Flying Lotus @North Park Theatre (11/13)–Weekly Show Recommendation

I’ve been a huge fan of Flying Lotus since I first heard “Zodiac Shit” on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim program. The creepy, glitched electronica instantly crawled under my skin making my ears perk up in delight. The physical reaction that it evoked was unexpected and thrilling as not too often I discover myself stopped in my tracks trying to trace down the root of a new music find.

What Flying Lotus AKA Steven Ellison creates is beyond the traditional concept of a song. He creates a atmosphere that would more traditionally fit the underscore for a film or the soundtrack for the weirdest day of your life.

His talent lies in production and genre mixing which is used to create a never heard before sound . His work is commonly described as experimental electronica, but that is far too simple for the complexity of his music.

With beats arranged with jazz hooks, hip hop breaks and indie rhythms there are no presumptions, no expectations and no boredeom in the the music.This freshness is forethcoming and intoxicating as it forces listeners outside of their comfort zone. It forces a new path of thought and new approach to listening as you can’t just tune it out and turn it into background noise, but you fall deep into the rhythm as it literally drags you through the murkiness of the unknown mind–you see yourself in places you’ve never been, you find your mind wandering into emotional depths you had never before precieved.

In the very least Flying Lotus can be described as interesting. However, from my personal experiences at his live shows, it has always been so much more. The palpable energy that flows out of Ellison is fun and truly gets you lit. He jives with the audience, grinning his studdly grin, making you feel like you just met your new best friend.

If there’s one show you go see this week, make it Flying Lotus at The North Park Theatre and get ready to be stoked.

Flying Lotus–Friday Show Recommendation

San Diego is the lucky city that Flying Lotus has decreed his take-off point for his upcoming tour. I guess that’s just one more thing we can thank this year’s Comic Con for. Known for his work with Cartoon Network, this experimental artist fits the bill just right. The Adult Swim bumper music was produced by Flylo, the music video for “Zodiac Shit”  on Cosmogramma was produced by Cartoon Network in 2010, and more recent, FlyLo produced a song, “About that time//A Glitch is a Glitch”, for the show Adventure Time.  What makes his work so intriguing, spectacular and undeniably bizarre is the experimental take on electronic music full of glitches, weird time signatures that are described as downtempo, electronic jazz and his multi-genre incorporation that makes you curious if you’re listening to hip hop, electronica, electro, jazz, ambient and so on. He creates a sound that takes you through time and space to places you never imagined you’d go.

 

Steven Ellison is Flying Lotus, or Flylo to fans. Or Captain Murphy for his rap fans. He is the great-nephew of jazz musicians Alice and John Coltrane proving that music runs in his blood. Listening to his albums or even a live set, this music-pumping blood becomes more evident in the organic nature of his flow and style. Ellison was born to make music and fans and critics alike agree as he continues to recieve positive reviews for his work. Flying Lotus has recorded four studio albums and is currently signed with Warp Records with other notable artist like Hudson Mohawk, !!!, Nightmares on Wax and Mount Kimbie. You’re Dead!, Flylo’s fifth studio album, releases October 7th and leaves no room for doubt that it will be beyond epic. This is a live show you won’t want to miss. The energy Ellison brings to his sets in contagious and he reads the room well, getting his audience worked up into a hyped, feeling-it energy.

See Flying Lotus live tonight at The Casbah!

Ryat–Thursday Show Recommendation

A hallucination of time warp, an obligatory declaration of present-moment living and a trippy mind-mangler meant to shift consciousness; Ryat accomplishes this through her self-composed and recorded modern electronica. The most awe-evoking aspect of her musical style are her vocals which she samples, loops, layers and distorts until it becomes a chanting echo of wild woman outcries. The playfulness adopted in the vocals, reminiscent of Bjork, are accompanied by glitchy, jazz-influenced, electronic experimentation. The time signatures change with frequency leaving listeners to waver between melodic rythmic beats and quick, slivered jets of bpm-heavy effects and samples.

Christina McGeehan is an american producer, born in New Jersey and currently residing in LA. She took the moniker Ryat in 2006 and began making music. She’s on Flying Lotus’s label, Brainfeeder, with other experimental electronic artists like Thundercat, Tokimonsta and Mr. Oizo. Ryat has produced three albums, the most recent in 2012 titled, Totem. Earlier this year, Ryat collaborated with Brainfeeder comrade, Mast, on the track “Until You Are Sound.” The soft piano melodies emphasize McGeehan’s eerie, wailing vocal hum and the powerful waves of energy that come from the pit of her stomach. Gaining a reputation for consuming, atmospheric music, Ryat puts on shows that mesmerize and entertain.

See Ryat at the Kava Lounge tonight!

Groundislava–Tuesday Show Recommendation

Jasper Patterson is a young music fiend who began his professional music career in 2011 under the DJ name Groundislava. He released his debut album, Feel Me, with WeDidIt Collective featuring other artists including Shlomo, R L Grime and Ryan Hemsworth. Like these electronic artists he spins a house beat that various in range from minimal to trance to experimental. When performing and producing he uses a booming drum pad, mixer and occassionally a sampler. His recorded album has a unified clear sound which is mesmerizing and a clear contrast to his live performances which is more spontaneous as he mixes on the fly to feed the party atmosphere. Influenced by old school trance and IDM his range and his abiity to manipulate music is quite fascinating; he grabs attention and holds on.

It’s easy to understand why Groundislava’s music may seem like a tip of the hat to video games. Feel Me, is a narrative adventure that captures the sensation of exploration which can be exciting mysterious. The layered high and low frequencies with energetic beats  sometimes even give off an eerie Mario Bros. vibe that triggers a clear-as-day flashback to controlling the original Mario as he swims underwater. It’s not obnoxious like the repetitive classic game can be; it’s much more thrilling and spontaneous. At times there is a hint of Flying Lotus influence as his music borders on experimental especially in his tranisitons and beat breaks which are highlighted with fast, dreamy, atomospheric beats in melodic waves that rinse the air with a clean pure energy. His sound is a buzzing, echo-filled experience perfect to get down to with just as much spontenaeity as your limbs allow.

See Groundislava tonight at The Loft at UCSD!