Flying Lotus - Los Angeles
(Warp) CD & 2LP
Warp’s newest signing is Flying Lotus aka Steven Ellison. An L.A. based post-hop producer, Ellison crafts dense instrumental hip-hop soundscapes, melding the styles & moods of J Dilla, Madlib & Prefuse 73. But it’s Amon Tobin that seems Ellison’s closest touchstone, especially Tobin’s recent micro-sampled, atmosphere-heavy releases. The nephew of legendary jazz harpist Alice Coltrane, Ellison encrusts lurching drones, insect atmospherics & jilted, off-kilter head-nod breaks with a layer of soul; guest vocalists appear, sometime up front, sometimes splintered & echoed around the track. Again, Los Angeles is more music for the headphones, but hey, I see you all out there on the street with your lil’ earbuds – gobble this up. For fans of Amon Tobin, J Dilla, Madlib.