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Los Angeles | 
 enlarge | Manufacturer: Warp Records
Category: Digital Music Album
Buy New: $9.99
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 2567
Genre: miscellaneous-audio-recordings
Media: MP3 Download
Running Time: 0 Minutes
ASIN: B001DXFBQG
Release Date: June 9, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Highly polished electronic and experimental music November 8, 2008
Chris Wren (Chicago, Illinois)
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, more Beauty & The Beat than Madvillainy, 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 seduction of "SexSlaveShip." The record is consistent in its deconstruction and reconstruction, never letting the record 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 one of the best of the year.
This album is more than "just beats" November 7, 2008
C. Miura (Waipahu, HI USA)
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!
The futuristic soul-electronica October 31, 2008
Rafael Cova (Caracas, Venezuela)
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.
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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[...])
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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.
 funknasty October 14, 2008
Sucio (Denver)
FlyLO has an amazing ability to create thick, rolling beats that pop and crack over smoked out basslines. He is the nephew of Alice Coltrane, the widow of John Coltrane. With roots in music that go that deep, it is no wonder that he can bring something so new and fresh to a dying genre. I consider HipHop to be dead, or at least sleeping silently. Its not until someone like FlyLo comes along and does CPR on his turntables until they explode, that I remember my love of beats. The joints on the album are Roberta Flack and Infinitum.
strange and beautiful August 8, 2008
Chance (Bofunk, Pennsylvania)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
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