Flying Lotus
Hometown: WINNETKA, California, US
Tags: electronica, hip-hop, electronic, experimental
Flying Lotus’ albums are events. They’re not issued with a mechanic regularity and they don’t subscribe to recognized formulae. For those prone to astral traveling and metaphysical introspection they are another piece of the puzzle. For those, let’s say more ‘conventional’ listeners, the records are grand and ghostly sweeping movements – the sort of which are rarely undertaken at present. For being such a potent strain of future-thinking music, the scope of Flying Lotus’ full-lengths recall the ambition and vision of many older masters while at the same time look unflinchingly towards the beyond.
As the psychic ripples caused by Flying Lotus’ Cosmogramma are still felt, the ground broken by its larger-than-life presence has proven to be very fertile soil indeed. That opus illustrated the universe that Flying Lotus inhabited, one in which Californian psychedelic gurus bumped elbows with Radiohead while the synthesizers were tuned to the strains of outré soul jams and the orchestra was conducted by the psilocybin-assisted movements of the deepest free-jazz nomads. From the neon afterglow of this ‘space-opera’ would come the vapor trails leading to FlyLo’s next revelation.
Until The Quiet Comes.
Composed, according to Flying Lotus, as “a collage of mystical states, dreams, sleep and lullabies” the album has the distinct feel of this nocturnal trip. From the twitching descent into a subconscious state and the out-of-focus time ether of the journey that follows, the sound is an unhinged, yet elegant evolution of the melodic and rhythmic interplay that is woven into the DNA of Flying Lotus’ aural personae. The meeting between earthy cosmic bass weight and computerized arrangements has never been more intertwined in this music than it is here, which not only speaks to an exponential growth as a producer and composer, but also the deeper conceptual flourishes at the foundation of the songs here. And of course the extended family is involved here, and has even grown significantly.
Longtime muses of FlyLo, Niki Randa and Laura Darlington both return and remind us why they’re such cherished vocal collaborators – because few people can match the controlled and beautiful chaos of Flying Lotus’s productions with the same air of grace. Thom Yorke also returns to the fold with a sublime contribution to the digital free jazz of ‘Electric Candyman’ as does Thundercat (in addition to his cosmic bass-playing across the album) on the saucer-eyed ‘DMT Song’, which already has the trappings of a soul anthem for a new generation of psychedelic explorers. Of course, the Flying Lotus family tree has extended as well, and into the mix comes the inimitable queen of leftfield R&B herself, Erykah Badu – who’s turn on the epic rumble of ‘See Thru To U’ is one of many highlights.
Flying Lotus is the center of a musical web that stretches far from the vibrant sprawl of Los Angeles, and joins so many like-minded individuals – whether it’s Earl Sweatshirt joining him on-stage at Coachella this year, fellow Oddfuture oddball Hodgy Beats collaborating on mixtapes or FlyLo spending some serious studio time with Black Hippy’s inimitable SchoolBoyQ. All this stylistic mingling and genre-melting from Flying Lotus has contributed significantly to shift music in a direction that once again prizes cohesive artistic statements and conceptual depth. However, he makes these intellectual leaps without forsaking the all-important heft of a bassline or unimpeded ‘swing’ of a drum beat – the same way so many masters of soul music have infused their songs for lovers and dancers with brilliant and heady subtext for decades. Until The Quiet Comes follows this tradition while clearing a path distinctly it’s own, which is a mark of a classic.
“Quiet is relative for this antsy L.A. based producer, who convenes Thom Yorke, Erykah Badu and a rushing data stream for a stoned soul-jazz picnic.” – Rolling Stone, Best Dance Albums of 2012
“[Flying Lotus’] fourth album, Until the Quiet Comes, is, like its predecessors, a drop down a rabbit hole of moods, built with electronic instrumentation, hip-hop-inspired rhythms and jazzy tonal structures.” – NPR, Top 50 Albums of 2012
“It’s a twitchy, brooding digital dystopia stripped of any lyrical agenda so all that remains is a mood of restless agitation.” – The Guardian, #19 Best Album of 2012
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Pitchfork Best 2012 on Flying Lotus
5 days ago#22 Steven Ellison is Flying Lotus, but Flying Lotus isn’t just Steven Ellison. When the name Flying Lotus is attached to a project, it means you’re getting Ellison’s acuity, imagination, and daring, not to mention his prodigious record collection and encyclopedic musical knowledge...full article here
Pop Matters Best 2012 on Flying Lotus
13 days ago#42 Until the Quiet Comes unfolds with a measured sense of purpose, each song dissolving seamlessly into the next like the swirling back eddies of a single flowing current...full article here
Pretty Much Amazing Best 2012 on Flying Lotus
13 days ago#12 Steven Ellison, better known as Flying Lotus, continues his string of genre-defining music. While his previous album Cosmogramma showcased the outer limits of what a DJ/producer/electronic musician can accomplish, this new work is decidedly more accessible...full article here
hiphopdx on Flying Lotus
about 1 month agoFlying Lotus "About That Time" more at hiphopdx.com
Slant Best of 2013 on Flying Lotus
about 1 month ago#22 Taking the multi-genre blur that was Cosmogramma and upping the writhing quotient resulted in Until the Quiet Comes, a teeming, dizzying album even by Flying Lotus's standards...full article here
AllMusic Best 2012 on Flying Lotus
about 1 month ago#6 When it seemed like Steven Ellison was on the brink of releasing something abstract and jagged enough to clear the virtual Flying Lotus listening room, he pared down his sound to accentuate his aptitude for creating gorgeous melodies and textures. full article here
Spinner Best of 2012 on Flying Lotus
3 months ago#39 Laptop-tronica has come a long way since the '90s, led in large part by the psychedelic experiments of L.A. producer Steven "Flying Lotus" Ellison...full article here
Stereogum Best of 2012 on Flying Lotus
3 months ago#50 Until the Quiet Comes (Warp)
Treble Best of 2012 on Flying Lotus
4 months ago#11 There’s a famous statistical theorem, and variations on it, suggesting a monkey hitting a keyboard at random for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type the complete works of William Shakespeare...full article here
TheOwlMag on Flying Lotus
4 months agoFlying Lotus Until The Quiet Comes [Warp]
Carefully tinkling like a music box running out of steam, Flying Lotus’ Until The Quiet Comes is a new millennium lullaby. FlyLo dials back the 8-bit prog-jazz freak-outs of 2010’s Cosmogramma, and for a moment one misses expecting the unexpected. Requisite parlor tricks still dazzle. If just one mainstream MC recorded over inspired stutter-start tribal rhythms like “Heave(n)” and the title track, hip-hop might be culturally relevant again. Just our luck said MC would prefer the carelessly minimalist “Putty Boy Strut,” a hand clap loop stalked by a middling melody. The stunningly nasty funk that closes otherwise rote rump shaker “The Nightcaller” should be on Adult Swim any day now. Thundercat and Laura Darlington’s respective collaborations, the AM Gold soul of “DMT Song” and glitch ballad “Phantasm,” come across as perfunctory compared to their previous work with FlyLo. A barely recognizable Thom Yorke nails the lascivious “Electric Candyman.” The seductive percussion succeeds admirably until the last minute, when it pointlessly falls down some steps. “Hunger” immediately follows and seals the deal thanks to Nikki Randa’s ethereal siren call and the astonishing baroque folk outro. Listeners should be patient with Until the Quiet Comes, as its somnolence frequently yields naughty payoffs.
more at theowlmag.comhiphopdx on Flying Lotus
5 months agoFlying Lotus "The Nightcaller" more at hiphopdx.com
Buzz Bands LA on Flying Lotus
6 months agoElijah Wood stars in the astonishing video for the Flying Lotus song "Tiny Tortures," off his latest album "Until the Quiet Comes." The video is the work of director David Lewandowski and posits Wood as the victim of a ballplayer's worst nightmare — the loss of an arm. In his room with his possessions, the dream starts. I'm not going to ruin it by explaining too much here; a director's comment is after the jump: Explains Lewandowski: "The impetus for this idea was from a director called Jaume Collet-Sera. He more here
hiphopdx on Flying Lotus
6 months agoFlying Lotus "Mister Murky Socks" more at hiphopdx.com
NME Recommended Albums on Flying Lotus
6 months agoFlying Lotus - 'Until The Quiet Comes' scored 9 / 10 If Flying Lotus’ last album, ‘Cosmogramma’, was made in a galaxy far, far away, his fourth, ‘Until The Quiet Comes’, is his return to earth. If the last was about rhythm, the follow-up is about melody. If his past work gave you an electric shock, this one will blow your head apart. At times it’s a prog record, as it meanders and experiments. At other times, it’s psychedelic (see the tripped-out ‘DMT Song’ featuring Thundercat, a song about the drug dimethyltryptamine). But a nod to jazz is at its heart, and FlyLo doesn’t have to look far for that influence – his great-aunt and uncle were Alice and John Coltrane....more at nme.com
Pitchfork Best New Tracks on Flying Lotus
7 months agoFlying Lotus: "Between Friends" [ft. Earl Sweatshirt and Captain Murphy]
Here's Earl Sweatshirt from over the weekend, tweeting about his recent recording habits: "I can only write now if i smoke weed, drink red bull, and listen to jay elec in the hour prior to arriving to the studio." Maybe "Between Friends" -- Earl's new collaboration with Flying Lotus and the unknown, yet suspiciously Tyler, the Creator -sounding, Captain Murphy -- isn't a product of that pre-work regimen, but it ....[ft. Earl Sweatshirt and Captain Murphy]
more at pitchfork.comAmoeba Music on Flying Lotus
7 months agoFlying Lotus, Until The Quiet Comes (CD) Flying Lotus albums take multiple listens to reveal themselves because they’re such densely layered opuses of electronic and organic sounds, voiceless, beat-driven pieces and guest vocal work that usually draws Flying Lotus into more accessible territory. So after many spins, I can say Until the Quiet Comes is yet another excellent entry into Fly Lo’s canon of work, which has included the murky Los Angeles and its excellent follow-up, Cosmogramma. Until the Quiet Comes, appropriately enough, is a more chilled out affair. The first vocal track we hear, “Getting There” with Niki Randa, doesn’t break the more atmospheric bent of the album’s first half, though Randa’s gentle vocals tug you into the density of subsequent tracks like “Heave(n),” which starts lush and laid-back before layering beat over beat until....more at amoeba.com
Buzz Bands LA on Flying Lotus
7 months agoYou think this video for the new Flying Lotus song "Putty Boy Strut" is cool? Play around with the teaser on FlyLo's website . The song is from Flying Lotus' highly anticipated album "Until the Quiet Comes," out Oct. 2. The 28-year-old sonic adventurer, born Steven Ellison, is in his full glitchy glory on this "single," which seems worthy of its own video game (or at least implementation as your ringtone). The video is the work of surrealist animator Cyriak Harris, aka Cyriak , a Brit who gained some renown a few years ago for his more here
Quit Mumbling on Flying Lotus
7 months agoTweet Flying Lotus's new piano driven, creeping track off the Ed Banger compilation Let the Children Techno . Flying Lotus- "Caravan of Delight" more here
Quit Mumbling on Flying Lotus
7 months agoSteven Ellison, the beatmaker Angeleno who is also known to the general public as Flying Lotus, gave all of us a wonderful little treat this past weekend: his marathon, 2.5 hour mixtape Lovers Melt Vol. 2. The epic followup to the initial Lovers Melt, released a while back as a part of the Stones Throw podcast, this mix is pure gold, featuring non-stop babymaking grooves from a large collection of artists and years. While you don't have to be getting down to get down with this mix, it does work best as a proper summer lovin soundtrack. Who more here
Quit Mumbling on Flying Lotus
7 months agoPatrons attending Coachella in a couple of weeks will be foolish not to see Flying Lotus 's set. The massive, Los Angeles producer has promised nothing but new material. He'll be playing his upcoming album Until The Quiet Comes in full. Today sees the light of the title track, a glitched out picnic of a song. FlyLo went out on a sunny day into the park with this one, but just as the name suggests, the quiet really does come. Sunshine becomes darkness, as the highs fade into the lows. more here
Pitchfork Best Albums on Flying Lotus
8 months agoAlbum "Until the Quiet Comes" scored 8.5
Following the maximalism of 2010's landmark Cosmogramma, Steven Ellison returns with a comparatively subtle and focused album. Quiet re-thinks his music's relationship to space and mood with a new...
more at pitchfork.comKCRW's Garth Trinidad on Flying Lotus
8 months agoPlayed "Sultan's Request" 10/03/2012 1:01 am
KCRW's Chris Douridas on Flying Lotus
8 months agoPlayed "See Thru To U (Ft. Erykah Badu)" 09/28/2012 12:21 am
KCRW's Jason Bentley on Flying Lotus
8 months agoPlayed "The Nightcaller" 09/26/2012 12:35 am
KCRW's Chris Douridas on Flying Lotus
8 months agoPlayed "All In" 09/25/2012 12:28 am