INTERVIEW: Flying Lotus
- Posted on November 19, 2007 4:32 PM
- 0 comments
Interview by Katie Spain
I generally don’t get nervous before an interview but in the lead up to my chat with Flying Lotus, I feel the nerves kick in. Sure, he’s tall enough to step on me without noticing - but the guy isn’t scary. He does however, have ‘effortlessly cool’ down to a fine art.
Hip-Hop isn’t my specialty and when I mention this to the US music producer, he flashes a massive grin and settles back for one of the most enjoyable interviews I’ve ever sat through. You see, the man is chilled out and keen to ask just as many questions of me as I am of him. As we chat about his newly released ‘Reset’ EP, we meander through topics ranging from hats, to Grandmas, through to Radiohead and dancing on tables. Here’s just a fragment of the world that is Steven Ellison’s. This Hip-Hop music producer, disc jockey, and laptop musician is also a downright nice guy. Don’t say we told you so though…
Where in this big ol’ world are you originally from?
I’m from the greater Los Angeles area. I come from San Fernando. It is a very weird little place because I think it is where all the LA dreams end up.
If we were to go there for a weekend, how would we get into the Flying Lotus frame of mind? Where would we go and what would we get up to?
There’s this night on every Wednesday; it is probably the best thing going on LA right now. It’s a really progressive movement that Daddy Kev puts on. I really believe in what they are doing because they are very forward-thinking people that are making the best of what LA has to offer.
What do you think of London?
I like London a lot man.
Have you been here many times before?
I have been here a few times; it just gets better and better – the weather doesn’t though. I really like the excitement here; people are really excited about music here. Unfortunately in LA, people are so… spoiled I guess. Everything comes to LA so people tend to just say, oh, let’s go to the show and hang-out and fold my arms like this. It is kind of sad, but I guess I am guilty of it too.
What about the London crowds? I know you played Bush Hall recently. How did that go down?
It was interesting because I don’t think that folks felt at ease there or something; maybe because I started the show a little different? I played a gramophone which was fun. I played with Benji B. It was kind of like this weird cave venue. I like being on the same level as the people listening instead of on a stage. I always come and hang-out afterwards anyway.
You grew up in a really musical family didn’t you? When did the producing bug hit you?
I was about fourteen.
How did you master your art? I imagine a fourteen-year-old spending hours cooped up in a bedroom…
That was pretty much my life until earlier this year when I got my cheque from Warp. I was like, alright, I can move out of my mum’s house now! I don’t know though, I think I was a little bit happier when it was just a game and it was all fun; no responsibility and no pressure. I think I was a little bit freer then. Now I feel like I have to prove myself or something. I’m also afraid of bad reviews too. I guess I feel like sometimes these things are all in vain. I don’t know though; it’s nuts when I come out here and play and show; people seem happy. Then I’m like, maybe I am doing something right?
Who has been your biggest influence in music and in life?
My Grandmother. I lived with her for the majority of my life. She was a song-writer and was pretty serious about the music. She definitely helped when I was asking for equipment and asking for cables and this and that. She was very cool about it and very supportive. She would always say, ‘well, you know what that’s missing, it’s missing me! I will turn that song into a hit.’ I would be like, Grandma; I don’t know if I am ready for the hit yet.
She sounds like one very cool Grandmother…
She was always banging 2-Pac. Well she wasn’t ‘banging’ 2-Pac, that was a bad thing to say!
If you weren’t a musician what and where would you be now?
I think I would probably be trying to get a job as a film-maker or working on sound design for films. Realistically, I would be doing lighting for independent films.
Do you think films are something that you will go on to in the future then?
I hope to. With this music stuff, if it goes the way it is now then hopefully I will be able to lean into the film side which is definitely something that I am very passionate about. I have dedicated a lot of time to it. It’s funny because there are a lot of people that don’t know me as a musician and know me as a film-maker.
I wanted to ask you about a picture I saw on your MySpace from your sketch book...
Which one, the one with the guy holding the hammer?
Yeah. So you do art as well?
Yeah, I do drawing. I would like to do cartoons to be honest. It has been one of my dreams since I was a kid. At this point, it looks like I might be doing some music for cartoons.
Your music has been used on Adult Swim hasn’t it?
Yeah. It is a thing that comes on Cartoon Network at night. It is a late-night block for adults with some crazy cartoons; in between, they play some of my tracks. For me, that was kind of a trip; it’s the only TV that I watch; to see my stuff there was just bizarre.
Are you a night owl? I guess the nature of the jobs is night time work.
I prefer to go to bed early. I wake up in the morning and make music in the morning and afternoon; I listen to it at night. I got in to a little bit of trouble at my apartment being up late and making music. I kind of miss those late, late night productions though. It probably creates some different sounds. Maybe I should get some head-phones…
Lets talk about your EP ‘Reset’. ‘1983’ was a lot of instrumental Hip-Hop, but what can we expect from the new EP?
Well for one, a lot of the tracks on ‘1983’ were already a year old by the time I released them. The same thing is going on now with ‘Reset’, everyone is going on about it being new. But, I guess it is new but has some older things on there. It would be nice to catch up with myself on these records but it doesn’t look like it is going to happen. I named it ‘Reset’ because I think people kind of felt that they know where I was going and what I was all about, but I didn’t think I have put out enough records for someone to decide that. I wanted to show case some different things.
You have some shows lined up; one of them is in Oslo. Have you been to Norway before?
No, I have heard that it’s freezing.
It is… the people are beautiful though. I hear they eat whale over there too .
You know, nothing surprises me.
What would be your ultimate festival line-up? You can be a participant or a spectator.
I would definitely be a spectator; I would be able to appreciate it more. I would like to see… Slum Village opening up for Dorothy Ashby. At the end of the night, I would like to see John and Alice Coltrane together. It would just be me at the back, chilling out. I would hang out with folks after. When I go to these shows, I always have someone with me or someone will knows who I am which definitely takes the fun out of it.
What was the last tune you heard that really hit the spot?
It was the new Radiohead song ‘Weird Fishes’. I listened to it the night before last and then I listened to it again five or six times. I tried to listen to some more Radiohead tunes but I just kept going back to that one. That’s a serious track; it means a lot to me right now.
What is your guilty pleasure?
I don’t feel guilty about my pleasures.
What is the most memorable gig that you have ever been to as a crowd member?
This is quite a recent one and will probably be the most memorable for a while – Justice and Ed Banger crew. They just really killed it. I sat back in the crowd; I didn’t even really listen to the tracks – I just watched people trip. It really felt like they had brought people to LA. I had never seen an LA crowd react like they did in this little place that I played at. It was all scientific at this moment. I was like, how did they do that? They just caught the crowd; there were people on tables and I was like, hey, get off – you are not in Europe! It was great. They brought a crew and really made a night of it. Off the top of my head, that is my most memorable but I’m sure there are some more meaningful gigs. As a person touring at the moment, the fact that I was able to see that was very important.
Check out Flying Lotus at a venue near you. For details of his upcoming dates, head to the Flying Lotus MySpace.
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