FLYING LOTUS
Flying Lotus’ new album, Until the Quiet Comes has been receiving plenty of accolades for its achievement in bridging the gap between EDM and Jazz. A thought provoking soundscape laden with rich textures that converges Hip-Hop, Jazz, IDM and Soul, Until the Quiet Comes is converting orthodox musicians who view EDM as a kitschy and talentless genre into the electronic realm.
Flying Lotus’ highly acclaimed 2010 album Cosmogramma introduced the world to electronic Jazz like never before. Its crisp production, collaborative efforts (w/Thom Yorke, Laura Darlington, and Thundercats) and ambition enthralled thousands earning it a spot on Pitchfork’s best albums of 2010 list and best album at the 2011 Gilles Peterson World Wide Awards. Until the Quiet Comes is not as heavily vested in Jazz as Cosmogramma or in Hip-Hop as in Los Angeles, but rather it presents itself as a display of Flying Lotus’ production chops and proficiency in creating sound rich music.
What a long strange trip it’s been.
After four days of battling the blistering heat, sleeping under the Tennessee stars, wandering about the 700-acre campground and singing along with musical legends, my body is begging for rest. My feet are worn, my eyes are slipping shut, my fingernails are buried under heaps of dirt. But I survived my first Bonnaroo, and live to tell the tales of an extraordinary weekend.
The eleventh annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival gathered more than 80,000 music lovers to the small town of Manchester, Tennessee for four days of peace, love, and music. While Woodstock may have pioneered the festival movement in America, Bonnaroo has taken over where the hippie extravaganza left off. Bustling with eco-friendly activism, throngs of naked bodies twirling around and mudslides forming across the farm, Bonnaroo successfully transformed technology-obsessed Americans into carefree and wild-spirited festi-lovers - if only for the weekend.
The small town of Manchester, Tennessee has welcomed the bulging crowds of Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival for eleven years - opening its quiet roads and grassy knolls to infiltration by hippies, hipsters, burnouts, ravers, rockers and every other category of music lovers imaginable. Giant RVs, cars stuffed to the brim with supplies and hitchhiking hopefuls invade the nearby Walmart en route to the festival, gearing up for four days of foregoing electricity and showers in favor of nature exploration and musical madness. Excitement flairs during the hours-long wait to the entrance, everyone eager to set up camp and start boogying down!
Hundreds of LED lit balloons marked the sky as we gazed over what had become our home over the past four days. It was the last show, the final push. We were running on fumes and anticipation after a weekend full of countless standout acts. This was the set we had been waiting for since we were fourteen, sneaking Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg CD’s into our sister’s Walkman to memorize every explicit detail of what would become so monumental so quickly. As we stood amongst the masses in complete disbelief, the entire weekend flashed before our eyes.
Now that Week 2 of Coachella is over, the reality is setting in: the end is here. Put away your camping gear, your laser lights should find their way back into your closet, and for godsake put those weird 'fivefinger' shoes in your attic (unless Coachella is only the start of your festival season). For all of you Junkies who just can't get enough, this is the withdrawal period. Symptoms include and are not limited to:
- Coachella word vomit: you try to mention your epic weekend in every conversation you have.
- Coachella Facebook Stalking: when you sit in front of your computer flipping through all your friends (even strangers) Coachella albums.
- Plain old post-festival depression.
After discovering house music in 2010, I dabbled in the different sects of electronica and found myself in love. In March of 2011, I made my official crossover from rap-enthusiast to househead when I attended Ultra Music Festival. Nearly a year later, I cannot wait to return to my stomping grounds and once again bask in the harmonious music and beating sunshine.
Last year’s festival was an incredible experience, but as a newbie, I had a lot to learn. The low-point of my weekend was when my ticket was ripped off of the lanyard strewn around my neck by a drunken fool. The maniac grabbed the ticket that was hanging above my chest, and ran. Luckily, my mother had always instilled within me the importance of self-defense, so I lunged at the crazy kid who attempted to steal the $275 ticket and returned the item to its rightful owner... me.
This is a one time opportunity to see so many great djs at the same time ! You guys don't how lucky you are. You now can't pretend you don't know where to go on Halloween.
I don't really need to talk about it for days and days. The line-up itself should convince you.
On October 30 :
Bloody Beetroots / Mr. Oizo / Fake Blood / Sebastian / Rusko / Busy P / Brondinsky / Destructo / L-Vis 1990 / Tommy Lee & Dj aero / SBTRKT / Sticky K / Vello Virkhaus
I really don't know what to say or how to describe what I witnessed last night. Thom Yorke's solo venture—Atoms For Peace, with bassist Flea from the The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nigel Godrich, long time Radiohead producer—completely destroyed a sold out Roseland Ballroom.
Flying Lotus opened (as per Thom's request) and showed off his production skills while performing from his laptop with a host of remixes, one of which included a deranged version of "Idioteque" that had Nigel Godrich (producer of Radiohead) smiling from the balcony above. After his set concluded he took to the mic and yelled to the crowd, "New York, are you ready for Atoms for Peace? I don't think you are, you have no idea how lucky you are for what you're about to see." Well, he was definitely right.
I always thought it was a rap thing, but now the rock folks are getting in on the fun of featuring artists on their upcoming albums. Thom Yorke took time out of the studio in sunny L.A. while recording with Radiohead to lend his angelic pipes to Flying Lotus on the song ... And the World Laughs With You for his upcoming album Cosmogramma. Yorke is no stranger when it comes to appearing on guest spots when he recently appeared on Modeselektor's The White Flash.
Flying Lotus DJ Kicks
Katherine McPhee Unbroken
The Octagon Warm Love And Cool Dreams Forever
Ke$ha ANIMAL
Findlay Brown Love Will Find You
Kanye West VH1 Storytellers (CD/DVD)
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