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Flying Lotus

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Flying Lotus

Flying Lotus
Flying Lotus (or FlyLo for short) is the brain-child of Steven Ellison. His first album was 1983 (released in 2006). Rarely does an artist come straight out of the gates with their sound so fully formed and hit it out of the ballpark- on the heals of his rookie season. (OK, I don't know why I felt the need for all the baseball analogies there, but that's how good his debut album is. [Pitchfork described it as: "IDM-influenced sounds from this talented architect of instrumental hip-hop."]) FlyLo went on to release two more amazing albums (2008's Los Angeles & 2010's Cosmogramma) before I had ever heard his name. Cosmogramma made many end-of-the-year best-of lists, so it is safe to call that his breakthrough album... that's when he entered the pop culture zeitgeist and officially came onto my radar. So it was with naivety but open-mindedness I finally check out FlyLo with 2012's Until the Quiet Comes. It was like entering a soundscape I had known never existed- a trippy, balanced world of jazz & EDM living as one, living in harmony... with beautiful melodies... and complex tones. Whatever the subconscious sounds like- this is it! This is the closest I can tell to what music would sound like if there was one conductor of this train we call life. And if that doesn't make sense- that's okay- it also doesn't make sense that this chaotic music can sound so freakin' awesome. To get that feeling of chaos must take some serious composing, arranging, and knowledge as a recording artist. Since I came on board, FlyLo has released two other amazing albums: 2014's You're Dead! & 2019's Flamagra. Flying Lotus is a man of many capes. He dips his toes into other multi-media projects. He's directed some freaky-horror videos. He also creates most of the music for the Adult Swim programming, you know- that late night channel with the cartoons? He has his own radio station in the Grand Theft Auto games. He keeps good company, having worked with Kendrick Lamar, Thundercat, Thom Yorke, and many more (here's a list of His 10 Best Collaborations). He also uses the pseudonym Captain Murphy when he feels like stepping back from behind the beat-making and picking up the mic as a rapper. Finally, and maybe coolest note of all: his great-aunt is the legendary Alice Coltrane. How cool is that? Talk about keeping the legacy alive. He is the man with the most-est...
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Flying Lotus

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