INNER VISIONS
Flying Lotus’s dog has got some flatulence issues. “Ooh… very deep, right?” says the musician, producer and filmmaker in a low burr, grabbing a stick of palo santo to clear the air. “Jesus. That’s rough!” The dog seems highly relaxed. It’s easy to feel relaxed here. Once you arrive at his LA home, it’s clear to see why the 35-year-old (otherwise known as Steven Ellison) is a hermit. He first signed to Warp in 2007 and has since built his own label, Brainfeeder. In addition to releasing five LPs, he’s collaborated with everyone from Odd Future to Thom Yorke and was Grammy nominated for his work on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly.
His house in Studio City looks like it’s been lived in for decades: every wall features modern art, every corner is packed with books, records and memorabilia. Instruments take over the front room: a piano, a drum kit. In the adjacent studio, there’s a weed counter as extensive as you’d find in a dispensary. Thundercat – his closest collaborator – is in the kitchen. Mac Miller used to spend time here, too, before passing away from a drug overdose in September. There are framed black-and-white portraits of him – one sitting prominently on the studio’s desk.
Fly Lo is at his most chill today. He walks around barefoot with a knee-length throw swaying as he moves. When he sits down, he tinkers at a keyboard. He’s intimate but doesn’t embellish.
His first album since 2014’s is due soon, but he won’t give away a date or a title, nor confirm rumoured appearances by Solange and David Lynch. Instead he prefers to play the piano – a new passion of his, good…”
