Flying Lotus is Everywhere Right Now

Steven Ellison aka Flying Lotus. Photo taken by Andrew Kenny for Pitchfork.

 Fresh off a Grammy nomination and a Netflix original soundtrack, Steven Ellison “Flying Lotus” is busy with a number of projects. 

Staying “relevant” is one of those terms you hear frequently in entertainment. Hollywood can be notoriously fleeting at times, but there are some artists who seem to have staying power. One such artist happens to be an alumnus of The Los Angeles Film School. Even if you haven’t heard of Steven Ellison, you’ve probably heard the moniker “Flying Lotus”. Part of Steven Ellison’s relevancy comes from his musical bloodline. According to Clash Music, he is the grand-nephew of the late jazz pianist Alice Coltrane, whose husband was saxophonist John Coltrane.

Steven spent his early years creating spacey hip-hop beats and establishing an eclectic sound. His first studio album 1983 released in 2006 was a learning experience according to Steven. In an interview with VICE, he said, “I don’t think it’s a bad record, I just think I could do better. It was the sound of me figuring out and learning. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Since that debut album, Flying Lotus has released five more studio albums. The last album Flamagra came out in 2019 as a reflective follow up to his momentous 2015 album You’re Dead!

Now, in 2021, it seems that Flying Lotus is everywhere. 

Flying Lotus Crosses into Livestream and Netflix

The pandemic hasn’t seemed to slow Flying Lotus down. Not only will his music be featured on the soundtrack of Netflix’s new anime series Yasuke out Thursday, April 29, but he’s also collaborating with Pitchfork on a new Sunday event series. Flying Lotus will DJ Lord Jones Sunday Bath Sessions, which takes place Sunday, May 2, at 8 p.m. EST.

Image of Flying Lotus via LA Weekly

Netflix bet big on anime in 2021 and Yasuke is the first big release for the network. Flying Lotus is an integral part of the project through his Afro-futuristic beats and influence. You can hear music by Flying Lotus during the opening and closing credits of Yasuke. Flying lotus released two singles, Black Gold featuring Thundercat and Between Memories featuring Niki Randa.

At the start of 2021, Flying Lotus received a Grammy nomination for Producer of the Year for Thundercat’s Album It Is What It Is. Flying Lotus first collaborated with Thundercat on his debut album The Golden Age of the Apocalypse back in 2011 after they met at South by Southwest. For Thundercat’s fourth studio album, Flying Lotus executive produced the album, which earned him the GRAMMY nomination.

These music projects are a testament on how Flying Lotus is staying ahead of the entertainment game. We are excited to see what’s next for one of our talented alumni!