the cult of dilla, c/d?

There's a new book too:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/01/arts/music/j-dilla-time-book.html

Charnas also clarifies the story around “Donuts,” an instrumental album that Stones Throw Records released right before Dilla’s death that has become a key entry point for new generations of fans. It’s been said that Dilla recorded “Donuts” in the hospital, embedding messages for loved ones in his compositions as the end approached. In reality, “Donuts” was born from one of the many beat tapes he had made. It was largely edited and extended by Jeff Jank, who worked at Stones Throw, and completed months before Dilla died.

Just picked up the book yesterday, though I haven't started it. Looks fantastic and there seem to be a lot of beat diagrams sprinkled throughout. Can't wait to dig in, though I've already got two fellow ilxors books on the "next to read" pile first.

Charnas' book was really good, I appreciated the mix of biography and deeper dive into how he put the beats together.

Listening to the Welcome 2 Detroit Instrumentals this morning and it sounds really good.

Just starting Dilla Time now, hells of excited to immerse myself in it.

Yeah, some of the music theory stuff can be a little "extra" but Charnas is a gripping and thorough storyteller. Book is great.

I'd like to read it, but I feel like if I ever hear read anyone going on about Dilla's unquantized drum programming feel, it will be too soon.

I think even Questlove, who was of course a primary evangelist, said recently that the way Dilla constructed musical parts out of micro-sampling (single notes, tiny sounds) has been overlooked compared to the drums stuff.

im trying to start my own cult of quik

― zzz (deej), Wednesday, June 24, 2009 3:29 PM (thirteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

this worked kinda

I need to read the charnas book