So, I got hip to this guy about 18 hours ago, and I can't stop listening to it. If you've ever been watching an adult swim commercial and wondered, "what is that ILL beat in the background?", you've found your man.
The man in the background is Flying Lotus; a one man beat junkie who blends the traditions of sample-based hip hop with the electronic trickery of artists like Boards of Canada, Four Tet, and Aphex Twin. Now, to call this music hip hop would be doing it a disservice; but it's clear where his roots lie. His music is reminiscent of the Pete Rock/Madlib MPC school, but with lo-fi, 8-bit, trippy-as-hell electronics to wash out the dry laid back drums.
It's great to see the two genres making this long awaited collision. Every track i've listened to has made me ask the question, where has this guy been? The songs he produces seem to be such a natural amalgamation of current trends in popular music and culture, yet none of it sounds even remotely recycled. His catalog is incredibly eclectic, so i'm sure i'll be posting a lot of different stuff in the near future.
For now, check out this fan-made video for the song "My Chippy". Just wait for the bass to drop, and you'll know why I can't turn this stuff off. (also: this has got to be one the best fan videos i've seen in a long time. I don't know why, but the visuals seems to match the music in an amazing yet subtle way.)
