The cats are biting, a dialogue with Flying Lotus part one

Recent RZA-ally Flying Lotus (real name Steven Ellison, Los Angeles, 1983) has released two EPs on Warp Records. He is about to present his first album, Los Angeles, which will be available from June. In honour of this, the Bimhuis in collaboration with Beat Dimensions has invited Flying Lotus to perform in Amsterdam next week. audioculture.org asked him some questions.

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Juha van ‘t Zelfde «You are about to release an album on the renowned electronic music label Warp Records from Sheffield. While growing up in the US, did you listen to any of the artists (Squarepusher, Aphex Twin, Autechre) that helped establish this label?»

Flying Lotus «Yeah, I listened to their stuff quite a bit. Especially Aphex, Broadcast, and Squarepusher. Those are still some of my favorite folks. It’s funny though, because of their past, I never thought they’d be interested in releasing anything I made, but that’s the beauty of Warp, they’re not caught up in their past, they’re constantly trying to move forward.»

JZ «So how did you and Warp meet? Did you send out material, or do they have an advanced radar system that tracks musical talent?»

FL «A little bit of both. My stuff was buzzing around the office for a bit. Then Prefuse heard my stuff and started raving about it.»

JZ «Does releasing music on a label with a strong identity as Warp influence your take on music making? Have your methods and equipment changed? If you look at another recent genre, dubstep has been evolving through collective mimesis of a current style, like the Loefah-bassline, the Coki-synths, and the 8-bit-continuum of Rustie, Zomby and Darkstar. Do you think there is a certain aesthetic you are part of? And is that a conscious decision, to be either part of it or to try to ignore it?»

FL «For a while, I felt the pressure of being on Warp, but I think playing shows influenced my music more than anything else, which I realize. You just kind of have to stop and remember why you started in the first place. In my case, I was just having fun. So I’m trying hard to hang on to that feeling.

Methods have just gotten tighter, I am learning new techniques, as far as eq-ing goes. I just want my sound to be as big as possible; and yeah, the equipment has changed too, but I hardly use any of the crap I buy.

I try not to be part of any one scene, I try to be part of it all. I love it all, I make all that kind of music, so I just try to do my thing. I try not to pay too much attention to what people are doing, but it’s important to stay current, and keep up with what’s happening in bass music. A lot of kids these days are turning this music into a fad, and its kind of discouraging. I feel like I’m going to have to switch it up again, too many cats are biting.»

(To be continued)

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Flying Lotus will play a special experimental live set at Beat Dimensions at the Bimhuis on Friday 2 May. He will be joined by fellow Warp-prodigy Hudson Mohawke, and Amsterdam beat scientists Cinnamon and Aardvarck.

Related posts:  A Warp Records night at the Bimhuis  //  RZA invites Flying Lotus for tour  //  Flying Lotus and Hudson Mohawke, the story of a sold out Beat Dimensions at the Bimhuis  //  From the archives, Flying Lotus interview  //  Flying Lotus will return in November (but not to the Bimhuis)  //