Flylo with the jams, in the Majestic Theater of Detroit, on 10.15.12
Hands down off the chain…Nah nah, he broke the chain.
Jeremiah Jae kicked off with some of his own stuff, a pinch of rap, and a quick hit of J’Dilla. Decent but it seemed like it just went on and on with long transitions between songs and a subdued pace. I was jonesing for the funk nasty.
Teebs opened next in a big way. He launched into a super ethereal and white-blue sounding set that flowed in and out of itself like snow fall. A continues stream of beats with seamless transitions.. He’d check in with us every once in a while, otherwise it was a ton of tunes – Blessed assurance, and personal winter to name a few. All around, ill set. If you fancy Flylo, definitely check-out Teebs.
The Main Man: Flying Lotus aka. Steven Ellison. It was a smaller and chiller crowd leading up, but the minute the 29 year old, L.A. born producer and electronic wizard stepped into the lime light the crowd lost their damn minds. People did not stop dancing till the very last. There were two 30×30 foot silk screens hanging from the ceiling to the floor, one behind Flylo’s table of equipment, and one in front that formed a giant visualizer. The two sheets gave depth to the graphics of geometric shapes and half the time it felt like an i-max screen. Since this genre of electronic music doesn’t lend itself to live performance, the visualizer helped amp the crowd and added flavor and zest. A couple of my buddies thought that seeing the performer, who is this case was just somebody turning nobs and dinking with their laptop, was more important that a fancy light show. I whole-hearted disagree. I loved the mix medium, and I thought it made helped him make his music better, make it visual, and complete the night’s vibe.
In terms of musical background, Flylo is the great-nephew of Alice Coltrane, the cousin of Ravi Coltrane, and therefore incredibly close to the influence of John Coltrane. He also is known as lover of the work of J’Dilla, a legend in the beat making world. Alternatively, he chose some fantastic quotes for the night including an in-your-face Intergalactic by The Beastie Boys, a more subtle Kfir by Camille, and a faint hint of Grizzly Bear.
Flylo really starting picking up in 2006 with his first EP release, Pink Sun under Plug Research. Now with 7 EP’s and 4 full albums under his belt with a variety of labels, Flylo is remains signed with Warp, Brainfeeder, and Plug Research. His current tour is featuring his new album Until the Quiet Comes.
HunTer Chee
Check check it out.
The Art of Cosmogramma
