Steven D. Bingley-Ellison (born October 7, 1983), known by his stage name Flying Lotus or sometimes FlyLo, is an American record producer, DJ, filmmaker and rapper from Los Angeles. He is also the founder of the record label Brainfeeder.
In 2012, Flying Lotus began rapping under the persona Captain Murphy, based on the Sealab 2021 character of the same name. Ellison kept this fact a secret for several months, finally revealing his identity several weeks after the release of his first rap mixtape, Duality (2012).[12]
In 2006, while at his mother's house, Ellison saw an advertisement on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block asking for song submissions. He sent some in, under the name Flying Lotus (a moniker inspired by lucid dreaming) and was accepted.[19]
Around this time, he was interning at the pioneering hip hop label Stones Throw Records. He released his debut studio album 1983 on October 3, 2006.[20]
In 2006, Ellison participated in that year's annual Red Bull Music Academy, which took place in Melbourne, Australia.[21] In 2007, he announced on CSU-Fullerton's Titan Radio that he signed with Warp Records.[22] He released his debut EP, the six-track Reset on October 1, 2007.[23] Soon afterwards, he became one of the label's cornerstone artists and released his second studio album, Los Angeles on June 10, 2008.[24]
2008–2009: Los Angeles and Brainfeeder
In 2008 Flying Lotus released Los Angeles, a 17-track album dedicated to his home city. Telling Quietus on the subject of J Dilla's influence on his music: "I love Dilla and who knows where this beat thing would be without him."
2008 saw Ellison enter a stage of hyper-productivity, as he followed up the Los Angeles record with collaborative tracks with Samiyam and Gonjasufi, a limited white label run of remixes ("Camel", "Lightworks", R2-D2 sound effects, "Shadows of Tomorrow" and "Promiscuous") called Shhh!, and a series of LA inspired EPs. Each of the La EPs features remixes and unreleased tracks from his Los Angeles Album. The third in that series (titled L.A. EP 3 X 3), marked a new atmospheric style in his sound. The same year, Flying Lotus also remixed "Reckoner" from In Rainbows, an album by Radiohead.[25]
2010–2011: Cosmogramma and collaborations
His third studio album, Cosmogramma, was released in the UK on May 3, 2010, and in the US on May 4, 2010.[26] In January 2011, Cosmogramma won in the Dance/Electronica Album category in the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards.[27] The multi-award-winning Cosmogramma was a hard-hitting afrofuturistic shrine to soul, hip-hop, jazz and IDM but, with more emphasis on a lyrical message than ever before. The album was accompanied by live instrumentation (Thundercat on bass, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on strings, Rebekah Raff on harp) and live vocalists (Thom Yorke, Laura Darlington) – all picked to help communicate the spiritual musical lineage of Ellison's family (Ravi Coltrane, himself, played tenor sax). Stephen Bruner, aka Thundercat, who is featured extensively on Cosmogramma, would later become a large part of future albums by Flying Lotus.
In 2010, Flying Lotus collaborated with the Ann Arbor Film Festival in the performance of a live scoring of the 1962 avant-garde film Heaven and Earth Magic.[28] In a post-viewing interview with the audience, Flying Lotus said that he was unsure whether or not a recording of the performance (or a recreation of it) would be publicly released, but he would be enthusiastic towards similar projects in the future. He was chosen by Battles to perform at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas festival that it co-curated in December 2011 in Minehead, England, UK.[29]
In September 2010, Flying Lotus released "Pattern+Grid World", an 8 track EP featuring Thundercat on bass & art by Theo Ellsworth. The Track Camera Day was used in the Killer Mike song Swimming, which was released as part of the Adult Swim Singles Series.
In January 2011, Flying Lotus won the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards for his video "MmmHmm" in the Short-Form Video category.[30]
It was reported in 2011 that Flying Lotus would be collaborating with R&B singer Erykah Badu on new material for her next album,[31] and planned to remix one of Radiohead's songs from The King of Limbs.[32]
2012–2013: Until the Quiet Comes and Captain Murphy
With an appreciation for hip hop, but no established work, artists like Odd Future (also aficionados of Adult Swim), A$AP Mob, Spaceghostpurrp and Shabazz Palaces inspired him to directly participate, and he began production work for Odd Future's Hodgy Beats' Untitled EP. This led to the moment in which he decided to produce more in the genre.[33] Throughout the summer of 2012, Captain Murphy began to make more appearances, dressed in Luchadore Ensemble.[citation needed]
In August 2012, Flying Lotus announced a multimedia project with filmmaker Miwa Matreyek, which is to be titled The Mapping of Countries Yet to Come.[34]
Behind closed doors, though, the work for his fourth album Until the Quiet Comes was pretty much done. A year prior, Ellison had worked with Ann Arbor Festival to live score a surreal and avant-garde 50s animation Heaven and Earth Magic, and a fascination with dreamlike states had continued into this record. Until The Quiet Comes continued his creative relationship with Radiohead's Thom Yorke, as well as Jonny Greenwood, Niki Randa, Erykah Badu, Laura Darlington and, of course, Thundercat, and was cinematically captured in a short film by filmmaker Kahlil Joseph.
In late 2012, less than two months after the release of his last record, a website started circulating online: www.captainmurphy.xxx. Press speculated who the rapper was, with guessing being centered around the Odd Future Crew. The site hosted Duality, a 34-minute short film mixtape, that comprised both new material and tracks that had been leaking all summer.
On July 17, 2013, Flying Lotus announced on Twitter that he had been nominated for a VMA for the song "Tiny Tortures".[41]
2014–2015: You're Dead!
On July 15, 2014, Flying Lotus posted on Instagram a photo of vinyl test pressings labeled "LP #5".[42] On July 22, he announced that his fifth studio album, You're Dead!, would be released in the UK on October 6, 2014, and in the US on October 7, 2014.[43] The album features guest appearances by Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and Herbie Hancock.
On August 15, 2014, Flying Lotus released a new song called "Cosplay" with his alias Captain Murphy.[44]
On September 30, 2014, Flying Lotus scored the short film A Portrait of Noomi Rapace, starring actress Noomi Rapace and directed by Aitor Throup.[45]
On July 5, 2016, Ellison announced the start of Brainfeeder film division.[49] Shortly after, at the Sundance NEXT festival, he premiered a short film titled Royal. It was later revealed to be part of his feature film directorial debut, Kuso.[50]Kuso would star Hannibal Buress, Tim Heidecker and David Firth among others.[51]Kuso featured new music from Ellison himself under both the Flying Lotus and Captain Murphy names, Aphex Twin, Busdriver, and Thundercat, among others.[52][53]Kuso premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017. On June 6, 2017, Ellison announced that Kuso would be released via the horror video streaming service Shudder, on July 21, 2017.[54]Kuso was also confirmed a theatrical release in New York City and Los Angeles. Addressing the responsibility of the wide release of Kuso, on Twitter, Ellison praised Shudder, explaining he found it to be a suitable home for the film's release.[55]
On November 2, 2017, Ellison released a music video for a new song of his, "Post Requisite", and is "currently finishing his next studio album on Warp".[56] He also wrote the soundtrack for the 2017 short film Blade Runner Black Out 2022 and has contributed music to the 2019 anime series Carole & Tuesday.[57]
2019: Flamagra
On April 17, 2019, Ellison announced his sixth album, Flamagra, released via Warp on May 24, 2019. The first single off the album, "Fire Is Coming" featuring David Lynch, was released on the same day.[58] On May 12, 2019, a second single, "More", was released alongside a music video directed by Shinichirō Watanabe.[59]Flamagra (Instrumentals),[60] an instrumental version of the original LP, was released in 2020.[61]
2021: Yasuke
In 2021, Flying Lotus released Yasuke,[62] his score for the Netflix series Yasuke and his "full-length anime scoring debut" after a long history of contributing to other animation and film projects.[63]
On June 16, 2022, Ellison released two singles, "You Don't Know" and "The Room", both featuring Devin Tracy.[64]
Directing
Ash
He directed the science fiction film Ash in 2023.[65]
Kevin Marques Moo, better known by his stage name Daddy Kev, is an American DJ, Grammy Award-winning audio engineer, record producer and executive from Los Angeles, California. He is the owner of Alpha Pup Records and the founder of Low End Theory. As an audio engineer, Daddy Kev has mixed and mastered albums by Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Kamasi Washington, and Leon Bridges.
Austin Topper Peralta was an American jazz pianist and composer from Los Angeles, California. He was the son of film director and Z-Boys skateboarder Stacy Peralta.
Cosmogramma is the third studio album by American music producer Steven Ellison as Flying Lotus, released by Warp Records on May 3, 2010.
Pattern+Grid World is an EP by American electronic producer Flying Lotus. It was released by Warp Records on September 20, 2010.
Brainfeeder is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California, founded by Flying Lotus in 2008, focusing on electronic music and instrumental hip hop. It has signed artists such as Ras G, Samiyam, The Gaslamp Killer, Thundercat, The Underachievers, Lapalux, Daedelus, and Mr. Oizo.
Until the Quiet Comes is the fourth studio album by American electronic music producer Flying Lotus, released on September 26, 2012 by Warp Records. Flying Lotus was inspired to create the album by psychedelic music, African percussion, and concepts of the human subconscious and dream world. He recorded for two years at his home in Los Angeles, experimenting with different mixing techniques and dynamics while primarily using an Ableton Live sequencer along with other instruments and software. The producer was accompanied on certain songs by guest vocalists, including Erykah Badu, Thom Yorke, and Laura Darlington. The album also continued his creative partnership with bassist Thundercat, who had appeared on Flying Lotus' 2010 record Cosmogramma.
Stephen Lee Bruner, better known by his stage name Thundercat, is an American musician, singer, record producer, and songwriter from Los Angeles. First coming to prominence as a member of crossover thrash band Suicidal Tendencies, he has since released four solo studio albums and is noted for his work with producer Flying Lotus and his appearances on Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly. In 2016, Thundercat won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Performance for his work on the track "These Walls" from To Pimp a Butterfly. In 2020, Thundercat released his fourth studio album, It Is What It Is, which earned him a Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album.
The discography of Flying Lotus, an experimental multi-genre music producer, laptop musician, and rapper from Los Angeles, California.
Carlos López Estrada is a Mexican-American Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, music video director, commercial director, theatre director, and actor. Born in Mexico, he moved to the United States when he was 12 and later enrolled at Chapman University.
Kamasi Washington is an American jazz saxophonist. He is a founding member of the jazz collective West Coast Get Down.
You're Dead! is the fifth studio album by American music producer Flying Lotus, released on October 6, 2014 by Warp Records. Flying Lotus recorded the album at his home in Los Angeles, using Ableton Live and other instruments and software. Like his previous two albums Cosmogramma and Until the Quiet Comes, You're Dead! features extensive contributions from Thundercat, who plays bass guitar on nearly every track and provides vocals on several. It also features guest performances from Angel Deradoorian, Niki Randa, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Kamasi Washington, Jeff Lynne, Kimbra, Herbie Hancock, and Thundercat, along with Captain Murphy, Flying Lotus' rapper alter ego.
Ideas+drafts+loops is a mixtape by Flying Lotus, released on December 10, 2013 by Brainfeeder. It was released for free via Mediafire and the Brainfeeder website. The mixtape contains guest features by Andreya Triana, Baths, Earl Sweatshirt, Mapei, Niki Randa, Shabazz Palaces, Thundercat, The Underachievers and Viktor Vaughn; and a remix of Kanye West's song "Black Skinhead".
"Them Changes" is a song by American musician Thundercat. It was first released on June 18, 2015, as a single from his EP The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam. The track, which Thundercat co-wrote with producer Flying Lotus, was later included on Thundercat's full-length album Drunk, released on February 24, 2017.
Kuso is a 2017 American surrealist body horror comedy anthology film directed by Flying Lotus, who co-wrote the screenplay with David Firth and Zack Fox.
Flamagra is the sixth studio album by American record producer Flying Lotus, released on May 24, 2019 by Warp Records. It is his first album since 2014's You're Dead!. The lead single, the spoken-word "Fire Is Coming" featuring David Lynch, was released along with its video on April 17, 2019. The album also features contributions from Anderson .Paak, George Clinton, Little Dragon, Tierra Whack, Denzel Curry, Shabazz Palaces, Thundercat, Toro y Moi and Solange. A deluxe version of the album with the instrumentals was released on May 29, 2020.
Zachary Channing Fox is an American stand-up comedian, rapper, writer, actor, illustrator and internet personality from Atlanta, Georgia. He has collaborated with Kenny Beats, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, and Bnyx.
"Oh Sheit It's X" is a song by American singer-songwriter Thundercat. He co-wrote it with record producers Flying Lotus, Mono/Poly, and Durand Furbee for his second studio album Apocalypse. Brainfeeder released it as a single on May 7, 2013. Musically, "Oh Sheit It's X" is a funk and disco song, whose lyrics describe the protagonist in an altered state of consciousness after consuming methylenedioxymethamphetamine—otherwise known as "ecstasy" or "X"—at a party.
Yasuke is a Japanese-American original net animation (ONA) series loosely based on the historical figure of the same name, an African warrior who served under Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga during the Sengoku period of samurai conflict in 16th century Japan. Created by LeSean Thomas and animated by Japanese animation studio MAPPA, the series stars Lakeith Stanfield as the titular character. The series was released on Netflix on April 29, 2021.
Louis Maxwell Cole is an American multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, best known as the co-founder of the electronic/avant-pop/jazz-funk duo Knower, along with Genevieve Artadi. He is also a solo artist and has released seven solo albums: Louis Cole (2010), Album 2 (2011), Time (2018), Live Sesh (2019), LIVE 2019 (2020), Quality Over Opinion (2022), and Some Unused Songs (2023). It is speculated that he is a member of the avant-garde musical duo Clown Core.
David Firth is an English animator. He created the Newgrounds animated web series Salad Fingers in 2004 and co-wrote the 2017 live-action feature film Kuso.
References
↑ "A CAB TO HEATHROW". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
↑ Beta, Andy. "Flying Lotus Confronts Death". The Fader. Retrieved April 5, 2015. But the biggest influence on Ellison's music can be seen just above his grand piano. There hangs a five-foot-tall painting in black and gold of his great aunt Alice Coltrane, the jazz pianist and harpist...
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