What's Louis Cole Listening To?

Album picks from the electro-funk/pop multi-instrumentalist.

May 07, 2025

Musician/drummer/producer Louis Cole is a solo artist. He’s one-half of electro-funk/pop duo Knower. He’s performed with David Binney, Thundercat, Vulfpeck and more. He’s tearing up the streets in a clown costume (unconfirmed). Across each project, Cole adds his trademark sound - poppy melodies, video-game synths, lo-fi production, and metronomically precise but-still-funky drumming.

Click here for a Youtube playlist of Cole’s music.

Amoeba Records invited Cole to pick out some albums. If you haven’t seen the series, Amoeba invites guests to share their record picks with viewers, sort of like digging through your favorite artist’s record collection. Cole picked out nine albums across genres from electronic, funk, soul, jazz, and classical. He spoke about his favorite artist when he was five years old, learning music from his Dad, and why Nate Wood is one of the best drummers alive.

I’ve learned that finding out who your favorite bands and musicians are listening to gives you a better understanding of their music. Seeing Louis Cole’s album picks helped me understand his musical source code. Each record has an identifiable piece of DNA in Cole’s own music.

Let’s take a look and see what we can learn from what Louis Cole’s listening to.

What’s In Louis Cole’s Bag?

Hi Scores, Boards Of Canada [1996].

“This has one of my favorite songs of all time.”

This downtempo release from electronic duo Boards of Canada includes one of Cole’s favorite songs, Nlogax, which starts slow then builds on layered chords and emotions. The rest of the record has similar unassuming melancholic melodies which morph into something darker. Hi Scores, with it’s simple beats and harmonic ear candy, sounds perfect for a late 90s hacker/thriller movie.

Duo, Charlie Hunter & Leon Parker [1999].

“Charlie Hunter’s one of the best ever.”

If you’re unfamiliar with guitarist Charlie Hunter, you might be surprised to learn that there’s only two musicians on this record. Hunter’s hybrid instrument enables him to play both guitar and bass simultaneously. You might recognize Hunter’s playing from D’Angelo’s Voodoo. Hunter and drummer Leon Parker bring a jazz/funk sensibility to an assortment of originals and standards used as starting points for improvisatory departures. From the shuffle of Belief to the rhythmic exploration of Calypso for Grandpa, the pair find a smooth, funky cohesion that only a duo of this sort can achieve. (I’d love to hear a Charlie Hunter/Louis Cole collaboration).

Symphony: Mathis der Maler, Paul Hindemith, et al.

“It’s got some of the best harmony I’ve ever heard.”

Cole’s solo music usually involves horns, winds, and recently released an album with the Metropole Orkest so it makes sense he’s listening to classical composers like Paul Hindemith. The German composer included this symphony in his opera Mathis der Maler about renaissance painter Matthias Grünewald. Each movement of the symphony depicts tableaus from Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece. The Nazis banned Hindemith’s music so it wasn’t until 1938 in Zurich that the opera was staged. Grünewald too faced persecution for his art making Hindemith’s piece a moving, triumphant journey of artistic expression.

Speak Like A Child, Herbie Hancock [1968].

“I remember my dad would listen to it.”

On this Blue Note release Hancock’s rhythm section includes Ron Carter on bass, Mickey Roker on drums accompanied by an unusual horn section of alto flute, bass trombone and flugelhorn. The result is a mix of hard-bop soloing, as on Riot, written by Hancock and originally recorded with Miles Davis on Nefertiti, and silkier arrangements like Speak Like A Child and Goodbye to Childhood. Cole said digs the horn arrangements.

“He was an emergency room doctor who also played music…he’s the reason I know anything about music… I'd play drums while he'd play piano…he had like the biggest record collection so that's kind of my musical education.” - Louis Cole on his dad.

Songs In The Key Of Life, Stevie Wonder [1976].

“My favorite artist when I was five.”

What else can be said about this album that hasn’t already been said? Wonder calls it his best work and it’s widely considered to be one of the best of all time. Wonder nearly quit music before spending two years working on it. This double record covers the range of Wonder’s talent from hits like Sir Duke, I Wish, and Isn’t She Lovely to the emotional Village Ghetto Land and introspective If It’s Magic. With some help from Herbie Hancock, George Benson, and Minnie Ripperton, the album is an enveloping, sonic playground which years later still sounds fresh and creative. If you’re familiar with Cole’s solo music, you’ve likely noticed his Wonder-like vocal work.

Total Eclipse, Billy Cobham [1974].

“Amazing drummer but also I really love his writing.”

Powerhouse jazz-fusion drummer Billy Cobham takes us on a frenetic, funky, soulful trip through the cosmos on this release. Perhaps best known for his work with Mahavishnu Orchestra, this was Cobham’s third record as a bandleader, joined by John Abercrombie and the Brecker brothers. There’s some groovy moments in between the frenetic spasms of Solarization and the head-nodding funk of the title track. Cobham concludes the record with a drum solo piece. Cobham’s syncopated ghost notes and heavy backbeat left an impression on Cole’s own drumming style.

Live-Evil, Miles Davis [1971].

“I love the ballads on this album.”

Miles Davis always pushed the envelope. Following his explorations into jazz-rock fusion with Bitches Brew and Tribute to Jack Johnson, Live-Evil combines recordings from a 1970 live performance and studio takes. Cole notes the ballads written by percussionist Hermeto Pascoal, including Little Church and Selim, subtle departures from the energetic and avant-fusion jams of Sivad and Funky Tonk. Miles and Pascoal are joined by an all-star cast of musicians including Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, Gary Bartz, Dave Holland, Keith Jarrett, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, John McLaughlin, and Airto Moreira.

Mysteries/Shades, Keith Jarrett [1976].

“Keith Jarrett’s one of the greatest pianists.”

As Cole notes, pianist Keith Jarrett is considered one of the best, known for improvising entire concerts as well as his virtuosic playing in bop, free jazz, and classical. This pair of Impulse releases feature Jarrett’s ‘American quartet’ of bassist Charlie Haden, drummer Paul Motion, saxophonist Dewey Redman, with percussionist Guilherme Franco. Mysteries/Shades explore nearly every facet of Jarrett’s vocabulary, from the swingin’ Shades of Jazz to ballad Rose Petals to the ‘out there’ Diatribe and Flame.

You Can Have Your Moment, Kneebody [2010].

“I had to get this because Nate Wood is on drums.”

This is a high compliment coming from Cole, who frequently collaborates with Wood. Cole has undeniably copped Wood’s precision and Keith Carlock-esque fills on the drums. On You Can Have Your Moment, jazz quartet Kneebody sounds like Mark Guiliana’s Beat Music meets Snarky Puppy, showcasing the gamut of the band’s harmonic wall of sound with Nate Wood’s solid musical playing and orchestration on the drum kit keeping it all grounded. Wood currently plays bass and drums at the same time in Kneebody; also check out his project Four.

You might have noticed a pattern in Cole’s record picks. Rich harmonics, complex arrangements, singable melodies, combined with pop and electronic sensibilities, and of course some badass drumming. That’s Louis Cole, from his solo records, to Knower, to sideman work, Cole’s managed to create his own identifiable sound, drawing on a wide musical knowledge spurred from his dad’s record collection and love for good music no matter the genre.

So when you want to learn more about the music you love, go back and listen to what your favorite artists are listening to. But don’t stop there! If Louis Cole is listening to Boards of Canada, Stevie Wonder and Kneebody, who were they listening to? Who influenced them? When you trace the musical lineage from one artist to the next you discover the evolution of your favorite music, and the list goes on and on.

Happy listening!

-Keith