It would seem things are shaping up very nicely for Flying Lotus’ new album. The Californian born beat smith, whose brand of experimental hip hop breathed fresh life into the genre when he exploded on to the scene in 2006, has been working on new material since his highly acclaimed album ‘Cosmogramma’ dropped last year. This has been interspersed with a much talked about A/V project at the Ann Arbour Film festival – where Flying Lotus performed a live musical accompaniment to the film ‘Heaven Earth And Magic’ – and DJ’ing at his ‘so hot right now’ Brainfeeder parties.
Last month Flying Lotus got the blogosphere rumbling after Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke dropped in for an unannounced DJ set at Brainfeeder, fuelling rumours that Yorke and Flying Lotus were to get in the studio for a follow up to last year’s ‘And The World Laughs At You’. Now Fly Lo is cranking the rumour mill into action again after R&B superstar Erykha Badu dropped into Brainfeeder for a surprise stint behind the decks.
Poignantly, this is not the first time the two artists have worked together. Flying Lotus recently directed a visually impressive video for Badu’s ‘Gone Baby, Don’t be Long’ (see above), leading to talks for a musical collaboration further down the line. With Badu’s smoky vocals potentially lending a poppy element to Fly Lo’s out-there beats, the potential of such collaboration will be much anticipated by fans of forward focusing urban music the world over.
Californian break master Steven Ellison –better known as Flying Lotus- has got his third full-length ready. The grand-son of Alice Coltrane, Flying Lotus earned unanimous acclaim with his former album ‘Los Angeles’; work which granted him comparisons with the likes of DJ Shadow and other true originals.
In ‘Cosmogramma’ Flying Lotus carries on his experiments with electronica. Breaking the boundaries between avant jazz, drum and bass, hip-hop, shoegaze and any other genre that crosses his mind; Flying Lotus shapes an ambitious cosmic opera that may help redefine the urban sounds of the XXI century. Its many highlights include a collaboration with Thom Yorke on the track ‘And The World Laughs With You’.
‘Cosmogramma’ will be released by Warp on May 3rd. Until then, it can be streamed in full at the artist’s MySpace page.
Red Bull’s recent embrace of dance music through the Red Bull Music Academy is a probably one of the best examples of a brand getting involved with music in a positive way. Taking place in a different city each year, RBMA comprises of a series of educational events and unique live club experiences that aim to enrich the scene of each metropolis the project visits.
This week the second term of RBMA takes place in London and features a mind bending array of inspired club experiences. Highlights include a 70’s inspired Roller Boogie that showcases performances from authentic American roller boogie pros and a rare set from Moodymann A.K.A. Detroit’s Kenny Dixon Junior – one of the world’s most elusive and revered purveyors of disco and deep house. If the night is even 50% as amazing as the trailer for the Saturday Night Fever spin-off, Roller Boogie (above), then this will be something truly special.
Other musical picks include a special night celebrating 12 inch vinyl culture that sees an array of top DJ’s play for 12 minutes;with X-Press 2, Ronnie Size and A Guy Called Gerald just some of the famous names taking part. All proceeds for the event go to War Child, a small international charity that protects children from the brutal effects of war.
Also as part of the RBMA program there will be a preview of Sonar Festival at The Roundhouse featuring hip hop maven DOOM, and a night curated by the emphatic Flying Lotus at Fabric. The series of events is climaxed with the folks from the legendary Secretsundaze party taking over Paramount – a venue on the top floor of an Oxford Street office block that offers spectacular 360˚ views of the capital. Who needs the London Eye?!
Experimental producer and DJ Flying Lotus has announced a string of dates next month in support of his forthcoming album, ‘Cosmogramma’, which will be released on May 3rd through Warp. The dates include a night curated by the man himself at Fabric, with Daedelus and Kode9 just some of the many names stellar playing.
Flying Lotus will also be performing at this year’s Bloc Weekend; an event that’s shaping up to be an essential date in any dance fan’s diary. If that wasn’t enough, he’ll also be playing at this year’s SXSW festival with Hudson Mowake, Born Ruffians & Pivot.
On the strength of his previous work, ‘Cosmogramma’ promises to be one the stand out dance albums of the year. For a sneak preview, head to one of the following dates:
March 2nd – Brussels AB Club, Brussels March 3rd – Paradiso, Amsterdam March 4th – Le Bellevilloise, Paris March 5th – Berghain, Berlin March 6th – Bios, Athens March 10th – Flying Lotus Presents Brainfeeder @ Fabric, London March 12th – Concorde 2, Brighton March 13th – Bloc Weekend, Minehead March 17th – Warp Showcase @ SXSW, Texas
As part of the celebrations for Warp records’ 20th anniversary, the influential electronica imprint has planned a series of all-nighters in several big cities around the Globe. Last Saturday the itinerant party hit London with an impressive showcase comprising a balanced mix of the label’s old and new talent.
In the premises of the former cinema turned club The Coronet, a devoted audience partied all night long with live sets by Birmingham duo Broadcast and energetic, US math-rock purveyors Battles; both captivating the public with a taste of their respective up and coming new works.
An introduction to new signees Nice Nice, a greatest hits set by Plaid and an impressive live appearance by futuristic hip-hop artist Flying Lotus – already dragging comparisons with DJ Shadow thanks to a similar cinematic quality in their output – were also rapturously received.
In between shows and in a second room a selection of DJs including DJ E.A.S.E from Nightmares On Wax, Mira Calix and Strictly Kev and Jackson kept the leftfield vibe intact. At the end of the night, all attendees were given a preview CD with new tracks from the label’s release schedule for 2010, which left an ever better aftertaste to an already great night.
