Meet Pool Cosby

Come hear the terrific sounds of Jacuzzi Jefferson, Kevin Kuh, and Otto Botté. This NYC based group of musicians pull through numerous collaborators in every endeavor making for an incredibly unique sound. For fans of electronic and neo-soul Pool Cosby is the perfect way to ride out the rest of the summer. Get to know them a little better and listen to their tunes in our latest interview.

A self-portrait by Pool Cosby:

Would You Rather

shrink five times your actual size, or grow one hundred times your actual size? What would you do?

JJ: I would grow a hundred times. It would make commuting a lot faster and I imagine the view would be great.

KK: I think I'd grow a hundred times too and then go climb some big mountains like Everest or just lay in a big lake like it was pool! 4

OB: Definitely grow a hundred times, I would simply explore the outdoors more, something I barely do. There's so much beauty and patterns we can't perceive due to simple optics, I think it could even change my life's purpose.

Some questions with Rodes Rollins

If you could cover the score of any film which would it be? Why?

JJ: I'd pick 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.' I love how minimal it gets

KK: Though it uses a lot of Jónsi's original music, I absolutely love the score for 'We Bought a Zoo.' There's something about how emotional the music gets that I'm so drawn to and I really love how his music combines these organic orchestrations with electronic elements. All the harmonies and textures are just gorgeous.

OB: It was hard to pick one but 'The Meyerowitz Stories' New York inspired piano score is brilliant. They were able to capture the essence of an 8 million people city and its history in 30-50 sec sound pieces. That's a good skill to have, I'd be down to study it.

Your project is unique in that there is no set vocalist, but instead a wide range of collaborations. What led you to this kind of creative process?

JJ: When we first started this project we didn't intend to have lead vocals on any songs and then as we evolved we started collaborating with vocalists. I like working with guest vocals because every song on an album could sound different and the production ends up being the thread that ties the songs together to make something cohesive.

KK: I second JJ! I'll add that I think in working with so many different people, we've also had the opportunity to build a really interesting and diverse network of collaborators that always bring something unique to the table. I think that really inspires us to think outside the box and keeps us on our toes.

OB: I think NYC's DNA is embedded in this project's, a city where people come and go, with a vision and hunger to tell their story, create impact, and push forward. In a way, I think we created a canvas, a platform where other creatives we look up to can do just that. All are welcome.

What is the process like choosing who to collaborate with on a new track?

All: We really try not to box ourselves in with too many restrictions and allow collaborations to happen naturally. Sometimes we link up with friends of ours in the studio and other times we reach out to singers and rappers that we admire. There are a few vocalists who we didn't meet in person until after the vocals were recorded.

Is there a piece of gear that you have been really into lately?

JJ: Recently I've really been into using the SP-404 to play out percussion and add effects.

KK: I've been really digging into ways to utilize the Line 6 DL4's looping functions. I love that pedal. It can do so much and I've been having fun plugging different sounds and instruments into it.

OB: I'm still uncovering how much I can do with my Barefoot speakers. They have completely redefined my workflow from writing to mastering, I just get to envision how much further I can push any sound, simply because I understand more about it. Any speaker allows you to hear audio, my Barefoots enable me to understand it.

If you could give one animal species (besides people) the ability to fly which would it be? Why?

JJ: Penguins. I feel like that's reasonable.

KK: I think I'd go with Whales! I love sitting under the whale at the Museum of Natural History in NYC, it'd be so cool to see a pod of whales fly over you.

OB: Jellyfish cause Joe and Kev already mentioned the dopest ones. As a species, they are so wildly diverse in habitat, color, and size. I can just imagine clouds filled with shoals of glowing Jellyfish.

How do you usually translate your sound to a live performance?

All: We have the flexibility to expand or strip down our live setup. When it makes sense we have played with a small string ensemble, trumpet, full drum kit, DJ set up, and many guest vocalists. For smaller venues or club gigs, we can have just a DJ, electric violin, and SPD drum sampler set up.

How have you been keeping the project’s creative momentum going during quarantine?

JJ: We often work separately and send each other parts so quarantine hasn't really interrupted our workflow. We have a lot of new music as a result of being quarantined and having more time.

KK: Quaratine's also given us the chance to explore some new sounds, instruments, and production techniques. That, and just listening to a lot of music has been super inspiring.

OB: Quarantine became such a busy time to get as many ideas as possible going down the production assembly line, it's been a fun challenge pivoting and wearing different hats to get things wrapped up. I also got to dive deep into cleaning out the mental closet and revise what's been working and what hasn't - all-around writing, production, engineering, and business.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

All: Thank you for having us for the interview! Go check out our latest album 'Day Breaks' available everywhere! There are a ton of amazing features and we're really proud of this record. We have a lot of new music coming as well and we are excited to share it with people. We are cooking up the next Pool release, a bunch of remixes for friends, and our own solo projects.