Lotus is an instrumental electronic jam band formed in Goshen, Indiana in 1998 now based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , and Denver, Colorado.

Lotus was formed at Goshen College in August 1998 by Steve Clemens, Luke Miller, Michael Rempel, Andy Parada, and Joel Jimenez,[2] with the first live show occurring on September 25, 1998.

[4] After a few years of playing what they describe as "jamtronica", Lotus recruited percussionist Chuck Morris in 2001 and shifted their focus to instrumental music, taking inspiration from electronic musicians such as The Orb.

[5] The album saw the band described by AllMusic as "an electronically inclined jazz-funk outfit",[8] with Glide magazine stating "Nomad exhibits Lotus' tight ability to blend shades of organic groove with elements of urban house".

[9] The band's last album on Harmonized, The Strength of Weak Ties was described by PopMatters as "instrumentals that - for the most part - don't go anywhere, but occasionally pulling out something that is genuinely thrilling".

[11] The album was described by Relix magazine as "sexy and sophisticated dance music, mature enough to be played in the club or the living room".

The loss of Clemens triggered a gradual departure from the band's improvisational roots and a stylistic shift from organic electronica and jazz/funk fusion to electro-pop, indie rock and hip-hop.

[19] In addition to touring, Lotus headlines the Summerdance music festival at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in Garrettsville, Ohio.

Chuck Morris and his son Charley were reported as missing in March 2023 after they disappeared while kayaking on Beaver Lake in Arkansas.

Each of the five members dressed as a rock star who died at the age of 27 (Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and Jim Morrison) and the show featured covers by each of the respective bands.

On December 31, 2011, at Festival Pier in Philadelphia, Lotus nodded to some of the modern dance producers covering Daft Punk "Da Funk", Justice "Phantom Part II" and DeadMau5 "Ghosts 'n' Stuff".

[5][8][30][31] The band originally played as a jamband that leaned heavily on the sounds of funk, rock and jazz and with improvisational styles similar to Phish, Allman Brothers and The Grateful Dead.

[33] Lotus has also been known to experiment with a diverse set of genres regularly incorporating hip-hop and dubstep sounds and samples into their live shows.