Here's where it started, the debut album from Steven Ellison aka Flying Lotus, back in print on splatter grey vinyl! Before blowing up on Warp or running his Brainfeeder label, we already had a feeling that Flylo was destined for big tings. Check our original review from 2006: Out here in LA, this Flying Lotus guy has been receiving a lot of hand to hand, word of mouth type hype. I don't even keep up with this kind of stuff, but his name has been in the right conversations for a minute. You know something's got to be pretty good when people are saying "Stones Throw intern" and "you need to check this out" in the same breath. His sound basically fits in with the whole Los Angeles underground future soul thing (SIC, Sa-Ra, Dilla, PPP, Ubiquity sound, etc), but taking it even more into the cosmic mind feckery through instrumentals like "1983." I like where this is going; no half stepping on the outer space ish with this guy. Strap in, float around, talk to Hal, cause there's 10 tracks of this stuff. "Pet Monster Shotglass" is one of my favorites, if nothing else for onomatopoeia of it (sounds like a drunken little buddy from the muppets). Aside from the space shit, Brazilian influence pops up more than once, sometimes only in name, like "Orbit Brazil," and later in style with "Unexpected Delight" featuring Laura Darlington on some very pretty vocals. This is one of those records that can kind of be whatever you want it to; pay attention and get lost in the subtle complexity of his wrap around sound (z o n e o u t), or just leave it on in the back and get some work done. Includes a Daedelus remix of "1983," and I guess I should mention that he descends from the Coltrane line. Recommended.

• music label: Plug Research 2011

reviewed by the mgmnt 2006