History Music / FlyingLotus

While he first began releasing work in 2005 ([[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness quite straightforward if slightly off-kilter]] instrumental [[HipHop hip-hop]] with notable Music/JDilla influence), Ellison would gain widespread recognition for his work from the late [=2000s=] to early [=2010s=]. This work is arguably some of the most famous to be attached to the "wonky" genre, a [[GenreMashup mix]] of hip-hop with {{dubstep}} and IDM elements. His music also became known for its aesthetic focus on psychedelia and spirituality (not for nothing, he's related to Music/JohnColtrane through being the grand-nephew of his second wife Alice) alongside its intricate, futuristic sound design.

While he first began releasing work in 2005 ([[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness quite straightforward if slightly off-kilter]] instrumental [[HipHop hip-hop]] with notable Music/JDilla influence), Ellison would gain widespread recognition for his work from the late [=2000s=] to early [=2010s=]. This work is arguably some of the most famous to be attached to the "wonky" genre, a [[GenreMashup mix]] of hip-hop with {{dubstep}} and IDM elements. His music also became known for its aesthetic focus on psychedelia and spirituality (likely a byproduct of Ellison's direct relation to Alice and Music/JohnColtrane) alongside its intricate, futuristic sound design.

This era of Ellison's music has also become quite synonymous with Creator/AdultSwim, as his songs were used on a noticeable basis for their bumpers. Around the time the opportunity for him to submit music first opened, he had a day job interning at Stones Throw Records and spent his nights working on what would become his debut album, ''1983'', which would release in 2006. He signed with Warp Records the next year, and became one of the label's cornerstone artists shortly afterwards, founding the indie record label Brainfeeder.

However, Ellison would go on to widen his artistic horizons, with his 2012 album ''Until the Quiet Comes'' [[NewSoundAlbum initiating a shift in interest towards]] {{jazz}}, and run-ins with groups like [[Music/{{OFWGKTA}} Odd Future]] and Shabazz Palaces inspiring him to commit to established hip-hop work. It was also around this time that a villainous animated rapper-cum-cult enthusiast named Captain Murphy[[note]]named for the character from ''WesternAnimation/Sealab2020''[[/note]] mysteriously surfaced, inciting mass press speculation (centered squarely around the OF crew) as to the Captain's identity. This culminated in November 2012, with the release of the Captain's debut mixtape[=/=]short film ''Duality'' and his first live show several weeks after. While he took the stage in a mask and cloak, he eventually unveiled himself, revealing to the world that he was in fact Ellison[[note]][[TheUntwist although his identity had been all but leaked beforehand,]] [[IKnewIt and the big unmasking was even preceded by chants of "Lotus!"]][[/note]].

This era of Ellison's music has also become quite synonymous with Creator/AdultSwim, as it was used on a noticeable basis for their bumpers. Around the time the opportunity for him to submit music first opened, he had a day job interning at Stones Throw Records and spent his nights working on what would become his debut album, ''1983'', which would release in 2006. He signed with Warp Records the next year, and became one of the label's cornerstone artists shortly afterwards, founding the indie record label Brainfeeder.

Ellison would later take on a new medium by announcing Brainfeeder's branching into films in 2016, with the division's first main release being a film of Ellison's own co-writing and direction (although he's credited simply as [[AllLowercaseLetters "steve"]]): ''Kuso''[[note]]Japanese for "shit"[[/note]], a very {{surreal|Humor}} and '''''very''''' [[VulgarHumor grotesque]] anthology film about the mutant survivors of an earthquake that destroys Los Angeles.

However, Ellison would go on to widen his artistic horizons, with his 2012 album ''Until the Quiet Comes'' [[NewSoundAlbum initiating a shift in interest towards]] {{jazz}}, and run-ins with groups like [[Music/{{OFWGKTA}} Odd Future]] and Shabazz Palaces inspiring him to commit to established hip-hop work. It was also around this time that a villainous animated rapper-cum-cult enthusiast named Captain Murphy[[note]]named for the character from ''WesternAnimation/Sealab2020''[[/note]] mysteriously surfaced, inciting mass press speculation (centered squarely around the OF crew) as to the Captain's identity. This culminated in November, with the release of his mixtape[=/=]short film ''Duality'', and the Captain's first live show several weeks after. While he took the stage in a mask and cloak, he eventually unveiled himself, revealing to the world that he was in fact Ellison[[note]][[TheUntwist although his identity had been all but leaked beforehand,]] [[IKnewIt and the big unmasking was even preceded by chants of "Lotus!"]][[/note]].

[[HeAlsoDid Apart from all of this, he's got]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Lotus_production_discography an impressive catalog of production credits]] and scoring credits on various short films and series.

* AnimatedMusicVideo: "Video" might be a stretch, but each song he's put out so far has been accompanied by a short, animated clip.

Steven Ellison (b. October 7, 1983), better known as Flying Lotus (sometimes abbreviated as [=FlyLo=]), is an American producer, musician, DJ, rapper, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles.

* EarlyBirdCameo: As an easily-overlooked clue to Captain Murphy's true identity, his signature EvilLaugh can be heard several times through Flying Lotus's "Cosmogramma".

* {{Motormouth}}: Parodied in "Mighty Morphin' Foreskin", he sounds like he's going to launch into a fairly standard fast-rap verse, but it quickly degenerates into gibberish.

* {{Sampling}}: Constantly. Some sources include ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ''Franchise/StreetFighter'', and a documentary on cult leaders. And that's just "Mighty Morphin' Foreskin".

* VirginSacrifice: The end of "The Ritual".

While he first began releasing work in 2005 ([[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness quite straightforward if slightly off-kilter]] instrumental [[HipHop hip hop]] with explicit Music/JDilla influence), he would gain widespread recognition for his work from the late [=2000s=] to early [=2010s=]. This work is arguably some of the most famous to be attached to the "wonky" genre, a [[GenreMashup mix]] of hip-hop with {{dubstep}} and IDM elements. His music also became known for its aesthetic focus on psychedelia and spirituality (likely a byproduct of Ellison's direct relation to Music/{{Alice|Coltrane}} and Music/JohnColtrane) alongside its intricate, futuristic sound design.

Aside from this, this era of his music has also become quite synonymous with Creator/AdultSwim, as it was used on a noticeable basis for their bumpers. Around the time the opportunity for him to submit music first opened, he had a day job interning at Stones Throw Records, while he spent his nights working on what would become his debut album, ''1983'', which would release in 2006. He signed with Warp Records the next year, and became one of the label's cornerstone artists shortly afterwards, even founding the indie record label Brainfeeder.

However, he would go on to widen his artistic horizons, with his 2012 album ''Until the Quiet Comes'' [[NewSoundAlbum initiating a shift in interest towards]] {{jazz}}, and run-ins with groups like [[Music/{{OFWGKTA}} Odd Future]] and Music/ShabazzPalaces inspiring him to commit to established hip-hop work. It was also around this time that a villainous animated rapper-cum-cult enthusiast named Captain Murphy[[note]]named for the character from ''WesternAnimation/Sealab2020''[[/note]] mysteriously surfaced, inciting mass press speculation (centered squarely around the OF crew) as to the Captain's identity. This culminated in November, with the release of his mixtape[=/=]short film ''Duality'', and the Captain's first live show several weeks after. While he took the stage in a mask and cloak, he eventually unveiled himself, revealing to the world that he was in fact Ellison[[note]][[TheUntwist although his identity had been all but leaked beforehand,]] [[IKnewIt and the big unmasking was even preceded by chants of "Lotus!"]][[/note]].

* {{Sampling}}: Constantly. Some sources include ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ''VideoGame/StreetFighter'', and a documentary on cult leaders. And that's just "Mighty Morphin' Foreskin".

While he first began releasing work in 2005 ([[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness quite straightforward if slightly off-kilter]] instrumental [[HipHop hip hop]] with explicit Music/JDilla influence), he would gain widespread recognition for his work from the late [=2000s=] to early [=2010s=]. This work is arguably some of the most famous to be attached to the "wonky" genre, a [[GenreMashup mix]] of hip-hop with {{dubstep}} and IDM elements. His music also became known for its aesthetic focus on psychedelia and spirituality (likely a byproduct of Ellison's direct relation to Music/{{Alice|Coltrane}} and Music/JohnColtrane) and intricate, futuristic sound design, giving his work an unparalleled character.

Ellison would later take on a new medium by announcing Brainfeeder's branching into films in 2016, with the division's first main release being a film of Ellison's own co-writing and direction (although he's credited simply as [[AllLowercaseLetters "steve"]]): ''Kuso''[[note]]Japanese for "shit"[[/note]], an anthology film about the mutant survivors of an earthquake that destroys Los Angeles.

* EarlyBirdCameo: As an overlooked clue to Captain Murphy's true identity, his signature EvilLaugh can be heard several times through Flying Lotus's "Cosmogramma".

While he first began releasing work in 2005 ([[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness quite straightforward if slightly off-kilter]] instrumental [[HipHop hip hop]] with explicit Music/JDilla influence), he would gain widespread recognition for his work from the late [=2000s=] to early [=2010s=]. This work is arguably some of the most famous to be attached to the "wonky" genre, a [[GenreMashup mix]] of hip-hop with {{dubstep}} and IDM elements. His music also became known for its aesthetic focus on psychedelia and spirituality (likely a byproduct of Ellison's direct relation to Music/{{Alice|Coltrane}} and Music/JohnColtrane) and intricate, futuristic sound design, giving his work an unparalleled sense of character.

However, he would go on to widen his artistic horizons, with his 2012 album ''Until the Quiet Comes'' [[NewSoundAlbum initiating a shift in interest towards]] {{jazz}}, and run-ins with artists like [[Music/{{OFWGKTA}} Odd Future]] and Music/ShabazzPalaces inspiring him to commit to established hip-hop work. It was also around this time that a villainous animated rapper-cum-cult enthusiast named Captain Murphy[[note]]named for the character from ''WesternAnimation/Sealab2020''[[/note]] mysteriously surfaced, inciting mass press speculation (centered squarely around the OF crew) as to the Captain's identity. This culminated in November, with the release of his mixtape[=/=]short film ''Duality'', and the Captain's first live show several weeks after. While he took the stage in a mask and cloak, he eventually unveiled himself, revealing to the world that he was in fact Ellison[[note]][[TheUntwist although his identity had been all but leaked beforehand,]] [[IKnewIt and the big unmasking was even preceded by chants of "Lotus!"]][[/note]].

Ellison would later take on a new form of expression by announcing Brainfeeder's branching into films in 2016, with the division's first main release being a film of Ellison's own co-writing and direction (although he's credited simply as [[AllLowercaseLetters "steve"]]): ''Kuso''[[note]]Japanese for "shit"[[/note]], an anthology film about the mutant survivors of an earthquake that destroys Los Angeles.

While he first began releasing work in 2005 (quite straightforward instrumental [[HipHop hip hop]] with explicit Music/JDilla influence), he would gain widespread recognition for his work from the late [=2000s=] to early [=2010s=]. This work is arguably some of the most famous to be attached to the "wonky" genre, a [[GenreMashup mix]] of hip-hop with {{dubstep}} and IDM elements. His music also became known for its psychedelic aesthetic (likely a byproduct of Ellison's direct relation to Music/{{Alice|Coltrane}} and Music/JohnColtrane) and futuristic, intricate sound design, giving his work an unparalleled sense of character.

Aside from this, this era of his music has also become quite synonymous with Creator/AdultSwim, as it was used on a noticeable basis for their bumpers. Around the time the opportunity for him to submit music first opened, he had a day job interning at Stones Throw Records, while he spent his nights working on what would become his debut album, ''1983''. He signed with Warp Records the next year, and became one of the label's cornerstone artists shortly afterwards, even founding the indie record label Brainfeeder.

However, he would go on to widen his artistic horizons, with his 2012 album ''Until the Quiet Comes'' [[NewSoundAlbum initiating a shift in interest towards]] {{jazz}}, and run-ins with artists like [[Music/{{OFWGKTA}} Odd Future]] and Music/ShabazzPalaces inspiring him to commit to established hip-hop work. It was also around this time that a villainous animated rapper-cum-cult enthusiast named Captain Murphy[[note]]named for the character from ''WesternAnimation/Sealab2020''[[/note]] mysteriously surfaced, inciting mass press speculation (centered squarely around the OF crew) as to the Captain's identity. This culminated in November, with the release of his mixtape[=/=]short film ''Duality'', and the Captain's first live show several weeks after. While he took the stage in a mask and cloak, he eventually unveiled himself, revealing to the world that he was in fact Ellison[[note]][[TheUntwist although his identity had been all but leaked beforehand]], and the big unmasking was even preceded by chants of "Lotus!"[[/note]].

Never the stagnant creative, however, Ellison would announce Brainfeeder's branching into films in 2016, with the division's first main release being a film of Ellison's own co-writing and direction (although he's credited simply as [[AllLowercaseLetters "steve"]]): ''Kuso''[[note]]Japanese for "shit"[[/note]], an anthology film about the mutant survivors of an earthquake that destroys Los Angeles.

* BasedOnADream: Ellison reportedly came up with the Flying Lotus name from a lucid dream.

!!Tropes that apply to Lying Lotus/Captain Murphy

Aside from this, this era of his music has also become quite synonymous with Creator/AdultSwim, as it was used on a noticeable basis for their bumpers. Around the time the opportunity for him to submit music first opened, he had a day job interning at Stones Throw Records, while he spent his nights working on what would become his debut album, ''1983''. He signed with Warp Records the next year, and became one of the label's cornerstone artists shortly afterwards.

'''Discography'''

->''Muahahahaha!''
-->-'''Captain Murphy''', in most of his songs.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/captain_murphy_7615.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:who the fuck is you, man?]]

Flying Lotus (real name Steven Ellison, born October 7, 1983) is the underground beatsmith, IDM, and experimental electronic music producer based in Los Angeles. He also produced quite a bit of the bumper music for the Creator/AdultSwim programming block.

It was in 2012 that [=FlyLo=] assumed the identity of Captain Murphy, after the character of the same name from WesternAnimation/Sealab2020 (and in turn Adult Swim's own WesternAnimation/Sealab2021). The Captain is clearly bent on making a mythology for himself, his songs are unashamedly strange, and many (''especially'' "The Ritual") deal implicitly or overtly with cults and cult leaders, and each has been accompanied by an animated clip to go along with the song (except "Shake Weight", which used an edited version of a pre-existing video by another band).

On November 15th, 2012, Captain Murphy released ''DuΔlity'', a combination mixtape and film collage (the tape's music is set to the collage), it deals, again, pretty explicitly with cults. Soon after it dropped, Lotus and Murphy were outed as the same person, ending widespread speculation as to the Captain's identity.

* 2012 - ''Until the Quiet Comes''