SALOMON AND GAUCHOWORLD PARTNER TO CELEBRATE LONDON’S MOVERS WITH THE HELP OF LOUIS CULTURE
Photography by Tom Silvester
As a platform set out to spotlight the ‘Movers’ who have taken talent and taste to elevated levels, we’ve partnered with French sports label Salomon to celebrate our community.
The campaign speaks to the common ground both Salomon and Gauchoworld share, with movement being the foundation and root of creativity in all its forms. It was only right then, that we took this opportunity to spotlight two members of our dynamic community, that represent what this collaboration means – specifically from a musical lens.
Dressed in an outfit that consisted of a shiny black jacket and what must be the world’s most secure trousers – a brown cargo covered in zips and buckles – atop a pair of Salomon XT-6 in a coffee colourway, Louis Culture paraded around in a relatively reserved manner. Earlier that morning, Louis’ latest single ‘Babe’ had dropped. Although it was only a few hours into the day when Louis arrived promptly, it had already made it into my liked songs on Spotify, as I spent my journey to the studio mimicking the ubiquitous trumpet that’s a main feature of the track.
This is the second time I’ve interviewed Louis. The last time was the best part of five years ago, and his journey feels somewhat synonymous and intertwined with Gauchoworld’s, so we spent a lot of time following tangents, allowing the conversation to flow to the weird and wonderful places it was bound to end up. We spoke about growth, and how key movement – and following the rhythm – in his journey as an ever-improving musician, from featuring in our second print issue to being the face of our latest campaign in collaboration with a brand we love.
“My process is very rhythm based,” says Louis. Initially that meant jotting down thoughts on the move, but it now means his process is more studio based, running through a “tick list” in his head, meticulously planning how he’d like to deliver on an instrumental. With that process pretty much locked in, which means tracks like the incredible ‘Babe’ are the standard, it’s a long way away from the days of recording at a Youth centre in Wandsworth Town, where Louis would have two hours to try and lay as many tracks down as possible in that time, with three being the goal number. “It was the training ground for how I make music today, it built the foundation of the studio etiquette I have now – it was a real sword sharpening exercise.”
Now, he’s able to delve into more sounds confidently, and is why he proudly boasts a diverse discography – from more serene tracks like ‘anyway’ all the way to a hard-hitter like ‘Southside Phenomenon’. Speaking on whether there has to be a mental or physical place he goes to make a certain kind of song, Louis tells me it’s simply years of preparation that means there’s no change or switch, just an intrinsic understanding of the desired sound in his mind. “There’s no switching, just trusting that I know what is in the best interest of every song – whether that’s lyrical content or features.”
“For me, movement is integral, particularly when I take to the stage,” Louis says, and when I saw him perform for the first time all those years ago in Bush Hall in west London, there’s always this feeling of a sleeping giant being awoken, whilst maintaining this enviable intimacy with the crowd, regardless of its size. “It’s how I feed the crowd energy, and how they feed it back to me. Whether I’m jumping up and down to more of my more lively tracks, or get low as I perform calmer tracks, there’s this out of body blackout I feel that just allows me to move in the way a setlist demands.”
As his Salomon XT-6s provide comfort to what will be an energetic performance from a usually reserved Louis Culture on October 12th at the Ministry of Sound, it’ll be a moment to remember almost five years on from when he graced the cover of our magazine.
Catch Louis Culture at Ministry of Sound on October 12th HERE.
