Nearly 5 years since his last studio album, Flying Lotus has returned to his listeners with a blistering 27 track Jazz-Hop experience in “Flamagra”.
Having earned a worthy reputation as the man to be in Electronica, Experimental Hip-Hop and Nu-Jazz, FlyLo jumps straight back in where he left off. From off-kilter funk in “Post Requisite” and “Burn Down The House” which features Parliament-Funkadelic legend George Clinton, to melodic Neo-Soul in “9 Carrots” and “Spontaneous.”
Flying Lotus, real name Steven Ellison flows between moods and expressions, his influences plain to see, from J Dilla to Herbie Hancock, Ellison crafts a psychedelic landscape that conjures some version of his hometown, Los Angeles, that’s neither future, present or past. The super slow, dreamy “Land Of Honey” featuring Solange Knowles showcases an extremely high level of musical arrangements, with string sweeps, brass sections and a piano accompaniment.
My personal favourite on the album “More” featuring the dazzlingly talented Anderson .Paak is all the faces of Flying Lotus and more. A head nodding drum loop layered with swirling keyboard arpeggios, fuzzy electric guitars, ethereal backing vocals and Paaks superb flow.