Flying Lotus is touring in support of his upcoming Cosmogramma album on Warp and early notices cite an impressive array of instrumentation and several high-profile collaborators. Fusing elements of dubstep, hip-hop and soul with breakbeat variations remains the thrust of his sound, but an earnest appreciation for Lil Wayne, Prince and Björk, and heavy inspiration from aunt and Alice Coltrane are pushing FlyLo to new heights. Along for the ride is Hyperdub honcho and London dubstep producer Kode9, whose efforts are best described as “bass-driven electronic music.” His use of dub samples and varied song structures offer listeners a rhythmic journey through glitch-influenced breaks and the layered pads and keys of house music. Catch these innovators at Double Door this weekend, and don’t forget it’s an early show. (John Alex Colón)
April 2 at Double Door, 1572 N. Milwaukee, (773)489-3160, at 8pm. $5 advance, $10 at the door.
For “Want” of a Change: A Preview of Rufus Wainwright at Ravinia Park Rufus Wainwright isn’t the first singer-songwriter to reinterpret earlier work through an orchestral lens. And much of Wainwright’s third and fourth albums, “Want One” and “Want Two”—whose twentieth anniversaries are the prompt for this new tour—is fully scored. But when Wainwright hits the Pavilion stage at Ravinia tonight, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will be behind him.
Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia There have been few new compositions from King Crimson these past two decades, but the live arrangements of songs from its catalog are often strikingly different than the recorded versions.
Cooling It: A Preview of Colleen Green at Cole’s Bar When Green strums power chords or chiming notes on top of her backing track, you might think you’re at Ramones karaoke night and Madonna is taking her turn.
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