Steven Ellison is a man out of time. I’m not just referring to the ramshackle drum-sequencing style the Californian producer cribbed from the late J. Dilla — though Dilla’s wobbly drum patterns and lo-fi samples are probably the most recognizable influence on Ellison’s sound. What’s really anachronistic about Flying Lotus’ debut album is that the clattering hand claps and undulating bass of a cut like “Riot” add up to the kind of sublime home-listening electronica that made labels like Warp and Ninja Tune exciting in the early ’90s. From the baseball-card-in-bicycle-spokes drums of “GNG BNG” to the bhangra-biting “Melt!,” Los Angeles’ twisted beat science is refreshing enough to make you forget all those crappy Plaid and DJ Vadim albums ever happened.

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