Flying Lotus is likely one of the top 10 instrumental/electronic/hip-hop producers EVER. I put him on the same list as J Dilla, 9th Wonder, DJ Premier etc. I feel he is one of the world's amazing musicians. FlyLo, real name Steven Ellison, produces electronic hip-hop beats that are very abstract and sometimes jazz-influenced. Flying Lotus originated the Brainfeeder collective which sponsers musicians such as Teebs, Daedelus, Ras G, and Samiyam. He fuses IDM and electronica with trip-hop/hip-hop instrumentals. He released Los Angeles (his 2nd album) in 2008 through Warp Records and got very optimistic reviews for it. His other records include the album titled
"1983" which was his first album and was released through Plug Research Records in 2006. After Los Angeles was released in 08'. Flying Lotus released
"Cosmogramma" in 2010 through Warp Records and most recently he released
"Until The Quiet Comes" this past October 2012. Los Angeles will always be my favorite Flying Lotus album release. He has other bootleg releases and EPs that I will review in the future.
Los Angeles (2008)
Genre: Trip-Hop/ Electronica / Instrumental Hip-Hop / Glitch Hop
| 1 |
Brainfeeder |
|
1:32 |
| 2 |
Breathe.Something / Stellar Star |
|
3:21 |
| 3 |
Beginners Falafel |
|
2:28 |
| 4 |
Camel |
|
2:23 |
| 5 |
Melt! |
|
1:45 |
| 6 |
Comet Course |
|
3:02 |
| 7 |
Orbit 405 |
|
0:44 |
| 8 |
Golden Diva |
|
4:02 |
| 9 |
Riot |
|
4:02 |
| 10 |
GNG BNG |
|
3:39 |
| 11 |
Parisian Goldfish |
|
3:01 |
| 12 |
Sleepy Dinosaur |
|
1:56 |
| 13 |
RobertaFlack (feat. Dolly) |
|
3:08 |
| 14 |
SexSlaveShip |
|
2:14 |
| 15 |
Auntie’s Harp |
|
0:56 |
| 16 |
Testament (feat. Gonja Sufi) |
|
2:29 |
| 17 |
Auntie’s Lock / Infinitum (feat. Laura Darlington) |
"If I had to describe Flying Lotus’ work in one word, indescribable would
be my choice. Sounds like a joke but it’s not, FlyLo (as his fans
usually call him) has reached what most modern artists will never be
able to: A unique sound and his 2008 album Los Angeles is proof of this
signature in his songs, bringing influences from hip-hop and dubstep to
create a flawless and addicting album.
The great nephew of Alice
Coltrane, Flying Lotus was another in the legendary family destined to
dedicate his life to music, not that he decided to follow his aunts
footsteps. FlyLo chose a different way to his music, experimenting with
the most diverse electronic sounds, remembering the creativity and the
search for complexity that marked the late career of a famous
saxophonist with the surname Coltrane.
“Los Angeles” picks up all
these experiments and puts them together with some bass flavored
hip-hop, a dark style and a sound, perfect to listen to using
headphones. Starting with the space atmosphere of “Brainfeeder”, the
album fits perfectly to the night climate, with songs like “Golden Diva”
and “SexSlave Ship” showing a science-fiction vibe and a Stanley
Kubrick’s 2001 soundtrack inspiration while songs like “Camel” and
“Melt” bring African/middle-eastern inspired percussions showing one of
the multiple faces of FlyLo’s production skills. Added to this variety
of influences we have party-oriented songs like “GNG BNG” and “Parisian
Goldfish” that gives the album a good break. But all of these different
rhythms and music styles together don’t make Los Angeles sound loose. On
the contrary, the album flows so perfectly that you will not realize
that it’s ended.
This review wouldn’t be complete without citing
what is to me one of the most beautiful songs created last decade.
Giving this song the name of a soul diva is not too pretentious, it’s a
well-deserved choice! The vocals of Dolly (whose real name is Ahu
Keleslogu) are superb, adding a soulful melody that only makes Flying
Lotus’ heavy-bass, but chill beat richer. More than a song,
“RobertaFlack” is a masterpiece and “Los Angeles” is the definition of
an indescribable album." review by Arthur at rateyourmusic
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