2008, Warp Records

VINYL FORMAT. The first moments of Flying Lotus' Los Angeles come on as lush analog waves, just distorted enough to sound like a faded memory of something you once heard on a radio from across a room. Essentially, it's instant transportation. Whether it is forward or backward in time, you'll never know as the sounds of the record leap recklessly into the future while keeping a sly glance back towards the classics of every genre. In this case, establishing a timeframe is not nearly as important as establishing the setting, which, as the album's title may have tipped you off, is none other than southern California. Like Flying Lotus' full-length Warp debut, Los Angeles and its surrounding areas are studies in deep contrast: haves and have-nots, glitter and grime, sunshine and shadow, whimsy and tension.