There’s something about Col3trane that slips through the cracks of easy definition—like mercury in motion, always shifting, never still. The London-born artist Cole Basta carries a sound that bends genres at will, folding R&B’s smoky allure into hip-hop’s cadence, laced with the kind of alternative edge that keeps you guessing. From his early SoundCloud days to international stages, he’s never played by the rules, and that’s exactly what makes him magnetic.
As we sit down to talk, there’s an ease to his presence—disarming, unhurried, but undeniably sharp. He speaks like he makes music: fluid, intentional, laced with a quiet confidence. And beneath it all, there’s a deep understanding of his craft, a reverence for those who paved the way, and an urgency to carve out something entirely his own. This is Col3trane—not just an artist but an architect of feeling, a curator of soundscapes that linger long after the music stops.
Q: First, let’s start with the meaning of Hamartia. What does it mean to you personally, and how does it relate to this EP and chapter in your life?
A: The most straightforward way to describe it is that Hamartia comes from Greek tragedy—a character's fatal flaw. In Romeo and Juliet, their hamartia is their love for each other because it ultimately leads to their downfall. In modern terms, it’s your red flags—the characteristics that might lead to your detriment.
I’m still figuring it out, but memory is one thing I touch on in the EP. I have a really bad or very selective memory. I often don’t remember things people tell me I’ve done or said, which can really mess with my perception of reality.
Q: So you feel like a victim of your own memory?
A: Definitely. I tell people I have a bad memory, but then I’ll remember the most niche, irrelevant details. It’s like my memory is working against me sometimes.
Q: Collaboration is a central part of your artistic process. How do you choose who to work with, and what do you look for in a creative partner?
A: First and foremost, I have to be a fan. I have to love what you do. But beyond that, collaboration is a close, intimate process, and I don’t like it to feel transactional. I’m grateful that everyone I’ve worked with is someone I can call and have an honest conversation with.
For example, Eric the Architect—I probably spent more time with him last year than with my grandparents. That’s real. Same with Chase—I’m a fan first, and then we linked up, and his whole team is cool. It just felt natural. I have to be able to break bread with someone.
Q: Speaking of collaboration, Crocodile Tears is a gorgeous song. Walk me through how it came together.
A: I actually wrote that song before Chase was on it. I had the first verse and chorus, and I made it with my boys Alex and Rayo one especially cold night in London. I was fed up with life at that moment, and I channelled that feeling into the song.
Then, I met Chase a couple of months later. We were in the studio, played each other some music, and when I played him Crocodile Tears, he jumped on it immediately. The version you hear now is basically what happened that night. Chase is so talented—he works in a different way from me, and that’s inspiring.
Q: Let’s talk about Trane of Thought. It’s a great name. Did you spend a long time thinking about it?
A: Honestly, I don’t even remember how that name came about. My memory is proving to be my hamartia here.
Q: Your EP’s narratives feel very cinematic. Do you visualize scenes when you write? What’s your creative process?
A: I love dramatic things—movies, art, music. My process changes all the time because if it stayed the same, it would get boring. I write a lot—memories, cool phrases, voice notes, and anything meaningful. Then I go into the studio, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Q: Would you say that’s how Memory Game came about as well?
A: Yeah, that one was crazy. I went into the studio, heard the sample, and the first verse and chorus just flowed out in about 10 minutes. I didn’t even write it down.
I didn’t know what the song was about at the time, but when I listened to it later, it was obvious—it was about my memory and how it affects my life. That realisation shook me because I had no idea when I wrote it.
Q: Your music blends personal stories with broader cultural themes. As an Egyptian artist, what messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
A: I love that music can be interpreted in so many ways. People will come up to me and say, “This song was the soundtrack to my relationship,” and in my head, I’m like, That’s a somber song. But it doesn’t matter what I intended—what matters is that they took something from it.
Q: What are your favourite songs from your own catalogue?
A: That’s tough. But hearing you say Malibu Sleep and Someone to Watch Over Me means a lot—those are deep cuts. Malibu Sleep is really sad, though. If you really listen to the lyrics, I was not in a good place.
Q: How do you balance staying authentic while expanding to a global audience?
A: I think because my background is so mixed—Egyptian and American, but growing up in London—it doesn’t feel like I have to try to balance it. London is such a melting pot of cultures, and I’ve always pulled from different influences.
That said, LA is an easy place to get lost in. You just need good people around you. I’m lucky to have family that will keep me grounded.
Q: What’s the last dream you remember?
A: Oh, wow. Hold on, let me check my messages—I sent this one to my friend.
Okay, so I dreamed that my friend George was throwing a party with loads of water balloons… That’s about all that made sense.
Q: That’s wild. Dreams never actually make sense, though.
A: Right? It’s always something inexplicable happening, and you’re just stuck in it.
Q: Lastly, what’s next for you?
A: Right now, it’s just me, but I want to expand Train of Thought into something bigger—maybe sign artists I believe in and help them navigate the industry. That’s one of my goals this year.
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CREDITS
Photographer - Peter O’Sullivan
@peterosullivan_
Art direction and fashion - kwamena @kwamxna
Producer - Seneo Mwamba @seneomwamba
Co Director - Co-Director: Zekaria Al-Bostani - @zek.snaps
Fashion Assistant: loly and co - @lolyndco
Makeup Artist- Maryam Sofia
@maryamsofia_
Creative Assistant - Whitney sanni @its.whit_
Writer - Thandie Sibanda @thanddd
Studio - Blankboxstudio @Blankboxstudio
*Styling Credits*
look 1: jacket - daily paper (@dailypaper), top - guess originals (@guessoriginals), bottoms - hadisa ahmad (@fa_hadisa_), footwear - clarks (@clarksoriginals)
look 2: jacket and bottoms - daily paper (@dailypaper), top - true religion (@truereligion), footwear - clarks (@clarksoriginals)
look 3: jacket - napapijri (@napapijri), top - meyba (@meybaofficial), bottoms - guess (@guess), footwear - dr martens (@drmartensofficial)
pr companies: future brand thinking (@futurebrandthinking), agency eleven (@agencyeleven), exposure (@exposurelondon), rich london (@richlondon___)
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