Los Angeles resident Steven Ellison. a.k.a. Juno Leed a.k.a. Flying Lotus is commonly identified as a hip hop producer, but his style is drawn from many genres, including jazz, electronic and Brazilian music. His hip hop beats are unique for their hazy, ambient sound, while his percussion is purposefully slightly off time, creating a messier, more organic atmosphere. Because of this, he is often likened to producers such as Madlib, Jneiro Jarel and J Dilla despite the fact that all the mentioned musicians have distinctly unique styles. Flying Lotus, often abbreviated to FlyLo, is currently signed to Warp Records, although he released his first album, 1983 on Plug Research Records, the label to which he belonged from 2006-2007. His June 2008 release, Los Angeles, with cover art designed by Build & Timothy Saccenti, was released to positive critical reviews. As well as serious album work, remixes and production for artists such as Oddisee and John Robinson, FlyLo is also responsible for many of the musical loops heard during the ‘bumps’ on Adult Swim, as well as being a casual filmmaker.
Being the great-nephew of Alice Coltrane, John Coltrane’s wife, Ellison comes from a musical heritage about which he says: “My greatest influences are my family, I’m lucky to have been around so many accomplished musicians.” When discussing the sources of his imagination and inspiration, he explains that : “I see these tracks as little short films that play in my head… I have this beautiful lemon tree in my backyard, and on a sunny day the light shines through. Little things like that inspire me.”
His album Cosmogramma has also recieved universal acclaim, with cover art by Leigh McCloskey.
