Friday night, October 23, at The Fonda in Los Angeles, Flying Lotus and Pink Siifu brought two entirely different approaches to experimental sound, hip-hop, and musical expression to the legendary theater. Neither was particularly interested in playing by the rules, and that was exactly the point. There’s something very special about a live show that refuses to stay in its lane. While some artists follow a formula, others seem more interested in tearing it apart and seeing what happens next. The result was a night that was unpredictable and absolutely epic.
Pink Siifu brought an energy that was somewhere between hip-hop and experimental noise. His performance moved with a restless quality that kept the audience guessing. Then came a moment that took things to another level. Near the end of his set, Pink Siifu came down from the stage and walked straight into the pit. Bringing a punk element to his performance, he stepped right into the middle of a mosh pit. It was refreshing and powerful to see an artist step away from the usual separation between performer and audience and put himself right in the middle of the chaos, where the crowd wasn’t watching the performance anymore, they were now a part of it. This far surpassed my expectations of what the live setting would bring, and was one of those moments that reminds you what live music can be when an artist is willing to let go of what might be expected.
After his performance, I caught up with Pink Siifu in the green room beneath The Fonda, where members of his entourage were also gathered.
The last time I caught Flying Lotus live was at Outside Lands in San Francisco in August 2019. When we spoke backstage before his Fonda performance, I brought up the festival. “I love that place,” he told me. This time, seeing him in a more intimate venue rather than a massive festival setting offered a different experience. There was something uniquely special about having that visual and sonic world unfold inside The Fonda, where the audience could take in every detail.
Steven Ellison, better known as Flying Lotus, is an artist whose creative reach extends well beyond the DJ booth. As a producer, electronic musician, rapper, filmmaker, and founder of the independent label Brainfeeder, he’s spent years moving between electronic music, jazz, hip-hop, and experimental sound. Under his Captain Murphy moniker, he’s explored yet another side of his musical identity.
Trying to put Flying Lotus into one category has never really made much sense.
Taking the stage at 10 p.m., Flying Lotus began with soft, dreamy violin sounds, setting a mood that felt almost otherworldly before the beats began to build. His setup was a visual work of art in itself, with a white stage arrangement surrounded by candles, skulls, and web-like details. Positioned between two massive screens, he stood at the center of an immersive audiovisual experience while projections constantly shifted, creating a multidimensional landscape that morphed with the music. This blurred the lines between live music, projection art, and visual storytelling. As the set progressed, the beats hit harder, moving through layers of electronic production, soul, jazz, and experimental hip-hop. What makes Flying Lotus so compelling is that he doesn’t approach music as anything that needs to fit into a predetermined shape. His live performances reflect that. You’re not just standing there watching someone play music. You’re stepping into a world he’s constructed, one that keeps changing as the set unfolds.
At The Fonda, Pink Siifu brought the raw, physical energy of a performer willing to jump into the crowd and let the audience become a part of the show. Flying Lotus approached the stage from an entirely different direction as he built an expansive world through sound, imagery, and atmosphere. One was immediate and explosive, while the other was immersive and constantly evolving. Yet both artists shared a willingness to push beyond what an audience might expect. Trying to explain what they were doing or confine their work would miss what makes it so interesting.
Sometimes, the most compelling artists are the ones who are interested in seeing how far the road can go. And Friday night at the Fonda, both Flying Lotus and Pink Siifu took us somewhere worth following.
Words and Photos: Maggie St.Thomas
