Honestly, Stephen Ellison could have taken the next two years off and the majority of us would still be basking in the sonic opus that is Cosmogramma. Instead, Flying Lotus has returned months later with an EP that downplays the astral lineage that he is inextricably woven into and draws from the camaraderie of his Brainfeeder crew with some seriously off-kilter electronics.
“Clay” almost feels like a launching pad from which he leaves behind his lauded full-length, the last strains of cosmic jazz falling off like booster rockets. “Kill Your Co-Workers” dives headfirst into a Game Boy point of view, 8-bit harmonies pushed along by primitive break beats and galloping tempos. “PieFace” features a drum machine tripping over itself to establish a rhythmic pattern and finds a sympathetic ear by way of raining synths.
“Jurassic Notion/M Theory” is arguably the head knocker of this single, or at least the first part that reworks a malfunctioning buzzer and a one-word chant into a lunchroom counter top pound session. The second half devolves into percussive cacophony, which (in new school beat making terms) probably works out in FlyLo’ s favor. After all, out of sync rhythms are the new black these days. With that being the case, the accessibility of “Camera Day” may be surprising to some. Originally the backing track for a Killer Mike tune, this is G-Funk on Mars. While this will certainly satisfy the bump and glitch co-signers, those looking for more of what Cosmogramma brought to the game may have to wait until the next full-length.
