The Flying Skulls

Rank #90 San Francisco, CA Electronica / Hip Hop / West Coast Bass

About

Members: J.Tonal, Esau

Sounds Like: Bassnectar, The Glitch Mob, Andreilien (Heyoka), STS9, Flying Lotus

Manager: Jeff Wareham

Bio: The Flying Skulls are a hard-hitting, West Coast production crew that rocks dub-step, live mpc sets, and stage-raging electronic music. The Skulls have made a name for themselves by destroying festival dancefloors and leaving a trail of ecstatic music fans across the US. Since their inception i... See Full Bio

More Info

Status

Release party for "West Coast Bass: Refixed" Jan 26 at F8, 1192 11th St SF CA. Skulls to play Gem&Jam Feb 7-9 Tucson AZ

Press

“The Flying Skulls are an internationally recognized West Coast production crew that plays dub-step, grimy breaks, and electro. Their sound has been described alternatively as "Mutant Electro Crunk," and "Improv Beat Bashing." Consisting of multiple producer/performers, The Flying Skulls also play variations of hip hop, house, and funk. Their first release on 1320 Records was described as, "A heavyweight collection of nasty synths, wobbly basslines and crunked out glitchy beats so dirty you'd swear they robbed their MPC players off a crack dealer."”

— Polkadot7, Wikipedia

“The Flying Skulls first started performing together in April 2008. Originally the brainchild of Lowpro Lounge co-founder Jeff Wareham (J.Tonal) as a way to get "the precision of the studio on the dance floor." According to the band's website they aim to ultilize "the future-soundz of the modern dance music studio and interpolate them through the filter of live improv. With an old school jazz ethos The Skulls combine their tightly-honed electronic and hiphop infused sonic orchestra..." The Flying Skulls have released music on 1320 Records (Lift Off!, Take Flight!, Abducted! Vol 1, STS9: Make it Right Remixes), Mochipet's Daly City Records (Abducted! Vol 2), Muti Music, & BlipSwitch Digital. They also have a track featured in Tap Tap Revenge 3, the number one game for iPhones (30 million downloads). "With it's machine gun drum patterns, some of the squelchiest bass alive and twisted G funk synths, (Abducted! Vol 1 is) kinda like listening to classic Dr Dre in a K hole."”

— Polkadot7, Wikipedia

"With a name like that, they’ve GOT to be good." – The SF Bay Guardian . "Melodiously mesmerizing and explosive beats... innovative arsenal of dynamic drums and live precision." -Chris Clark . "The Kings of improvisational beat-bashing…" – ChromeKids . "Your music makes me feel like I was slathered up in baby oil and trying to ride a greased pony. It's dirty, and I know funk because I'm from the South." -Erin from Mississippi . "Yall blew my mind at Kellys last night, I had no idea. Look forward to seeing yall again soon." - David Peitz . "Yo! I got mad RESPECT for what you and your friends are doing. Straight killing it and destroying folks. Much love!" Jerrell James Suelto . "I saw you guys in SF on New Years! You were amazing, your music really made me move! I hope you come to Chicago, or I go back to SF to see you again." - Amanda Mayfield

— Various, Various

"Highlighted by an approach that incorporates four distinct sounds into a harmonious mélange, the Skulls (bring) the crowd to a boil early and never let off the gas." Their music has been described by one German music blog as "real sophisticated, hypnotic soundtrack type of music. Complex dubstep, if you like. Deep, dark, still funky ‘drink some whisky at night’ stuff," and by The Santa Cruz Metro Times as, "... bass-wobbling dubstep and glitchy breaks… a sinful set of seamless grooves that rattled windows and wiggled asses from one end of the club to the other. Pure bass-wasted fun..."

— Polkadot7, Wikipedia

"Many an old skool Techno producer tried to install a Jazz ethos to the world of computer technology, I’m not convinced any of them truly managed it... People have found it hard to equate the rigid world of technology with that freestyle spirit, but Flying Skulls certainly help to bridge that gap. For me they might well be the kings of improvisational beat bashing and the two live sets we’ve put up on the blog have been testament to that. It makes sense then that they should release an album of tracks gathered from their live performances. A heavyweight collection of nasty synths, wobbly basslines and crunked out glitchy beats so dirty you'd swear they robbed their MPC players off a crack dealer. This is Flying Skulls in their element, and whether or not you could class it as strictly a live album, this album is most definitely live"

— Chromekids, Chromekids

"We haven't yet finished jamming the last incredible live set they gave us (one of the most played mixes of last year) when the Flying Skulls do it once again with a set recorded at the Juxtapoz Magazine / ArtNowSF Party at VeniVidiVici in San Francisco earlier this month. We're gutted we missed this one with a line up which included Fantan Mojah and Ninja Ford live, Nosaj Thing, Gaslamp Killer and Egyptian Lover amongst many others, and if this Mutant Electro Crunk set is any marker of the night's quality it was a damned good one."

— Chromekids, Chromekids

"[The Flying Skulls] produce some of the best deep bass party grime but somehow manage to stay sophisticated and hold the listener’s attention for more than 5 minutes. Raw, but never hard on the ears, each of the (producers) bring their own flavor, making the overall sound a tricked-out blend of crunk, dubstep and breaks." -Canary / Pirate Cat Radio 87.9fm.

— Canary, Pirate Cat Radio

"Local electro hooligans The Flying Skulls took the stage and brought some intense PA sounds to a crowd that was acting rather sprightly for 2 a.m... The Flying Skulls threw down an impressive set of exploratory electronic music. The dudes in the band were able to break down tracks and reconstruct them in a drastically different form than the studio versions, all while maintaining a manic stage show that's a helluva lot more visually engaging than watching some guy perform solo behind a laptop."

— Justin Gillett, Jambase

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Recent Blogs

The Flying Skulls live in R...
Mar 9, 2011
Come check out The Flying Skulls live in Reno April 2 with The Polish Ambassador... [more]

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Songs

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Play "Skulls & Angels (Live)"

Skulls & Angels (Li…

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Play "(Astroid Boys) Welcome to the Zoo - Flying Skulls remix EXCERPT"

(Astroid Boys) Welc…

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Play "(Lotus) Modicum - Flying Skulls remix"

(Lotus) Modicum - F…

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Play "Skeleton Talk"

Skeleton Talk

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Videos

The Flying Skulls - (Excerpt) Live Recording 05 - MPC + keys Finger Drumming - ArtNowSF&Double D

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Shows

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Sat
Feb 9

Tucson Gem and Jam
Tucson, AZ, US | 8:00pm
Tucson Gem and Jam
Tucson, AZ, US
Sat Feb 09 8:00pm
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- Tickets
Sat
Feb 9

1102 W. Grant
Tucson, AZ, US | 8:00pm
1102 W. Grant
Tucson, AZ, US
Sat Feb 09 8:00pm
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Thu
Feb 7

Tucson Gem and Jam
Tucson, AZ, US | 8:00pm
Tucson Gem and Jam
Tucson, AZ, US
Thu Feb 07 8:00pm
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- Tickets
Thu
Feb 7

The Hut
Tucson, AZ, US | 8:00pm
The Hut
Tucson, AZ, US
Thu Feb 07 8:00pm
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Details

Infinite Music Productions, Euphonic Conceptions, New Earth MUZiQ & Challenger Present the 7th annual TUSCON Gem and Jam Festival !
Sat
Jan 26

Icon Lounge
San Francisco, CA, US | 8:00pm
Icon Lounge
San Francisco, CA, US
Sat Jan 26 8:00pm
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Details

_Refixed_ Northern California's music scene has long been a bellwether of trends bound for the global stage. Today, the zeitgeist is “Controllerism”. The word has come to mean excitement and engagement–a move away from pre-programmed music and towards improvisational performance. When paired with SF's favorite electronic styles it forms a heady blend of danceable beats and on-stage antics. One upcoming show in SF is a perfect introduction to this crossroads of Controllerism and Bass Music as The Flying Skulls present "Refixed" January 26th at F8 (formerly Icon Lounge) free until 11pm. The Skulls will be celebrating the release of "West Coast Bass: Refixed" on 1320 Records. The party will follow the same concept as the album: unite crunked out finger drumming, live electronic music performance, and the dopest DJs around. The lineup includes such nu school controller bad asses and funk veterans as: The Flying Skulls, edison, Mad Zach, Slayers Club, Shygone Beats, Citizen Ten, and Life1. Hosted by Joe Mousepad & The Zap Tap, sponsors include: 1320 Records, DJTechTools.com, Robotspeak, 16Squarez.com, Beat Church, and The Untz. The party will feature a second room with the wizards behind 16sqaurez.com, the Sacramento based custom-MPC shop cranking out MPCs for Araab Music, The Flying Skulls, edison, and many other innovators. More info on Artists: The Flying Skulls, dubbed the "masters of improv beat bashing" by Chromekids, present a tightly knit set of live West Coast bass music with two MPCs and a Korg keyboard. edison, who was crowned 2011 SF Controller Battle champion, has recently been on tour with Aesop Rock and performs with two modified Monomes that are mounted into lunchboxes. Mad Zach is the controller expert and field tester for DJ Tech Tools and gets funky with multiple instances of the very cool MidiFighter3D. Any music fan in San Francisco can tell you that The Slayers Club is the vibe equivalent of a freight train bound for funky town–these folks know how to have fun. Shygone Beats is a beat mechanic from Lost Angeles, who has spent the last 4 years putting the boom into the trunks on Pico Blvd. Citizen Ten has an infectious style incorporating elements of rare groove, glitch hop, and west coast bass, opening up for acts such as Amon Tobin and DJ Shadow. "Refixed" January 26th 2012 F8 (formerly Icon Lounge) 1192 Folsom San Francisco, CA FREE until 11pm, $5 after