Flying Lotus – L.A. EP 1 x 3

This wonderful 12” dropped through my door today, and I’m pretty excited to hear it that I can tell you for sure. It’s the first EP in a set of three and FlyLo has limited them to 2000 worldwide so it’s pretty damn exclusive. The artwork is in the same vain as the Los Angeles album with the big freaky metallic stuff. And I got the coolest purple Warp Records pin badge in with the package. Put the needle on the record baby…

L.A. EP 1 starts with Sleepy Dinosaur from the Los Angeles LP on the A side. Each side of the 12” starts with a familiar track off L.A. then whacks us with exclusive new material. Sleepy Dinosaur is a treat with skippy beats and jazz chords all warped up in that unmistakable FlyLo aquatic hip-hop way. Rickshaw is the first exclusive slab on this here wax, it loops Indian sitars and vocals over the top of a low slung dirty as hell bassline, and beats. This can be heard on The Do-Over mix FlyLo did and I posted the other day. The last track on side A is My Chippy its got a 8-bit blip to it like someone playing a dancehall, crunk version of space invaders, underwater of course this is FlyLo we are talking about. Flip it…

Side B kicks off with Los Angeles slab Robertaflack (Feat. Dolly) the sweet soul vocal and jazz sampling wonky bass freak banger. I love this tune its one of my favourite from L.A. and sets off side B nicely. Paper Crane Gang is next up and brings the third exclusive to the 12”. The beats are wicked on this one real leaning low slung and dirty with the most melancholic filtered synth line on top, it’s a beautiful track that reminds me of Warp records of the past. Interference is the final tune and it’s another excellent one, full of more skipping beats and massive bass sounds. A creaky vocal snippet from some kind of computer obviously not handling the underwater conditions very well sounds pretty cool. As does the booming dancehall vibe mixed with windy tones, excellent, not unlike the sound I imagine drowning Mr Ozio would sound like, I don’t recommend finding out mind.

That concludes the listening of L.A. EP 1 x 3 and FlyLo has done it again with yet more excellent instrumental hip-hop with that of kilter vibe to it he does so well. The tracks compliment the Los Angeles LP very well indeed and could have easily made the cut if FlyLo so wished. Another slice for the heads then as he trailblazes the underground dance scene. Warp has done well in signing this talent and I wait with baited breath, not unlike having to hold my head under water, for the next instalment of EP’s.