COTU

Center of the Universe — Ben Sizemore (left) and Jack Franklin — recently opened for The Floozies at Cain’s Ballroom, one of the duo’s frequent venues. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World - Tulsa World

Ben Sizemore and Jack Franklin both have a passion for electronic music, but they were both missing something: each other.
Franklin said he was looking for some people to work with on new electronic music when he got in touch with Sizemore in 2012. They both had similar taste in music and both had the same idea of where they wanted to take their collaboration.
"He was in the direction I was wanting to go," Sizemore said.
That meeting created Center of the Universe, or COTU, the name of the electronic duo of Sizemore and Franklin. They have been working to better hone that sound, each pulling from their own tastes and talents to put together complicated sampling and beats for high-energy electronic dance music.
They come together to produce the music, each bringing something different but necessary to the table.
"Ben is the master sampler," Franklin said. "It's very tasteful and very groovy. It fits very well with the beats we're going for."
Franklin shines on the other side of this EDM puzzle, Sizemore said.
"Jack does a lot of the synth and melodies, and I'll pick something that fits like that," Sizemore said.
They started making music in 2012 and have been working to improve since then. The sound caught the ear of some folks around Tulsa, including the Cain's Ballroom managers.
Because of that, they have played there four times this year, most recently opening for The Floozies last week.
The trajectory for the two has been good this year, Franklin said. Coming up in 2014, they hope to have more outdoor festivals to play in the area, which they said fits them better than the club stage.
Jerry Wofford 918-581-8346
jerry.wofford@tulsaworld.com - Tulsa World