Flying Lotus "1983"

 

It’s interesting to revisit a record that feels foundational to your listening habits, overall ear for life. In 2006 I was twenty years old, a sophomore in college. One could say the world was in front of me. I had found my way to Seattle from a rural Southern Oregon coastal town with the intention of partying, finding a job in the music industry and I suppose doing the college thing. Quickly I found my way with all three, they conveniently intertwined and life felt exciting, fresh, full.

Having grown up on a diet of hiphop, beats and rhymes I was convinced life was mine to make it what I wanted and I wanted it to be fun. I craved new experiences that were not present in my hometown and I found them quickly. Through a family friend I landed a job producing and board operating rather large country radio shows. Through my college I found myself plugged in with the school's radio station and its location on Capital Hill led me to Obese Productions and all the hiphop related happenings the city had to offer.

My ears were open and my naivety was fully activated. Drinking and drugs became prevalent quickly yet they were such an interconnected piece of all these facets of life that I thought nothing of it. Out of this bubble I found new sounds that were rooted in those that I had spent my teen years studying, researching and falling deeply in love with.

It was an exciting time. Everything seemed so fresh. All of a sudden the music took on a new meaning, it wasn’t just a sound I kept in the headphones but a soundtrack to misadventures and poor life choices. The consciousness of lyricists mattered less and the thump of a more party oriented groove became paramount. Out of this haze I began opening up to a worldwide network of beat makers that were cooking up new mutations. Donuts hit, Dilla’s death hit harder. And then came the flood of mimickers, most of which are not around today.

Out of this rubble emerged Flying Lotus, a deftly talented producer who channeled Dilla’s swing and sway but in a manner that held something deeper. His music screamed at me. I first heard him via Gilles Peterson’s BBC Radio 1 show and was immediately captivated. And then GP spoke with him and broke the news to me of his heritage which only invigorated my obsession. A trip to the Bay led me to copping his debut which at the time wasn’t registering with people. That piece of wax has long been a prized possession in my crates.

Today 1983 receives the reissue treatment, after being long out of print and unavailable on streaming services. Seeing the announcement right as I once again attempt to be more present in this space I pulled my dusty copy off the shelf and put it on the table. An easy lay up of a record to write about. I kept it spinning, I loaded it up onto my laptop and iPod - really traveling back in time, I know. And yet words didn’t come. I love this record in all its simplistic glory.

There is a radiance that emerges from the grooves of 1983. I’m envious of those who are hearing it now for the first time. Those of you that will be copping the wax tomorrow via Record Store Day are in for a treat. It’s neither brilliant nor boring. It’s a debut album from someone who never was convinced they would be a musician. It only hints at what would become the sound of an era, a scene, a movement that would overtake the world and once more shine a light on the city of Los Angeles as a place of sonic greatness.

Ostensibly a beat tape, Fly Lo concocts a sound that was filled with promise, if not entirely realized. He hints at his ancestry and the beauty of how electronic, hiphop and jazz can all mingle together. He channels the spirits, the spiritual, creating trance inducing tunes. He forsake classic production methods for a laptop and software. He taps into his truth, his honesty and his vision. Peterson calls it a merging of Madlib and Daedelus. At the time it felt mystical and magical. You had to nod your head to him.

The burgeoning beat scene held many geniuses in the moment, but few have demonstrated the lasting energy that Flying Lotus has exemplified. And in 1983 you are given a sneak peak at why. Its dusty grooves, hard hitting drums and experimental sounds hint at why he became the known quantity. He would go on to concoct some of the most forward thinking albums of the early 2010s, but he had to lay down a foundation before flight.

The record is captivating from the very start with the title track luring you in with a steady pulse and just the right vibe. While one could say that there is nothing new here and not be wrong, new or not it was and still is fun, exciting and an easy listen. He breaks grooves down, he laces his patterns with an exuberance and danceable life that can’t be ignored. There is the Flying Lotus we have come to expect hidden within these frameworks.

If you were lucky enough to catch him in these early days you were in for a straight forward jam session. While his live show has only evolved to include trippy visuals and a mystique that is indicative of the success he has been fortunate enough to achieve, when 1983 hit there was none of that. It was raw beats, much like the foundations of hiphop and that was what pulled me in so quickly. This was new but old. And it still is.

Don’t over think this music. It’s substantial in its role it plays, showing us where such a talent comes from. He was part of a community that was focused on how hard you could pound the speakers in tiny clubs. Cassettes and CDs with your latest cook ups were passed around and slowly his rose above the rest. Niño calling for a track is never a bad sign. When it came time to formally announce himself to the public it wasn’t via a large label with the budget to plaster him on billboards but rather the small, independent operation that was Plug Research - this was their bread and butter.

Let the drums do what they do, dance and mingle within your mind. Allow the static haze to surround you and pull you into this world. This music is worth the time and dissection, it’s a dichotomous ride. Equal parts rote and new. He hadn’t yet reached the full realization of his sound but he was tuned into something deeper than most making a beginning. A youth spent observing his aunt’s devotion through music, the power of sound to bring people together and rise. 

Tap in, get enmeshed with these sounds. Whether it’s your first time or your hundredth. Whether you were listening with me back when it was new and different or you are coming in via the hype of the man that has mostly left music behind to focus on his original passion of films, we are blessed to have this project available again, to get to drift off with these sounds, to be shown what it means to not debut fully formed but to be given the opportunity to evolve.