This shit right here is damn funky, yessir. Hotly tipped producer Flying Lotus drops a six-track EP to massage your boombox into pulp once again. Following the fanfare of his well received 1983 longplayer, Steven Ellison returns with a tantalising EP that further establishes his reputation as a purveyor of beat finery.

Straight off the block Lotus laces it with the super soul satisfaction that is Tea Leaf Dancers. Lotus is a smooth brother, no doubt a lady lover, and here he lays the perfect foundation for vocalist Andrea Triana to get deep in his groove. With the hazy, deliriously lazy vibe that permeates here, this makes for prime ambience for all kinds of maxing and relaxing.

While the remaining tracks are not as instantly delicious as the lead single, Flying Lotus flexes enough variation to keep all but the fussiest connoissuer bobbing their heads. Rugged and rough edits are order of the day on Vegas Collie, as Ellison gets busy on the MPC. Massage Situation utilises the sort of vocal snippet that might be found on a Prefuse track in days gone by, but with a sense of funk long forgotten in the work of Guillermo Scott Herren.

Raw and stripped to the core, Dancefloor Stalker is an exemplarly demonstration of the sheer effectiveness of the original, stark, electro aesthetic. Flylo simply commands the B-Boy that dwellls deep within the heart of each and everyone of us to break loose. Crisp 808 handclaps and kicks defy the listener to not pop, lock and bodyrock to the the beat of his skewed robot rock.

I’m not going to front. A swell of cynicism builds with me each time some flash-in-the-pan producer is heralded as the next big thing amidst a sea of hype and hearsay. But maybe, just maybe, this Californian native actually deserves his props. On the strength of this EP, Flying Lotus certainly is one to watch in ‘08, and beyond. Buy now or cry later.