KNOWER: funky, quirky electro duo with jazz chops Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi

Just saw a video somebody posted of their recent New Year's Eve show at Irving Plaza and I got hooked. Some prior discussion here which I will probably c+p
left field prog (roughly)

the band that plays "prog" that I like the most is called Knower, from LA. It's like prog for people who grew up with Max Tundra -- all over the place production-wise, very fast, quick changes, but firmly rooted in the sonic pallete of techno, dubstep, electro, etc. They also have similarities to a Danish group called Oh No Ono, but they are more straight out prog rock, perhaps with Cardiacs edges

the link above actually reminds me a bit of sleepytime gorilla museum

― Dominique, Monday, March 24, 2014 5:56 PM (four years ago)

Bass player recently posted a video from Knower's New Year's Eve gig at Irving Plaza and it brought me to this thread. Need to investigate more.

― Spirit of the Voice of the Beehive (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, January 5, 2019 8:24 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

https://music.usc.edu/louis-cole-and-knower/

― Spirit of the Voice of the Beehive (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, January 5, 2019 8:26 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

https://www.facebook.com/marcopanascia/videos/10209934071308381/

― Spirit of the Voice of the Beehive (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, January 5, 2019 8:28 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

knower are goddamn classic, louis cole put out a solo record this year that i would've nommed if there weren't also so many other great records to nom!

― errang (rushomancy), Saturday, January 5, 2019 8:58 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol i never would have expected this to be the thread to hide knower discussion, they're really pretty cool but i've never really thought of them as prog, just synth funk that's very heavy on their jazz chops

― ufo, Sunday, January 6, 2019 4:32 AM (nine hours ago) Bookmark

half of me loves this band unreservedly and the other half wishes they were a little more consistent. but man they're so good. louis cole is a genius imo. saw them on a bill w kamasai washington + 'vulfpeck' (blehh) @ red rocks last year, good fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2wtxFMhcrY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zH9Zca1vRM

lol, I was listening to wrong band and thinking wtf is this shite. There is another Knower with a track entitled Butts Tits Money which isn't the one this thread is talking about.

no, that's the same knower! it's, uh, slightly sarcastic i think?

i missed hearing oh no ono, caribou has a remix of one of their tracks, great stuff!

I wish I liked this lot more. As it is, can be filed alongside Clarence Clarity in the 'so many ideas, so little emotional effect' category for me

And like Iglooghost

And maybe Palm although I actively loathe Palm and don't think they have any ideas worth discussing

i will never understand where you find the time to actively loathe as much music as you do

I thought you liked it on the other thread!

There is something cold and robotic and seemingly a little dumbed down yet bursting out all over the place with KNOWER that usually I would resist but here they seem to get the exact right mix to achieve cyborg vitality.

My impression is that Louis Cole's solo stuff has gotten much more popular than Knower, is that true?

He/they are obviously super talented (and he's a great drummer). But there's something about it bothers me, and it's very much present in the young music school kids I know who love it (and Vulfpeck, etc). Like, there's nothing wrong with having a sense of humor, but it's this combination of being super serious about chops and being able to play at a high level, with simultaneously needing to make it into a joke and maintain an ironic distance. Maybe it feels necessary to undercut the virtuosity, or maybe it has to do with how white kids are now dealing with their love of jazz and funk, idk.

Good post. Can’t speak to your first remark about Louis’s popularity, but it seems possible.

i don't really feel that, them + stuff like badbadnotgood etc,are trying to be fun touring bands not respect worthy conservatory acts. for these nerdy chopsy types i don't really know if there are a lot of options for how to 'be cool' other than just trying to give ppl a novelty party while yr blasting through yr sick synth basslines

also louis has had some dece profile collabs under his name I.e. thundercat, and it's a little tricky telling someone 'I've been listening to this band, knower, you know like no-er, like someone who knows something?' etc.

Idk, badbadnotgood started with silly videos and EDM jams, but now seem to be demonstrating taste and restraint at every opportunity?

Thundercat is definitely in the conversation though, as far as fusion shredding + self-deprecating lyrics.

xp

maybe memes are just the point of entry I dunno. could see a more serious direction for cole. he already does some stuff with like snarky puppy

him + Genevieve i mean, not to discount her cos she's great too. Cole just seems to be the driving musical force

louis cole's solo album was crazy irritating to me, in the same way that thundercat's drunk was. i'd make more time for their stuff if they left out the dumb jokes (like thundercat in his pre-drunk work). that said, gonna check Knower out, if only cause all my musician friends keep begging me to.

I hate Snarky Puppy, definitely not recommending them as an aesthetic alternative.

Yeah another thumbs down for Snarky Puppy

wfbo

i definitely feel like louis cole is somebody who could easily go full-on les claypool, but he hasn't crossed the Wacky Event Horizon for me just yet.

I kinda like these guys but there's something a little too twee about them, almost a "hint of Pomplamoose" if you will

I wasn’t going to tell you, but I think they even did a collabo with the ‘Moose.

;_;

The Pomplamoose/Patreon dude has a YouTube-based funk band that sucks in all these good L.A. musicians.

;_;

back in the '90s in louisville i used to like this mmw-style jazz trio (i can't even remember their name right now, but they were good) who went on tour backing up days of the new

i'm not going to declare anybody dead to me for playing with skerik or pomplamoose or anybody, really, as long as they're not going on tour with fascists

I like that regular KNOWER bass player Sam Wilkes.

FWIW I almost like Vulfpeck, but there's something that always strikes me as a little bit necrophiliac about painstakingly recreating sounds from another era.

at times they sound almost EXACTLY like Stuff

Vulfpeck is so fucking terrible, like some horrid anticeptic corny indie fuxx take on the Meters

they make my skin crawl

the way they always make those "we're taking the piss" faces, and it's like, sorry I spent a year in jazz school and I know you guys practice 7 hours a day. You don't practice 7 hours a day to take the piss.

FWIW I almost like Vulfpeck, but there's something that always strikes me as a little bit necrophiliac about painstakingly recreating sounds from another era.

― longtime caller, first time listener (man alive)

haven't heard vulfpeck, but i like the stuff on colemine records, which seems to be pretty much about that. i'm not necrophiliac but i do sometimes wish i was dead, if that counts.

yeah, it was a thought that formed watching Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings (who were still 100x better than Vulfpeck) -- not so much Sharon herself, who was incredibly when she was alive, as the backing band, who are great but creep me out a little.

at times they sound almost EXACTLY like Stuff

Yeah, as in Steve Gadd and Stuff

Do you mean like Cornell Dupree, that Stuff?

I enjoy Vulfpeck, even though there's a lot about their 'thing' that's definitely annoying, but at least they try to balance it out by featuring session legends (Sandra Crouch, James Gadson, Michael Bland, David T. Walker, etc), those Holy Trinities videos, etc.

lol, yes, as in Gordon Edwards, Cornell Dupree, Richard Tee, Eric Gale, Chris Parker and Steve Gadd. I think Vulfpeck sound a ton like them on some songs.

They're very tight and good musicians and I kind of feel like they could be better if they could escape the schtick zone, but I guess it's working for them.

They're so canny it hurts, from the early Spotify silent album to the 'live video for every song' thing leading up to only dropping the album once X number of vinyl pre-orders come in, etc.

https://i0-wp-com.cdn.ampproject.org/i/s/i0.wp.com/musicaficionado.blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Stuff.jpg?resize=600%2C481&ssl=1
That Stuff

Which I found here: https://musicaficionado.blog/2017/10/24/carla-bleys-band-1976-1984/

We don't have a Stuff thread as far as I know but I was just wondering how old Chris Parker was when he started with them, twelve? Also where he and Steve Gadd double drumming or switching off?

Saw thread for first time, was going to paste link to his archived set from NPR's Toast of the Nation New Year's Eve 2021--but he's the only leader who hasn't allowed Toast post---anyway, here's the playlist he did provide (maybe this [big band and trio] set is or will be available elsewhere):
SET 5 OF 5
Louis Cole
Courtesy of the artist
Louis Cole leads one of the most irreverent, fun, and brilliant jazz big bands on the scene today. But don't let the good times fool you, his arrangements are as intricate as they are funky. The multi-instrumentalist (drums, keys, and vocals) leads his 15-piece ensemble (all wearing skeleton costumes) in dance halls recorded in Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and Paris.

Set List:

"Things" (Performed by the Louis Cole Big Band)
"Bank Account" (Performed by the Louis Cole Big Band)
"Park Your Car On My Face" (Performed by the Louis Cole Trio)
"Everytime" (Performed by the Louis Cole Trio)
"Last Time You Went Away" (Performed by the Louis Cole Big Band)
"My Buick" (Performed by the Louis Cole Big Band)
"Thinking" (Performed by the Louis Cole Big Band)
Musicians: Louis Cole Trio: Louis Cole, drums, keys, vocals; Chris Fishman, piano, keys; Nate Wood, drums, bass

All songs written, arranged, and mixed by Louis Cole.

Big Band? Seems that collaboration with the WDR Big Band 2y ago worked out well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4joyxzVmj6c

I haven't properly checked out Knower yet, but Genevieve Artadi sings lead on Zach Phillips' "Know What" which according to Spotify was my most-played track of 2021. A gorgeous piece of smooth avant-jazz pop:
https://soundcloud.com/constantine-zp/zach-phillips-know-what-with-genevieve-artadi

I found a lot to love on this Genevieve Artadi album: https://genevieveartadi.bandcamp.com/album/dizzy-strange-summer

"I'm Tight" has gotten its hooks deep in me, though I definitely get why some folks find this kind of thing unbearable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9XrWB-u1vc

Like I usually can't stand semi-ironic white-guy funk, but this just fuckin' goes.

yeah I mean I am a confirmed hater of all Colliercore-adjacent music and Cole has only ever infuriated me before, but this is quite cool, it actually isn't as flashy as the previous stuff by him I've seen and that's probably why it passes the bearable threshold

I’ve been a little bit obsessed with the song and video for a few weeks, but I have enjoyed some of Louis Cole’s music previously. I even made a radio-friendly edit to play on my show this month.

I always quite like it when the YouTube algorithm serves me this “live” version of Overtime from several years back:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnEmD17kYsE

difference between cole and collier is that cole knows how to have fun

haven't heard vulfpeck, but i like the stuff on colemine records, which seems to be pretty much about that. i'm not necrophiliac but i do sometimes wish i was dead, if that counts.

― errang (rushomancy)

thank you thread revive for reminding me that no matter how shitty i feel now things were so, so much worse Before

just such a desperately unhappy human being

It's an interesting Louis Cole album where the ballads are the real stand-outs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SQ7Fi6SnO0

It also feels weird to listen to his music without seeing it being played, and it feels weird that it feels weird

One track in and I'm hooked.

Oh damn, glad to see "Planet X" in the tracklist!

Given that he's most known as a drummer, I like how radically simple the drumming is on many of the tracks

Man, "Bitches" goes hard

I fucking love this

"Outer Moat Behavior" is, more or less, Kerri Chandler at double-speed

clearly an insane talent but I find this stuff completely unlistenable

That describes Björk's last two albums to a T

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuhe1CpHRxY

Bumping because this is a jam

Finally got me to click so yeah.

A friend offered to give me one of his tickets to see Louis Cole so I went last night.

It was not *exactly* my thing but there was plenty of ridiculous musicianship for the jazz nerd in me. He has an other drummer/bass player (Nate Wood) whose drumming I actually liked better than his. His keyboard player, Chris Fishman, was insanely good. There were moments when it felt a little too much like one of those drummer expo bands (like Keith Carlock with some rando hired guns and synth programming), and others where you could squint and think you were at a Spyro Gyra concert. They were never not showing off.

Genevieve was the opener and I didn’t like most of her set, frenetic and “weird” a way that felt forced. I liked her on the Cole songs she sang on though.

Nate Wood is a legend, he's so frighteningly good. Although I can't imagine listening to his Four music (one person/octopus band) apart from watching the video. Kinda similar to Louis Cole actually, but LC has some good songs that stands on their own.

Yeah he had a few songs in the set that were relatively catchy/memorable for songs I had never heard before. He did just enough to keep it interesting and keep it from devolving into full blown music school circle jerk. Plus there was a palpable energy and vibe to the band as a whole, locked in really well together.

Been checking out some of the recorded stuff, it’s pretty strong overall but the weak link is his singing voice - just sounds thin and strained.

Yeah

Yeah, I don't love his voice

Feel like a thin, strained voice a much bigger problem than other kinds of unusual, unconventional, possibly unpleasant-sounding voices. See the recent Jonathan Richman discussion on controversial opinions.

Some of the songs could really be bangers with better vocals. I’d like to see him produce for other people or have more guest vocals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv83lZfp7Zg

(Listened to some Jacob Collier again recently and ... any misgivings I have about Louis Cole's voice are more or less gone now.)

Got tickets for the London Knower show at Koko

Jacob Collier, lol. How could someone so good be so bad?

Talent ≠ taste?

And yet, when they do match up, it's the best thing in the world

idk, i feel like "taste" in this sense _can_ be a talent. cole being able to reach an audience that would find jacob collier cringe is...

well, i guess not a talent, but a _skill_, cole has a _skill_ that collier doesn't

Taste in fashion is often boiled down to "before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory." Collier's problem is that he looks in the mirror and then adds everything else he sees in the mirror that's not already on his person. I listened to his version of Stevie Wonder's "You and I" hoping his reverence for Wonder would find him exercising some restraint and respect; nope, it's just hat-on-a-hat-on-a-hat-on-a-hat-on-a-hat embellishment.

Anyway, Cole's awesome, knows where the line is, and falls on the right side of it almost every time

Knower autumn tour cancelled, hope Louis is OK.

Damn

https://www.instagram.com/p/C86XJ4PuRsu/

Ugh

Got this in the email about the date reschdule :

Statement from the artist:

I am sorry for the change. My nervous system is dysregulated right now and I need time to heal. I can’t play drums right now and will need some time before I’m able to play them again.

- Louis Cole

Huh, I hadn't read about "nervous system dysregulation" until now. Seems like one of those nebulous umbrella "we don't really know" diagnoses, and apparently is often treated with therapy, EMDR, and chilling the fuck out. From interviews he def seems like the type of guy who would push himself way too hard and ignore the fact that he has a corporeal form, hope he can slow down and get healthy.

I never heard of them til this thread a week ago, listened quite a bit since, then boom npr had a piece about the evolution of cole or whatever.

https://www.npr.org/2024/08/13/nx-s1-4969752/with-new-orchestral-music-louis-cole-pulls-magic-out-of-the-air

In happier news:

https://louiscole.bandcamp.com/album/nothing

I watched the youtube version, what an undertaking whether you're into the music or not (considering that he did everything from arranging to mixing).

I kinda love that he got a whole-ass orchestra and still mixed it by himself on his laptop in his signature 'kinda sounds like shit in but that very specific and effective' Louis Cole style.

how am I just hearing about this guy now??? was over at someone's place recently who was obsessed with Louis and Gen, had to ask myself why I'd never heard of them before given how popular they are, dunno if it's gonna be my thing exactly but this absolutely rules. Cole kinda reminds me of Tatsuya Yoshida on the kit sometimes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MP3zbggO3A