Flying Lotus

A few months ago, when Cosmogramma came out, Flying Lotus claimed he had no idea what he was going to do with his next round of productions. A mere 16 weeks later, his next move is hitting shelves. Pattern & Grid World is a concise little release that proves FlyLo isn't resting on his laurels. The sounds are altogether harder, dispensing with Cosmogramma's dreamscapes, which is how it should be with an EP. One of his signatures is his rhythmic sense ― something like the sound of silverware forever clattering to the ground. There's lots of that, and it's particularly interesting when he throws in a North African Gnawa rhythm on "M Theory" as a cultural point of reference. There's less overt jazz influence on display, except for the Thundercat roar on the joyful "Galaxy In Janaki." But what the heck, if you've already fallen in love with his music, you'll only find more to appreciate on Pattern & Grid World. In fact, this might be a better entry point than the impossibly deep Cosmogramma for new initiates.