Customer Reviews

Los Angeles

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'll admit, my exposure to avant-garde, left field instrumental hip hop is limited to the major players--Dilla and Madlib, among a handful of others. My first exposure to Flying Lotus were the interludes on Adult Swim that he soundtracked, although I didn't know it at the time.

FlyLo makes no attempt to disguise his influences or history. A self described member of "the Nintendo generation," this record is teeming with glitchy blips and beeps that evoke the 8-bit classics, but they're drenched in swirling synth lines and chopped apart beyond recognition. I would like to resist mentioning that he's the grand-nephew of Alice Coltrane, but his clear affinity for jazz arrangements (and relentless defiance of genre restrictions) almost forces my hand, whether it was derived from his relatives or not.

Los Angeles strikes a perfect balance between establishing a consistent (dank) sound, while never growing tiresome. Think London-based dubstep artist Burial with hip-hop leanings and a lot more variation. Colorful synthetic swirls, drum breaks, and vocal samples fall into a cinematic groove on every track, only to be deconstructed again (often in less than three minutes).

This is one of the first standout albums of 2008. Highly recommended.

While making a documentary in Paris about his musical relatives, a taxi driver asked Steven Ellison aka Flying Lotus if he and his crew were musicians. He slumped down in his seat, but great aunt Alice Coltrane spoke up: "Yeah, this guy, he's a musician too; he thinks he's a filmmaker, though". After a few listens to Los Angeles (and all of his stellar work, for that matter), you notice that Ellison's music is the perfect mix of both, the album title, his hometown, providing the thematic element (something you'll really notice if you've ever spent time in L.A.) to this extraordinary hypercompressed, claustrophobic mélange of samples, broken rhythms and analog loveliness. You hear spooky, foggy nighttime Malibu surf ("Camel"), experience whiffs of Little India's spices and rhythms ("Melt!"), see red carpet traffic jams ("Golden Diva"), pull down the wrong street at the wrong time ("Riot") and drowsily smile like a tourist in La Brea ("Sleepy Dinosaur").

Flying Lotus takes it to another level with this album. I just got done listening to it for the second time in its entirety. If you liked the direction he took with the Reset EP in the Fall of 07, this is sure to please. Buy it for the music and also for the great artwork, the booklet inside is great! This album is also a great reminder that Warp is still capable of releasing great electronic albums.

Dedicated to the city in which he grew up, Los Angeles is a largely instrumental collection, with only a handful of tracks featuring vocal contributors. Flying Lotus effortlessly glides through dense atmospheres, crisp soundscapes and razor sharp beats to create compelling sonic vignettes which range from just under a minute to just over four. Los Angeles sounds excellent inside my head. It's a really good record.
-
For those who are familiar with Flying Lotus' specific style of electronica, 'Los Angeles' can be marked simply as Steve Ellison's Warp record. Ellison has slowly been moving himself among the L.A. hip hop scene attempting to craft something that sounds like the meeting point of Aphex Twin and Madlib. Daedalus and Gaslamp Killer can also be seen as clear relations to Flying Lotus as they should considering all three artists are common performers in the L.A. music scene. '1983' represented a more clearer view of Ellison's take on instrumental hip-hop, 'Reset' was marked by the decision to move Flying Lotus into a more beat heavy existence, and with 'Los Angeles' we begin to see the artist reveling in the perceived intelligence of his label peers like Prefuse 73 and Autechre.

Opener 'Brainfeeder' shows clearly that this is going to be a different type of Flying Lotus record. Absolutely no percussion is used through the songs entire minute and a half length which seems daring for a producer who is known for his superbly crafted rhythms. The track is highlighted by the swirl of dynamic synths that help the second track 'Breath.Something/Stellar Star' slowly and perfectly shift in as a follow up. Noticeable about the first two tracks also is how deeply Flying Lotus has seemed to delve into his atmosphere. He is pressing for a more psychedelic feel and 'Breath' demonstrates this with synths that sound like wandering Theremins. 'Melt!' mixes chants with a very tribal drum feel and encompasses the influence it seems Bollywood has had on Ellison and 'Golden Diva' leaves an unremarkable impression of Boards of Canada. As the record reaches the midpoint it starts reaching for more rhythm based pieces. 'Riot' is a heavy bass aided track that uses steel drums and hand claps to create a massive low end. The song slowly evolves until the bass bridges into a seemingly random pattern as the drums around it come to a steadier beat. The track then leaves the more upbeat rhythm and concludes with a drifting synth barrage. 'GNG BNG' comes off as mix between the pioneering sounds of early New York DJs and Beat Konducta's recent forays. 'Parisian Goldfish' finishes off the trio of dance heavy tracks as Flying Lotus's most club based composition yet. As a whole the variety of sounds found on the record are what 'Los Angeles' success stems from with tracks as relaxing as 'Sexslaveship' before what seems like improvised vocals on 'Testament'. . 'Los Angeles' finishes off with a variety of vocal performances included a meet up with one of Ellison's early collaborators. `Los Angeles' ends on a positive note with the simply beautiful 'Auntie's Lock/Infinitum' which is made even more luscious with a vocal performance from Laura Darlington. The track drifts the otherwise cluttered sonic palate into a serene and simple finish and I could not see the record ending any other way.

Flying Lotus has once again proved that he is an artist that can consistently reinvent himself and make his new sound just as effective as it was before. While I wouldn't say this record succeeds in providing the same level of consistent quality I think '1983' did, it is pretty hard to criticize 'Los Angeles' as anything other than a great record. Ellison's developments as always have entertained me enough that I'm willing to remain excited for his next release. Until then `Los Angeles' remains as one of the best examples of "instrumental hip-hop" in 2008. (Jared W. Dillon Review from .sputnikmusic[...])
-
Flying Lotus's family credentials could hardly be more legendary. Grand son of Marilyn Mcleod, who penned songs for Diana Ross, The Four Tops and countless other Motown legends, and great nephew of jazz legend Alice Coltrane and cousin of Ravi Coltrane, Steven Ellison has quite a lot to live up to. The new generation of West Coast hip-hop-influenced artists.

I think that if anyone has even a passing interest in FlyLo, then they owe it to themselves to start off here. I have nothing against Cosmogramma but this album is less experimental and more straightforward in its mood and tone than its successor. I started off with Cosmo and I'm actually liking this bad boy a bit more. Los Angeles is essential Flying Lotus and if you have any hope of being called a fan, this is mandatory listening. You will enjoy it.

This album rocked up my way recently. It's always a real treat when you can listen to a multi-layered collection of sounds that make wonderful and evocative music. This guy has obviously done a lot of thinking and spend many many hours working on this high-end production masterpiece. Just buy it and you'll see what I mean.

The influence of J Dilla has spread far and wide, and if his tragic death has had any positive consequences, there are now more listeners admiring him and more musicians attempting to continue his legacy than ever before. Enter Flying Lotus (real name Steven Ellison), a fresh young producer with exuberance, smarts, and an undeniable love of Dilla's signature off-kilter hip-hop beat. On Los Angeles -- FlyLo's exponentially more focused sophomore effort -- he shoots his boom-baps up to the asteroid belt where they're coated in cosmic debris, like Dilla caught in a torrential game of Space Invaders. Indeed, Ellison has stated the influence of video games upon his music, but their relation to each other here is somewhat tricky. Forgoing blocky 8-bit synthesizers for all manner of thumps, twitters and whirls, Flying Lotus tapped into the hyper-stimulated, video game-playing youth of the '80s and '90s and created something to be heard by the neurotic and overcaffeinated adults they became. Beats feint and noises swoop down from god knows where, almost as if they know they're presenting to listeners with shot nerves and short attention spans. And yet, somehow, Ellison's L.A. doesn't feel apocalyptic or even all that tense; it's swift, likeable and livable, with lush undercurrents of melody suggesting a core of serenity lying just beneath the surface.

(This was published in PopMatters on 12/15/08)

i don't agree w/ the reviewer who says Los Angelas is a letdown after Reset. i think it's a very nice progression. both are unique and superb and some of the most interesting and exciting electronic music being made today. highest recommendation.

Flying Lotus' debut on Warp Records is a curious development of musical ideas, drawing from its influences and predecessors to create something in between glitch, hip hop, and free jazz. More One Word Extinguisher than Donuts, moreMadvillainy than Beauty & The Beat , Flying Lotus puts together a variety of contemporary hip hop styles to create a swirling mix of fuzz, beats, and melody. Established melodies reconstruct into minimalist beats, beats get thrown into the sounds of space. Track like "Comet Course" take fuzzed out downtempo and evolve them into the glitch of "Orbit 405" (which really sounds like things in orbit), the R&B of "Roberta Flack" shakes its way into the simplicty of "Auntie's Lock/Infintum." The record is consistent in its deconstruction and reconstruction, never letting the moment get too organic or human. Is that supposed to be like the city it's named after? Possibly. Regardless, this is a great listen, if not the best this the year.

Los Angeles is an album that will have you asking the question "what's next?" The plethora of sounds are simply mind boggling. The way each song seamlessly leads into the other make this such an enjoyable listen. This album may not be for everyone, but if you're willing to take the time to listen and feel carefully it'll definitely keep your attention and take your mind on an exciting trip!