Pedro Winter, Michael Dupouy & So-Me: The Cool Cats | Hypebeast

An Interview with Pedro Winter & Michael Dupouy

Who are the Cool Cats?

Pedro: This is the thing, anyone is a Cool Cat. Me and So-Me are the tag team behind this new mob, but we share lots of interest with a bunch of people from all around the world. So you’re welcome to join the MVMT!

Michael: Like the AristoCats said, “Everybody wants to be a cat, because a cat’s the only cat who knows where its at!”

With so many projects on your plates, how did the concept for the Cool Cats campaign come about?

Pedro: When I launched Ed Banger Records, I did it for fun and without any plans. The label is now 6 years old and it seems like we arrived at a good time, kids were looking for a new label with a different vision of music and a new business model. For Cool Cats, it’s exactly the same, we don’t plan, we do. I feel very lucky to be able to start this new project with my own money and be free. We have no pressure and we’ll take the time we need to make Cool Cats a brand which is not just another brand. I’ve kept saying this since day one, Ed Banger Records is not only a label. I hope we manage to prove it.

Michael: When I was doing the Sold Out website with colette, Ed Banger Records products were always among the biggest hits. I was convinced that Pedro and So-Me could do something stronger, focusing and dedicating quality time to it. We talked about it and decided to team up and join forces, expertise and creativity.

What were your initial expectations for the site?

Pedro: Expectations? All I was asking was for the site to be online and work! If your talking about numbers, I had no idea, but I can tell you we were surprised, in a good way. We asked our good friend, Michael from La MJC, to be the adviser, he knows his business and got that extra thing that marketing nerds don’t have, he is passionate. With him on board, I am confident, so I leave expectations to the bank people, me again, I do stuff.

Michael: I’m ambitious. I want Cool Cats to be on the cover of Time Magazine!

How did you guys meet?

Pedro: So-Me came up to me in a club, to sign his NY Yankees cap, so cute. Michael and I shared the same prison after the famous hooligan riot in 1975, when Paris Saint Germain lost the World Cup.

Michael: I just want to be precise by stating that Pedro was the one to pick up the soap.

The name Cool Cats, what does it mean to each of you?

Pedro: It’s a name that So-Me used in 2007 when we toured the U.S with the Ed Banger crew. When journalists keep telling you, “You’re the coolest label”, or whatever.. it’s funny at the beginning but quickly gets boring. Being the Cool Cats is a way of taking it less seriously, its a way of saying “OK, OK, we know we’re cool, but don’t worry, we don’t bite!”. Cool people are often assholes, you know? I prefer just to be a Cool Cat then.