1983 vinyl

Los Angeles resident Flying Lotus brings beats with a cinematic flare: "I see these tracks as little short films that play in my head." Flying Lotus is a free spirit: "I have this beautiful lemon tree in my backyard, and on a sunny day the light shines through. Little things like that inspire me." Flying Lotus is a Coltrane: "My greatest influences are my family, I'm lucky to have been around so many accomplished musicians." And most importantly, Flying Lotus is a visionary; get ready to meet your favourite new producer. From note one, there is a feeling of something new and exciting at play here. Keyboards wobble and wiggle with mutated funk, skewed rhythms grind underneath, warped samples play hide-and-seek with the beat - in other words, that "next level shit" artists are always talking about? This is it. While the title "1983" may conjure images of parachute pants and asymmetrical 'dos, the '83 Lotus envisions isn't the typical retro cheese covered by VH1 specials. This is Blade Runner, Bambaataa, the Bomb Squad, and Basquiat. This is the musical future Prince was dreaming' about - forgive us if we go astray. Just listen to "Orbit Brazil": synths float into space with melodic optimism, grimed out in a dystopian sheen. By track's end, you really feel like you're at zero gravity, peering through your space mask at the sweaty Brazilian booties bumping' (it's cause they're listening to Lotus). And yeah, Lotus is a part of the Coltrane lineage, but don't write this off as nepotism, cause he ain't riding on anyone's coattails. But, if you really must make the correlation between "A Love Supreme" and "A Lotus Supreme", dig: If Alice and John had lived in the era of SP-303s and laptops, they'd be flirting with the same muse as Lotus is. Flying Lotus is a visionary. He is tapping that well of creative juice that seems to float in the ether for certain artists every generation, carving his own path through the wilds of the beat. By the time you read this, Lotus will already be making the music everyone and their robot will be biting through 2030. Like most natural talents, though, Lotus' aspirations are simple: "I just want to keep having fun."

Gilles Peterson