various / 14 tracks

14 tracks uncovering the squashed funk of L.A.

L.A.'s thriving underground scene has in the last 18 months gone stratospheric, spearheaded by a mouth-watering alignment of producers who have between them cemented the city's reputation as a centre for advanced beat experiments and new school variations. Guided by Madlib's now decade-long crate digging adventures and tireless search for innovation, a number of super-talented disciples have emerged in recent years with a clearly defined musical agenda. The new sound of L.A. somehow manages to join the dots between foundational jazz/funk/hip-hop with the low-end developments taking place across the pond in the UK's thriving bass music scene. Flying Lotus, the great-nephew of Alice Coltrane, is perhaps best known among this new generation of producers, having turned heads ever since his debut album for the Plug Research label dropped back in 2006, further opening up the sound via the Brainfeeder imprint he set up last year. Dam Funk, in turn, has resurrected classic Prince style productions for a series of releases constructed out of super distinctive Linn drum machine sessions, providing a natural gateway to the UK's own Purple scene but with a much more purist agenda. Daddy Kev has been another key character, pushing boundaries via his excellent Alpha Pup imprint and, more recently, setting up an umbrella distribution network for some of the city's most exciting young labels and producers. It's a mark of just how thriving L.A.'s beat movement is that we haven't even had room to fit in a number of key producers such as The Gaslamp Killer and Carlos Nino, notable omissions from this blistering, blunted session.