Flying Lotus has shared two singles from his score for upcoming Netflix animé series Yasuke.
“Black Gold,” a song that sees him link up with longtime collaborator Thundercat, serves as the opening track for the show. The Niki Randa-featuring song “Between Memories,” meanwhile, plays over the end credits.
Three years in the making, Netflix’s Yasuke is a six-episode series created by Bronx-bred and Japan-based television animation producer LeSean Thomas. It stars actor LaKeith Stanfield as the voice of the title character.
Yasuke tells the story of a samurai warrior of African descent in a fantastical alternate universe version of 16th century Japan. Flying Lotus, real name Steven Ellison, also consulted on the story. “LeSean and I talked about being outsiders in animé,” he says. “I was like, ‘Why aren’t more Black kids trying to do this? Why is it so out of the ordinary?’ He was saying that it’s because they don’t have examples.”
Flying Lotus also spoke about his role in the animé last month, posting a tweet saying: “Working on animé is my new favourite thing. I think imma try n stay a while. Can happily keep doin it. Makes sense to me.”
Yasuke is set to premiere on April 29. Meanwhile, you can stream “Black Gold” and “Between Memories” below.
