PUYL Favorite Video: Flying Lotus - Putty Boy Strut

Flying Lotus - Putty Boy Strut

Flying Lotus has always been one to push boundaries.  Preceding the release of his fourth album, Until The Quiet Comes, FlyLo put out a short film which gave fans a first chance to hear a handful of songs from the album in the setting of a rather dark, yet theatric video.  After seeing that, I wasn't sure what to expect from Putty Boy Strut.  Because my first view of the video also gave me my first listen of the song, I was initially struck by the frenetic and urgent pace.  The viewing experience is enhanced by the robots clapping along to the beat and reacting to sound changes.  I feel like I am visiting a Seussian machine world devoid of intelligent life.  The inhabitants are constantly consuming and destroying things around them... until the quiet comes and the song culminates with a symbol of the beauty of change.

Flying Lotus

This post is going to be fun.  Flying Lotus, or FlyLo for short, is the alias of electronic musician, Steven Ellison.  He is by no means your standard producer of electronica, however.  He crafts complex tracks that draw from a wide variety of influences.  Hip-hop beats, organic instrumentals, floating vocals, and video game sound effects all meld together with fantastic balance to give his music a distinct sound.

Like any good musician, it seems that FlyLo also likes to occasionally indulge in some mind altering activities...

Holy zodiac! That's a trip.  The song is from his 2010 album Cosmogramma and is called "Zodiac Shit".  His real 'influences' aren't all herbs and pills; he has said that he gets high to enjoy his music, not to make it because he gets distracted and forgetful.  No, FlyLo music is much more a product of the environment in which he was raised.

The Los Angeles native has kept close ties to his musical family.  His music takes strong inspiration from the lives and works of his aunt and uncle, jazz musicians Alice and John Coltrane.  In addition, their son, Ravi, remains an important part in Ellison's creative process.  See Ravi and Alice perform here.

Flying Lotus's name might not have mainstream notoriety, but his music does.  Anyone that has ever watched Cartoon Network's [adult swim] programming block (as I am right now) should recognize his songs from their witty and snide bumps.


Hit the jump to see what I'm talking about.