Louis Cole has many admirers. To name just a couple: Quincy Jones, who had Cole’s band KNOWER play for his Quincy Jones presents series, and Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chilli Peppers), who loved Cole’s electro-retro-pop single ‘Bank Account’. Cole managed to convince Flying Lotus to sign him on its Brainfeeder label. This makes sense as, like Lotus, Cole has a relationship with jazz that is far more spiritual than academic. ‘The root of jazz is pure freedom,’ says Cole, ‘no limits… just what you’re thinking of right at that moment.’ Louis Cole’s mind is awash with a variety of thoughts as he constantly searches for the melody or hook that will take hold of the audience. Listeners are plunged into a whirlpool of sounds: samba (‘Not Needed Anymore’); lyricism (‘Shallow Laughter’); synthetic metal (‘Bitches’), R&B (‘Message’ with Nate Wood), folk ballads (‘Disappear’) and, finally, electro-funk alongside his faithful companion Genevieve Artadi (‘Don’t Care’). The most impressive aspect of this unique ‘Cole Touch’ is that all these styles work together, even when he raps over a techno BPM (‘Failing in a Cool Way’). ‘This album is a representation of me trying to make the best, most powerful and listenable music I can’, explains the multi-instrumentalist, who certainly succeeds in demonstrating his versatility across many genres. An audacious, spectacular rollercoaster of an album that’s not to be missed. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz