passionweiss">{{Cite web |last=Schube |first=Will |date=October 13, 2018 |title=An Interview with Louis Cole |url=https://www.passionweiss.com/2018/10/03/louis-cole-interview/ |access-date=2021-11-11 |website=Passion of the Weiss}}</ref> Emma Roller of The Brick House Cooperative has described Cole as "a dopey yet cerebral jazz composer and percussionist who whaps out brain-meltingly complex beats with Terminator-like precision".<ref name="brick" />
==Discography== ===Studio albums=== '''Solo albums''' {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col" style="width:15em;"| Title ! scope="col" style="width:19em;"| Album details |- ! scope="row"| ''Louis Cole'' | * Released: February 10, 2010 * Label: Self-released * Format: CD, digital download |- ! scope="row"| ''Album 2'' | * Released: March 22, 2011 * Label: Self-released * Format: CD, digital download |- ! scope="row"| ''Time'' | * Released: August 10, 2018 * Label: Brainfeeder * Format: CD, vinyl, digital download, streaming |- ! scope="row"| ''Quality Over Opinion'' | * Released: October 14, 2022 * Label: Brainfeeder * Format: CD, vinyl, digital download, streaming |- ! scope="row"| ''Some Unused Songs'' | * Released: May 11, 2023 * Label: Brainfeeder * Format: digital download, streaming |- ! scope="row"| ''Nothing'' (with Metropole Orkest)<ref>{{Cite web |last=metropole |date=2024-08-09 |title=Louis Cole releases new album 'Nothing' with Metropole Orkest - |url=https://www.mo.nl/en/2024/08/117909 |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=www.mo.nl |language=en-US}}</ref> | * Released: August 9, 2024 * Label: Brainfeeder * Format: CD, vinyl, digital download, streaming |} '''With Knower'''{{Main|Knower (duo)#Discography}}
* ''Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi'' (2010) * ''Think Thoughts'' (2011) * ''Let Go'' (2013) * ''Life'' (2016) * ''Knower Forever'' (2023)
'''With Clown Core'''{{Main|Clown Core#Discography}}
* Clown Core (2010) * Toilet (2018) * Van (2020) * 1234 (2021)
===Live albums=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col" style="width:15em;"| Title ! scope="col" style="width:19em;"| Album details |- ! scope="row"| ''LIVE 2019'' | * Released: July 6, 2020 * Label: Brainfeeder * Format: Digital download, streaming |}
===Extended plays=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col" style="width:15em;"| Title ! scope="col" style="width:19em;"| Details |- ! scope="row"| ''Live Sesh and Xtra Songs'' | * Released: April 5, 2019 * Label: Brainfeeder * Format: Digital download, streaming |}
===Singles=== '''As lead artist''' {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" ! rowspan="1" style="width:20em;" | Title ! rowspan="1" style="width:1em;" | Year ! rowspan="1" style="width:20em;" | Album |- ! scope="row"| "Weird Part of the Night" | 2016 | ''Time'' |- ! scope="row"| "Bank Account" | rowspan=3| 2017 | rowspan=3 {{N/A|Non-album singles}} |- ! scope="row"| "Thinking" |- ! scope="row"| "Blimp" |- ! scope="row"| "Things" | 2018 | ''Time'' |- ! scope="row"| "Doing the Things" | 2019 | {{N/A|Non-album single}} |- ! scope="row"| "Let It Happen" | rowspan=4| 2022 | rowspan=4| ''Quality Over Opinion'' |- ! scope="row"| "I'm Tight" |- ! scope="row"| "Not Needed Anymore" |- ! scope="row"| "Dead Inside Shuffle" |- ! scope="row"| "Things Will Fall Apart" | rowspan=5| 2024 | rowspan=5| ''Nothing'' |- ! scope="row"| "Life" |- ! scope="row"| "These Dreams are Killing Me" |- ! scope="row"| "nothing" |- |} '''As featured artist''' {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" ! rowspan="1" style="width:20em;" | Title ! rowspan="1" style="width:1em;" | Year ! rowspan="1" style="width:20em;" | Album |- ! scope="row"| "The Grid Generation"<br/> {{small|(Cory Wong featuring Louis Cole)}} | 2023 | ''The Lucky One'' |}
===Production and songwriting=== These are writing and production credits for music outside of Knower, Clown Core, or his own solo work.
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" !scope="col" style="width:18em;"|Title !scope="col" style="width:3em;"|Year !scope="col" style="width:15em;"|Artist !scope="col" style="width:18em;"|Album !scope="col" style="width:18em;"|Notes |- ! scope="row"| "Padded Cell" | 2015 | Seal | ''7'' | Co-writer |- | {{n/a}} | 2020 | Jacob Mann | ''106'' | Mastered |}
===Other appearances=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" !scope="col" style="width:18em;"|Title !scope="col" style="width:3em;"|Year !scope="col" style="width:26em;"|Credited artist(s) !scope="col" style="width:18em;"|Album |- ! scope="row"| "Bus in These Streets" | rowspan=2| 2016 | rowspan=2| Thundercat | rowspan=2| ''Drunk'' |- ! scope="row"| "Jameel's Space Ride" |- | {{n/a}} | 2018 | Jacob Mann Big Band | ''Greatest Hits, Vol 2'' |- ! scope="row"| "Tonight" | rowspan=3| 2018 | rowspan=2| Sam Wilkes | rowspan=2| ''Wilkes'' |- ! scope="row"| "Descending" |- ! scope="row"| "It Gets Funkier IV" | Vulfpeck<br/> {{small|(featuring Louis Cole)}} | ''Hill Climber'' |- ! scope="row"| "Edge of the Cliff" | rowspan=3| 2020 | rowspan=2| Genevieve Artadi | rowspan=2| ''Dizzy Strange Summer'' |- ! scope="row"| "Hope Song" |- ! scope="row"| "Hits!" | Henry Solomon and Logan Kane | |- | {{n/a}} | rowspan=2| 2023 | Genevieve Artadi | ''Forever Forever'' |- ! scope="row"| "Mad Hope" | Gen Hoshino | ''Lighthouse'' |- ! scope="row"| "The End of Time" | 2025 | Darren Korb | ''Hades II'' ''Original Soundtrack'' |- | colspan="11" style="font-size: 8pt" |"—" denotes he wasn't on one song, but an entire album. |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{YouTube|u=louiscolemusic}} * {{Twitter|LouisColeMusic}} * {{Bandcamp|louiscole}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Louis}} Category:Jazz-funk musicians Category:American electronic musicians Category:American pop musicians Category:American funk musicians Category:American male drummers Category:American jazz drummers Category:American keyboardists Category:American male singer-songwriters Category:Jazz-pop musicians Category:Living people Category:American music YouTubers Category:American male jazz composers Category:21st-century American jazz composers Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Brainfeeder artists Category:Ninja Tune artists Category:Jazz-pop drummers Category:YouTubers from Los Angeles Category:Drummers from Los Angeles Category:21st-century American male composers Category:21st-century American multi-instrumentalists