What’s on Wednesday: Flying Lotus, The Rails, and 10 years of the Meteor Choice Music Prize

PICK OF THE WEEK

Flying Lotus
Vicar Street Dublin Wednesday 7.30pm €30.40
flying-lotus.com

Who needs Elon Musk or Richard Branson and their plans for intergalactic travel when you have a leading space cadet like Steven Ellison in the house?

As Flying Lotus, Ellison has been king of the far frontier when it comes to joining up the dots between hip-hop, jazz and electronic music for the last decade.His releases to date have been dazzling affairs, full of bright, bold and brash statements about experimental music’s possibilities, but without any need to go up his own hoop in terms of preciousness.

Naturally, as always happens with canny hip-hop operators, Ellison has become something of a magnet for other bright sparks, and his Brainfeeder label is now home to such wild, remarkable new talents as Thundercat, Taylor McFerrin, Ras G, Kamasi Washington, Ryat, Jeremiah Jae and many more.

Ellison’s You’re Dead album from last year was a state-of-the-art display of his skills as a producer and composer, an album where he and a cast of collaborators including Kendrick Lamar, Herbie Hancock and Snoop Dogg took listeners on a voyage to the far side.

Aside from FlyLo’s spectacular 3D live show, tonight also features a set from Shabazz Palaces, the Seattle space-cadets behind two of hip-hop’s most basstastic albums in recent years.

Strap yourselves in, it’s going to be one hell of a ride.

FOLK/POP

The Rails
The Workman's Club, Dublin 8pm €15
theworkmansclub.com

English singer-songwriter duo Kami Thompson and James Walbourne have the kind of pedigree it’s dangerous to over- emphasise. Let’s just say this gig and their shows next week, including one at the Kilkenny Roots Festival, come highly, highly recommended.

ART

Drogheda Arts Festival Exhibitions

Ailbhe Ní Bhriain
(Former Methodist Church, Laurence St, Apr 30-May 4)

What is and What Might Be
(Highlanes Gallery, Laurence St, Apr 27-Jun 17)

Pilot Light: Ruth E Lyons explores our fascination with light
(Droichead Arts Centre, Stockwell St, Apr 29-May 4, live event at 8.15pm, Apr 29, booking necessary)

Ailbhe Ní Bhriain’s dream-like audio-visual installations have enthralled visitors to many exhibitions and, under the auspices of Nexus Arts and the festival, she takes on the atmospheric space of the former Methodist church on Laurence St. Close by, Colin Martin rounds up leading painters to explore the unsettling quality of representational art. They are Miranda Blennerhassett, Neil Carroll, Susan Connolly, Kevin Cosgrove, Fergus Feehily, Mairead O’hEocha, Mark O’ Kelly, Kevin Mooney, Kathy Tynan, Andrew Vickery. Ruth Lyons at Droichead completes a strong programme.

POP/ROCK

10 Years of… the Meteor Choice Music Prize

Mansion House, Dublin 7.30pm

15

[ ticketmaster.ie ]

Past Album of the Year winners get together to celebrate the Choice Prize's 10th birthday. Divine Comedy, Julie Feeney, Adrian Crowley, Delorentos and Jape (who won the Prize twice, for 2008's Ritual and 2011's Ocean of Frequency), will all be in attendance, alongside 2014 nominees We Cut Corners and The Riptide Movement. All this Irish talent for just €15? Expect the Round Room of the Mansion House to be hopping.