Lotic

J’Kerian Morgan (born March 22, 1989), known professionally as Lotic, is an American electronic musician based in Berlin. Lotic rose to prominence through her involvement with the Janus Collective in the early 2010s as well as with a string of EPs released during this time. She was invited by Björk to produce two official Vulnicura remixes in 2016. Her full-length debut, Power, was released in 2018. She earned her bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Austin. Hoping to compose music for film, she started her studies as a film production major and switched to a film major after two years. During her time at UT Austin, she was involved in the university's Experimental and Electronic Music Studios as well as the Intellectual Entrepreneurship program, where she served as an Electronic Music Composition pre-grad intern.

Career

2009–2014: Early DJ career in Austin and Berlin Morgan first became interested in DJing in 2009 after seeing a Kingdom set while still a student at UT Austin.

After graduating college in 2012, Morgan moved to Berlin with her boyfriend to pursue a career in music while working for Ableton. Later that year, she became affiliated with the Janus Collective, a group described in The New York Times as part of an enclave of American expatriates “taking over sleepy venues, creating their own parties and leaving a significant imprint on the city’s musical program.” Morgan became affiliated with Janus after meeting founders Dan D’Norch and Michael Ladner. she also served as an opening act on the Berlin date of the Vulnicura tour. That fall, she scored a promotional video for fashion brand ifeoma’s spring/summer 2017 collection. She also soundtracked the autumn/winter 2017 Julius Society show at Paris Fashion Week.

2018–2019: Power Her full-length debut, Power, was released in 2018. Accompanying this release was "Endless Power", an audio-visual production created in collaboration with lighting designer Emmanuel Biard. "Endless Power" was performed at Berlin's CTM Festival and Sónar in Barcelona. That year, she also performed in and scored "Embryogenesis" and "Fleshless Beast", dance pieces choreographed by Roderick George. She also contributed to a remix compilation of tracks from Polish cellist Resina's 2018 album Traces.

2020–present: Water In May 2020, Morgan announced a deal with Houndstooth Records after Tri Angle records shut down the previous month. Her release of the single "Burn a Print" coincided with the signing announcement. The following single, "Cocky", was released that August.

Lotic released the single “Come Unto Me” on August 17, 2021. That same day, she announced that her second studio album, Water, was to be released on October 29 of that year. The second single from Water, "Emergency", was released on September 21, 2021. Both singles were accompanied by music videos directed by Matt Lambert and Lil Internet, respectively.

Sparkling Water, an EP of four remixed tracks from Water accompanied by original brass arrangements, was announced in June 2022 with a release date set for the following month. "Always You (Sparkling)" was released as a single alongside this announcement.

Musical style Morgan's work as Lotic often addresses social and political issues. Although she now lives in Berlin, her work draws from the African American experience; her sound pays homage to ball culture and drumlines and the album Power was inspired in part by Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Pitchfork locates Lotic within the broader trend of "conceptronica" that arose in the 2010s, comparing her to artists like Elysia Crampton and Chino Amobi.

Stylistically, critics note the tension between softness and aggression in Lotic's music. Morgan herself considers her sound to have a more sensual edge than her "techno-centric" Berlin contemporaries. 2018's Power marked a stylistic shift for Lotic. Not only was it the first release incorporating Morgan's vocals, but critics noted a "gentler" musical approach compared to her previous, club-oriented releases.

In 2017, Morgan was evicted from her apartment after the individual she subleased from did not pay the full rent. She worked on Power sporadically over the subsequent two-year period while experiencing homelessness.

Discography

Studio albums +List of studio albums plays, showing year released and selected details Title Year Album details Power 2018Released: July 13, 2018 Label: Tri Angle Formats: Digital download, LP Water 2021Released: October 29, 2021 Label: Houndstooth Records Formats: Digital download, LP

Extended plays +List of extended plays, showing year released and selected details Title Year Album details More Than Friends 2011 Label: #FEELINGS Format: Digital download Fallout 2013Label: Sci-Fi& Fantasy Format: Digital download Damsel in Distress 2014 Label: Janus Berlin Format: Digital download Heterocetera 2015 Label: Tri Angle Format: Digital download, 12" Agitations Label: Tri Angle Format: Digital download Sparkling Water 2022Label: Houndstooth Format: Digital download

Singles +List of singles as lead artist, showing year released, album and selected details Title Year Album Details "Fallout" 2013rowspan="4" Label: Sci-Fi & Fantasy Format: Digital download "Sankofa/Glittering"Label: Sci-Fi & Fantasy Format: Digital download "Burn a Print" 2020Label: Houndstooth Records Format: Digital download "Cocky" Label: Houndstooth Records Format: Digital download "Come Unto Me" 2021 WaterReleased: August 17, 2021 Label: Houndstooth Records Format: Digital download "Emergency"Released: September 21, 2021 Label: Houndstooth Records Format: Digital download "Always You (Sparkling)" 2022 Sparkling Water (EP)Released: June 9, 2022 Label: Houndstooth Records Format: Digital download

Remixes +List of remixes, with year released and artist shown Title Year Artist(s) "Butch Queen" 2012 Ynfynyt Scroll "Night After" Chants "Scythians" 2014 M.E.S.H. "Jaws of Life" 2015 Dan Bodan "Notget (Lotic Keptsafe version)" Björk "Notget (Lotic Fromdeath version)" "Don't Get All Upset" 2016 Prix "Threshold of Faith" 2017 Ben Frost "In In" 2019 Resina "Honesty" 2021 Son Lux "Bad Blood" 2022 Soundwalk Collective with Patti Smith