Happy Tuesday, yâall. Thanks for joining us for the first official edition of our newsletter. Iâve got a lot to get into, but first, donât forget to share Program Change with a friend!
And, you know, not just any friend. Someone you really think will dig us. Seriously, donât spam usâtreat us like that mix cd you hand to your crush so they know you really know whatâs up.
Not to Miss: Noise Pulp Radio đť đ
Speaking of knowing whatâs up: tonight is the second broadcast of Noise Pulp Radio, a show dedicated to sound collages, sonic essays, and other auditory oddities designed for your close-listening pleasure:
Co-produced by Stefanie Aguilar and our friend Emma Palm (better known to Program Change fans as the Digitone-killa No Translation), Noise Pulp is committed to centering sound art from people whose intersectional identities have been marginalized historically and concurrently in Western culture. I canât stress how excited I am to see this radio show develop, and I hope yâall will join me in tuning in this evening.
What Flying Lotusâs Grammy Nomination Means for Independent Music đ
Who gives a fuck about a goddamn Grammy?
Chuck Dâs mantra for musicâs disaffected masses remains as relevant today as it did in 1988. In fact, if youâre reading this newsletter, thereâs a pretty good chance you havenât paid the Grammys any mind in a very long time (and if that doesnât sound like you, shoot us an email because I want to know more about you).
My good friend Chandler Baxter Tipton once told me that the moment he lost faith in the Grammys was when Flying Lotusâs Cosmogramma was denied a nomination for Album of the Year. I canât say such a blatant diss was surprising, given the Grammys track-record of ignoring the cutting-edge and opting for safe praise of broadly-palatable music. That said, there is a significance to recognizing when youâve decided that an institution praised in the mainstream discourse is, to you, utter and complete bullshit. Award shows are outdated symbols of status, and Iâve found that they largely mean nothing to folks who are most passionate about music. So, why am I talking about them in this inaugural edition of my newsletter?
One argument I can think of in favor of award shows is that they can introduce casual music listeners to artists they otherwise would never encounter in their algorithm-soaked musical diet. A few years ago, my friend Dylan (who runs an amazing blog called PALM) posited a question on his Facebook: who has been the most influential person in the Los Angeles music scene this decade? For me, the answer was obviously Flying Lotus, given his work in expanding the artistry of instrumental hip-hop in LA, his influence on the Los Angeles jazz scene, his influence on Pulitzer Prize-winner Kendrick Lamar, and the incredibly broad reach and appeal of his closest collaborator, Thundercat. However, I soon realized that there were many people who had literally never heard of him. And thatâs not a knock against them; if anything, itâs a knock against the existing gatekeepers in music who get to tell mainstream audiences what is âgoodâ (or, even worse, âimportantâ).
It is those audiences for whom the Grammys still matter, and itâs a really important audience to pay attention toâeven for smaller, independent artists. A lot of children make up that audience, and Grammy nods can have a huge impact on how children get exposed to new genres of music. Awards shows offer a vehicle for the music we love to get introduced to people who might love it, but otherwise would never encounter it. Itâs important to acknowledge that weâre all forced into various bubbles, and institutions can sometimes be beneficial in broadcasting the art and artists we love to people outside of our bubbles.
With this in mind, Flying Lotus getting nominated for Producer of the Year is a huge moment for independent artists, beatmakers, electronic musicians, and basically anyone who has ever felt like an artistic weirdo. It is a testament to the power of being true to oneself. As producer Nothing Neue put it on his Twitter:
Flying Lotusâs influence on my own musicâand the music I loveâhas been nothing short of monumental. In honor of his ascent (as well as that of his producer progeny Kaytranada, who secured a âBest New Artistâ nomination), I wanted to share some Flying Lotus internet deep-cuts Iâve collected throughout the yeas:
That one Gearslutz Thread where Daddy Kev shuts everyone up about Flying Lotus's sound
Producers far-and-wide have debated how to make beats that sound like Flying Lotus. As it turns out, this question was answered 10 years ago by Flyloâs mastering engineer, Low End Theory co-founder, and questionably-named-internet-forum-aficionado Daddy Kev. The secret? âItâs him". Do with that what you will.
Flying Lotus BBC Essential Mix 2008-11-29
Flyloâs BBC essential mix serves as a historical document of what was happening in electronic music in 2008, a time when hip-hop, dubstep, chiptune, glitch-hop, and whatever the hell âwonkyâ is were fomenting new ways of thinking about rhythms and sounds generated by machines. Put this on and think about how fresh it still sounds, 12 years on.
FLYamSAM - Bootleg Beats
One of Flying Lotusâs criminally overlooked side-projects is FLYamSAM, a collaboration with SP legend Samiyam. Itâs a shame most of these tracks never got a proper release, but Youtube has prevented these from becoming mere relics of a MySpace museum.
Ideas+Drafts+Loops
Iâd venture to say this is probably the most famous project on this list, partly because it is available directly through Brainfeeder as a digital download. Even Flyloâs throwaways are phenomenal, and it makes you think how much thought must go into his albums if these are the tracks he chooses to give away for free.
On-Point TV Interview, 2008
An interview and micro-documentary that shows an incredibly chill and humble Flying Lotus in the early stages of his career. Worth it entirely just to sample him jamming out on that Trigger Finger.
KaytraTODO by Kaytranada
Departing from Flying Lotus, I also wanted to celebrate Kaytranada for his nomination for Best New Artist. Kaytra is a descendant of Flying Lotusâs influence, with his breakout remix of Janet Jacksonâs âIfâ being a direct result of a bout of inspiration after a Flying Lotus concert. Kaytra has a pretty incredible catalog of material not available on DSPs, so Iâm excited to share one of his early EPs that, to my knowledge, is only available on Bandcamp and Soundcloud. âKilla Catsâ still gets regular rotation in the whip, though nothing will beat hearing it on that Pure Filth sound system at Low End Theory.
Thatâs it for this week, folks! If you have any questions, concerns, or just wanna chat, leave a comment or shoot me an email at daniel@pgchg.com. And remember to tell a friend to subscribe!
Til next time, Much love from Los Angeles âđžđ