The best of Coachella weekend one

Timothy Norris

Flying Lotus at Coachella this past weekend.

Flying Lotus' appearance at Coachella felt like an occasion; it felt like something huge, actually. Swag oozing from his pores, he took sips from a bottle of Jameson while spinning the beat music he helped pioneer, as the crammed tent went ballistic.

Among so many "epic house" DJs on the Coachella roster, FlyLo's brand of hip-hop influenced electronica was a much appreciated change of pace. After a bevy of well placed samples("Niggas in Paris," "Yonkers," Jaylib's "The Official") he launched into "Massage Situation," as his light show played a tripped out version of the zodiac calendar. One of his best songs was a jam that featured a loop of Wu Tang's "4th Chamber" -- everyone had their W's in the air. Waka Flocka Flame's "Hard In The Paint" had a bunch of white guys deliriously shouting the n-word.

Flying Lotus also played a bunch of new cuts, presumably tracks off his upcoming album Until the Quiet Comes. They sounded slightly heavier and more dance-oriented than his older stuff, but that could have had to do with the fact he had to rock a Coachella crowd that had on their dancing shoes.

An all-star hip-hop crew crowded the wings -- including Hodgy Beats and freaking Dr. Dre. "Damn everyone's here!" Flying Lotus said, astounded himself. He took a moment to specifically bring out Odd Future's Earl Sweatshirt, who grinned from beneath a floppy hat.

Neither Sweatshirt nor the others spit any flows but, to close the set, fellow Brainfeeder fellow Thundercat came out to slap the bass. Along with a live drummer, they brought the energy up another level. It quickly got funky as hell; we're definitely looking forward to Thundercat's set today. -- Kai Flanders

All in all, it felt something like a coming out party for L.A.'s beat king, well deserved and well received.

Personal Bias: It's hard to have a bad time at Coachella, especially watching hometown acts.

The Crowd: A mix of EDMers and hip-hopers, everyone feeling it.

Random Notebook Dump: The Gobi tent has had some of the festival's best acts thus far.

Read tons more show coverage from OC Weekly's Heard Mentality blog.