“EXPERIMENTAL SEX MUSIC, AN ALTERNATIVE ‘DOGGYSTYLE’ IF YOU WILL!” − DAVID KANE MEETS THE AVANT GARDE CALIFORNIAN PRODUCER TO TALK POLITICS AND SEXUAL BEATS.

After months of anticipation this summer saw the release of Flying Lotus’s sophomore LP, and Warp debut, LA. An atmospheric epoch for contemporary Californian music, LA explores emotional and musical depths that defy the producers 23 years. From the dark adrenalin fuelled frenzy of Riot and GNG BNG, to the outer-worldly Golden Diva and the clandestine beauty of Auntie’s Lock/Infinitum. Or as the man himself modestly states: “It’s all about base-beat music anyway, and then the presentation and the connection with people.” To use film speak LA is quite simply unmissable.

I initially caught up Flying Lotus (real name Steven Ellison) at the Deck hotel in Brixton and later on the phone while he was staying at his friend (dubstep producer) Kode 9’s house in South London.

In person he is huge, a big friendly giant if you will. Much like his compositions Steven Ellison is full of contradictions and funny quirks – he is well versed in literature, music, film, has a fierce passion for politics and punctuates almost every sentence with at least one expletive. As well as having a tendency to go off on spacey tangents: at one point he makes a vague comparison between himself the film director David Lynch and Timbaland. He also enjoys playing computer games (check the retro Flying Lotus arcade game doing the rounds), chatting up girls and smoking copious amounts of marijuana. Fairly standard stuff if it wasn’t for the unconscious eccentricity he exhibits that often separates geniuses from the rest of us.

Despite each having their own unique style many have compared his productions with those of J Dilla and Prefuse 73, something that he finds “a little unfair to be honest, flattering yes, but there’s a lot more to my music than people seem to associate me with. I also make plenty of up-tempo stuff that people don’t know about (something his exhilarating live shows are testament to). And when people hear these beats I’m talking about…man it’s gonna’ fuck peoples heads up!”

But it was his aunty, the jazz musician Alice Coltrane (wife of the more celebrated, John) who persuaded Ellison to make music in the first place – ditching the camcorder and postponing early aspirations to make film – and pick up the 808 instead. Yet cinematic influences are clearly evident in both his debut LP 1983 and the more accomplished LA. “It’s one thing to do dance-floor orientated stuff but when it comes to making an album it’s suppose to be visual, especially if it’s an instrumental record – it should take you on a ride somewhere! Go on this cerebral emotional ride…”

Despite the stoned jive talk and joker demeanour – at one point he breaks into a contagious smile describing his music as “Experimental sex music, an alternative ‘Doggystyle’ if you will!” – there is a very serious side to this young producer. Which is revealed as the conversation takes a turn towards the ensuing presidential elections going on Stateside.

“People are hitting me up from all over the world, ‘your boys gonna win right?’ (Barack Obama) Yes he’s gonna’ win. It can change the whole global situation, the whole world view of America can change, we can make strides towards building a better America if something like this were to happen.”

Granted it’s not uncommon for a young black musician to have an interest in the current presidential race amongst the maelstrom of American politics past and present. Yet it is unusual for a developing artist to be contributing financially to a campaign. “Yeah I’ve been giving him my cash. I’m just doing what I can, I just wish more people got involved, people have opinions but they don’t even vote. It was disappointing man, shocking even; it’s no wonder Hilary won in California.”

Once he has started on the subject I can barely get a word in edgeways, rising to a passionate crescendo that would put even the most polemical rapper to shame; “We’ve got to play our part man, I can’t just sit around talking to you about shit if I’m not going to do anything: keep my mouth shut pay a shit load of money for gas and be cool with it, watch people get blown up and be cool with that as well. The time for change is long overdue, and that time is now.” And who are we to disagree.

David Kane

Article written last year for Bonafide Magazine issue 02

www.myspace.com/flyinglotus
www.warprecords.com

Filed under: Bonafide Exclusives by P.A.