I’m not going to dwell on Flying Lotus for too long, as everyone probably already knows just how interesting and varied his productions are and has no doubt seen him live at some point in the last few years, if not I highly recommend checking out his shows.
Fly-lo as his fans and the media like to call him has been making music for 10 years officially now and to celebrate Brainfeeder have posted a mix of Flying Lotus tracks from all points in his career carefully crafted by none other than The Mother Fukin’ Gas Lamp killer another Californian producer who does equally awesome work.
You can check out GLK’s Fly-lo mix just below. I’ve also posted up Flying Lotus’ BBC Essential mix from a few years back for those of you who aren’t familiar with his work. Also worth noting is Flying Lotus’ new album is due to be released on the 20th of April via Warp Records and will be called Cosmogramma.
A Decade of Flying Lotus – Mixed By Gaslamp Killer
Flying Lots BBC Essential mix 29/11/08
In light of Flying Lotus’ achievements this has prompted me to bring to light a bunch of other producers that hail from the States, particularly on the West Coast where Electro funk, Dubstep, Crunk and all things experimental meet bass music for a very exciting import hybrid.
Its a scene that has blossomed in its own right partly due to the huge evolution and influences of the UK grime/bass/garage/dubstep scene, also due to the breaking down of musical barriers that were once strong 10 years ago but now seem flimsy or non-existent due to the power of the internet, file sharing and social networking. But Most importantly the reason this scene is so interesting is because of it’s own homegrown American influences of hip hop, electro funk, rock and soul.
….. Just to get you up to speed here’s a few of my favourite talents blasting beats out of America’s West Coast over the past few years.
Ras G & the Afrikan Space Program
Better know as just Ras G, his beats break new and exciting boundaries in Psychedelic, Cosmic, Wonky, Hip Hop. Sometimes dream like other times just banging but always top notch stuff (for any fan of Fly-lo).
Ras G – Stealth Mode
Nosaj Thing
Drawing as much from Electronica and Techno as he does Hip Hop, Nosaj Thing at times draws parallels with other other experimental producers like Autechre, Flying Lotus as well as Electronica bands like Ratatat and Battles.
Nosaj Thing – FWD
Tokimonsta
Born and raised in LA Tokimonsta bangs out some heavy electronic beats, often taking influences
from soul and Rnb, reminiscent of Nadsroic (Hudson Mohawke’s side project).
Tweet – Call Me (Tokimonsta Remix)
Dam Funk
Signed to Stones Throw, Peanut Butter Wolf’s label Dam Funk is representing a style of Electro Boogie Funk thats been around since the late 70s but with a new age twist. Think Zapp & Roger, vocoders, keytars and aviators.
Dam Funk – Boogie Slyde
Samiyam
Off-tempo, Wonky, Leftfield what ever you want to call it Samiyam is one of the kings of electronic beats you can groove to and is also in a side project with Flying Lotus called FLYamSam. Samiyam crosses the boundaries of so many sounds it hard to pinpot exactly where he fits, but think…. wonky, souful, 8 bit with a touch of electro jam.
Samiyam – Donuts with Sprinkles
Tags: 8 bit, A Decade of Flying Lotus, Ambient, BBC, beats, Brainfeeder, California, Call me, Cosmic, Decade of Flying Lotus, download, downloads, Electro, Electronica, Essential Mix, experimental, Fly-lo, FlyamSam, Flying Lotus, flylo, Funk, Gas Lamp Killer, Gaslamp Killer, glitch, hip hop, Hudson Mohawke, LA, Los Angeles, mixtape, Mother Fucking Gaslamp Killer, mp3, music, Nadsroic, Nosaj Thing, Off-Tempo, Peanut Butter Wolf, Psychedelic, Ras G, Ras G & the Afrikan Space Program, Rnb, Samiyam, Soul, Stones Throw, Techno, Tokimonsta, Tracks, Tweet, Warp Records, wonky, Zapp & Roger
Mister Onomous. "Saucy" Puppet Master, Full-time Mo Wrangler, Beat Fondler and Boom Bap Expert. Never one to shy away from a dirty gin martini and a side of crumpets.
Robin Would. Peregrine correspondent, billionaire playboy-in-training, amateur hand model and resident techno zealot. Always the consummate gentleman, he also displays a penchant for an unabashed bassline and a fine scotch.