This is the introduction of a new “segment,” on the site. As the name implies, Spotlight is when I choose a particular track which I find especially interesting and point out why it stands out to me. These tracks could be noteworthy for any reason but they will certainly represent a creative triumph for the artist. For the first Spotlight, Steven Ellison (Flying Lotus) is that artist.
At the moment, Flying Lotus is on another level, both in technical skill as a producer and in conceptual depth as an artist. With his 2014 album, You’re Dead!, FlyLo (as his fans affectionately call him) created a dark, euphoric journey into the abyss. Featuring Thundercat, Snoop Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar, the album is a brilliant blend of hip-hop, experimental jazz, IDM, and psychedelia. The complexity of his arrangements and the diversity of sounds peak here. FlyLo has never made a denser record.
His storied history led him directly to this point. Each of his major releases since his debut Reset EP represent a well-produced refinement or exploration of his style. In the process of developing his own musical identity, Flying Lotus has become one of the most consistently interesting and influential producers working today. His regular appearances at Los Angeles’ Low End Theory “beat cyphers” and his founding of Brainfeeder records drastically increased the popularity of the LA beat scene.
While Flying Lotus has always made somewhat psychedelic music, his current style is maximalist. On Cosmogramma (2010) and You’re Dead!, especially, he creates soundscapes which occasionally feel like sensory overload. This most recent take on psychedelia is quite disorienting in its own right, but Flying Lotus’ most truly psychedelic track is “Endless White.” It is as minimalist as music can be, with no distinct melody, structure, beat, or lyrics. It is a wall of synthesized sound that would leave Phil Spector in awe.
“Endless White” is barren on first listen. At nearly five minutes in length, it is an experience which may need to be prepared for. Find a comfortable seat, use good speakers, and begin your meditation. The lush soundscape pulsates and drifts, seemingly arbitrarily, through time. As a song, it is an artifact, a commodity, a specific state of mind which no other song replicates Layers of ambient noise create an enveloping listening experience. The background of “Endless White” sounds like the harmonization of distant interstate traffic. At the front of the mix, sporadic bursts of weightless synthesizers and sampled harp plucks provide just enough stimulus to keep the song from becoming inaccessible.
it’s the kind of track everyone should hear at least once, if only to help them understand what music can be. The musical counterpoint to John Cage’s “4:33,” Flying Lotus shows with “Endless White” that a song can be nothing but droning, beautiful noise. Ironically, that point comes from the man who pioneered the Los Angeles beat scene.
Listen to Endless White HERE
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