mighty hungry.

http://rapidshare.de/files/14324900/Ode_to_JayDee_Final.mp3.html

a beat i did in memoriam this morning.

rip Jay Dee.

between me needing an EKG early friday morning, and me finding out that i was making beats the hard way...it was pretty interesting.

see the EKG story at the other spot.

(worth mentioning though, is that even the smallest of events can godsmack you back to reality, and make you cherish those nights when you can't create, and it seems like your art was lost somewhere back. )

but sunday.

my mans and 'nem came through to check out how i worked. i ended up learning quite a bit from him, and finding out that the way i make beats is slightly longwinded.

he's a Sony Acid/PC dude who's recently decided to go the way of the MPC 1000. i can't even front. after piddling with it a bit a few weeks ago, and knowing that it's the technical equivalent of an MPC 2000XL, i want it too. can't beat the cuteness/portability of it, either.

anyway. as i'm showing him my set up and explaining the drawn out process of going from taking a sound from a record to making a beat, he notices that my samples don't cut each other off. this is known as monophonic sampling, where a sampler will play a sound, but as soon as a key (that same one, or another, loaded with a different sample) is triggered, the new sound will cut off the previously played one, giving the traditional feel of chops. think DJ Premier on Common's 6th Sense.

i say "yeah..." not really thinking much of it, because i had success working the way i do. he was dumbfounded.

"yo, if you could figure out how to do that man, it would really be a dope set up."

apparently, the mpc does this by default.

i had tried to figure out monophonic sampling before, in Kontakt 2, with no success, and i lost interest before i got to really study the massive PDF manual. he was hell-bent on figuring it out, though. so we study the manual. we get confused, we look some more, we push buttons, we try literally everything remotely worth trying. i'm thinking to myself, as good (and EXPENSIVE) as kontakt is, you mean to tell me i CAN'T play my samples monophonically?

it frustrates us, but we move on.

i'm pretty familiar with the sampler that comes standard in FL Studio, and i always thought that if i had more control over FL slicer, i'd probably use that instead of Kontakt, but again, being lazy, lost interest in trying to figure it out. (fatal flaw. seriously.)

but, with chris being there and being so determined to show me the light on monophonic sampling, i stayed with it and tried to figure it out.
turns out FL slicer does pretty much everything i want it to. INCLUDING playing samples monophonically.

take that, Native Instruments.

after a few tweaks, i figure out that this type of sampling is very easy with FL slicer. between kontakt taking forever to load, being an incredible processor hog, and not doing exactly what i want it to, i'll pass. only thing it has over the FL slicer (right now, at least) is that i know how to map samples and it's incredibly intuitive. the built in effects (albeit very good) aren't even much of a plus, since i have crazy 3rd party effects like flangers, filters, compressors, eqs, granulizers, whatever.

kontakt lost. yikes.

that was just the half. we spent the next hour or two chopping up DRUM BREAKS- maybe one or 2 chops on a full 2 bar loop- and playing them out of sequence on the pads.

oh. what. fun.

i had sworn off of using breaks because the extent i used them was simple as looping them up and using the break as my drum pattern. very elementary, very wack. drum breaks always sound good, but hearing impeach the president- as banging as that break is- gets old quick. and it really tends to date the song. and. well. it's just lazy.

but this is a whole new world! i'm excited to get home to day and chop some up in recycle, throw em in FL slicer and bang out some crazy rhythms.

only problem i was still having was, the way FL maps out slices in slicer, it starts on a weird point on a keyboard, where my pads weren't assigned properly. up until 1:30 this morning, i had forgotten how to program the trigger finger. now it's all about pad # 05. chea. it's programmed, things work beautifully...the funk is just around the corner, yo.

lets all put one in the air for chris.

*buck!*

listening.

trying.

failing.

learning.

doing.

my work ethic admittedly leaves much to be desired. recent events have shown me that i can't go on in that matter if i'm serious about anything in life.

i'll put it like this.

i've spent the last 3 entries talking about dilla. listening to where he was when he left, how exponentially better he was than your current top billing producer as far as an ear and having a signature and technical soundness... how many transititions his production style went through while most other dudes sat stagnant- listening to that- then listening to how much better those dudes are than I am-

it's like, wow.

lol.

loooooooooooooong way to go.

i've had people dap me up and say "yo, you've got fire", etc. but i know i'm still a baby at this, man. and a weak work ethic is only gonna keep me here.

so my ascension as a beatmaker is gonna require a bit of personal reform.

i mean...i'm in my apartment listening to records day in and day out, til the music is nearly seeping out frmo under my eyeballs... and i can't get a beat out to save my life. i be struggling man. i wouldn't call it being blocked, because i have done about 12 beats in the last 4 days, but i'm stuck on stupid at the moment. sometimes it makes me wonder whether i'm even cut for it.

i'm just trying to keep focused on working extremely hard right now.

or time warner let go prince...

there's a great interview/article at geneisquest that should be read. the interviewee and i share very similar appreciation for dilla's work.

i think i'm just about through my mourning phase, now i'm getting into the mode of preparing to celebrate the music. i apologize if i've turned any readers off with the sentimenal e-shrine i'm building.

anyway.

here's my jay dee story.

way back in '95, my favorite new artist was a cat named Mad Skillz. (i find it terribly ironic that Skillz would end up being a featured artist of a very clandestine website i virtually lived on for the last 6 or 7* years.)

Mad Skillz's debut album From Where???!!! - a nonstop flurry of hilarious but lyrically devestating punchlines and battle-ready braggadocio- went largely unheralded, but he released a radio standout track, the bouncing "Nod Factor", which made a little noise.

enough noise for me to take notice, as i was entering the "backback" phase that overtook so many young hiphop fans who were growing weary of the murder/money trend the genre was starting to assume as its main descriptor. Nod Factor had me nodding, but it wasn't until i bought the single on tape from the local mall, that i was sold on Skillz'...well...skills.

fast forward a few months, & my cousin Courtney (who bought every cd that ever came out) has a copy of From Where???!!!. of course, i'm asking to borrow it and she obliges as usual. she's always pretty free with her cds, just don't let her borrow one of yours. you'll never see it again.

i fall in love with the record. it becomes my inspiration to really start writing raps, and along with my friend Terrance (who also swore by Skillz, and ALSO would later go on to start producing), we write battle verses and compare during Mrs. Macintosh's English II class. (i'd go on to fail the class miserably. English! and you see what amazing control i have over the english language now, right? what a disgrace.)

little did i know that a certain young Detroit beat maker had a hand in crafting two of the tracks on one of my obscure favorite albums. i didn't care about producers then, i don't remember ever seeing his name in the credits, but Jay did "It's Goin' Down Baby" and "The Jam". i wouldn't find this out until many years later, but i find it pretty significant. on some who'da thunk?! ish. to think, Dilla was 21 or 22 when he did those tracks.

wow.

that same year, A Tribe Called Quest's album Beats, Rhymes & Life would be released, as well as The Pharcyde's Labcabincalifornia and De La Soul's Stakes Is High. all three albums were on my radar, in fact, select cuts from each album, particularly BR&L's Stressed Out and 1nce Again, De La's title track and Lab's Runnin, Drop and the Y? (Like That) remix, were all Dilla productions that graced my top ten list for the year. at this point i had no clue who did the beats, i just knew they knocked and were each amazing backdrops for my quite a cadre of talent.

i wouldn't hear much from- or pay any attention- to J Dilla's work until 1998, when ATCQ's The Love Movement would drop. 4 tracks there and infinite influence on the whole album's direction gave ATCQ new direction that rent the groups' fanbase in two, lost a gaggle of fans and gained another. it'd be their last studio release as a group.

the next year, he'd dump a truckload of work into the solo debut effort of ATCQ's frontman, Q-Tip. Amplified would get a total of 11 tracks from Dilla, who's input into Tribe's various new directions was garnering mixed reactions. some viewed it as a blessing, but the general consensus was that he was watering down their sound. i was one of those folks. when Amplified dropped i was appalled. the club ready bounce and bare chested dancing Tip disgusted my now solidified backpacker stance against anything with glitz. i would watch the Breathe and Stop video for the voluptuous dancers, but i would always have a snide comment about Q-Tips attempts at mainstream success.

(it's ironic that now i'm feeling around blindly trying to find that album. criminally slept on.)

the same year, he'd also stick a contribution on one of the most influential albums in my decision to try a hand at music. my favorite hip hop group ever, The Roots, put out their seminal release Things Fall Apart. the janky and fun Dynamite was part of one of the best rap albums to be released in the past 10 years, and arguably in the history of the genre. The Roots would win a Grammy with the record, and again, Dilla's influence is greater than his actual production credits would suggest.

things get exciting in 2000.

Common's Like Water for Chocolate is released. man. what an album. beautiful music, folks. sharp and intelligent rhyming, deep and incredibly layered melodies over headache inducing drums. again, people were mad at the striking difference between Com's last two releases and this one, but i fell in love with it. Nag Champa was my anthem that year. i worked in a machining factory in Jenkintown, PA- 7am to 3pm, and this was my soundtrack that summer.

Also that year, Jay Dee would finally do a proper release with his group, Slum Village- the absolutely incredible Fantastic Vol. 2.

folks, i could literally sit here for the rest of the day and type until my fingers were nubs, and still not get out everything i could possibly say about this record. i don't mean to overhype it, if you haven't heard it, it's unquestionably worth taste-testing and considering. all i can suggest is:

1) listen with an open mind. this album isn't about rapping as much as it is about having fun. the raps are generally whimsical. if you're listening for a dope mc to wax philosophical, tell you about the revolution or share his love for women, you're gonna miss the point. if anything, listen for the rappers' cadence, which is impeccable, especially considering the way the beats move. otherwise get over it. Jay is the star here, and his raps and beats steal whatever show the T3 and Baatin could ever hope to have.

2) if you have an EQ on your stereo, iPod, walkman or whatever, turn the highs down. the drums are processed to POP, and pop they do. they really will hurt your ears.

this was Jay Dilla's defining moment. i'm sure it didn't have the mainstream success he would have liked, and it was largely a collection of older material compiled and redone. (Vol. 1 was basically a demo tape. if you ever hear it, compare it to the studio release and you'll see the glaring improvements.)

this album, was unlike anything i had ever heard. i was a backpacker with newly adopted "conscious" sensibilties (see mos def, talib kweli common) , yet i was losing my mind to simplistic misogynistic rhymes about bitches, money, threesomes and...Conant Gardens in Detroit, MI? it didn't make sense, and it didn't matter to me. there was a then unapparent element that had the rapt attention of true music lovers across the globe.

the beats on this record were out. of. this. world.

wow.

Fall In Love and Players, two of my favorite tracks from the album, are moody and thick; a boom bap head nodder and a dance floor filling jam, respectively. the album packed so many different versions of the K.O. punch. from the moment you cue it up to the very last 30 seconds of Go Ladies, (an incredible outro instrumental thrown on the end for good measure) the album is an experience.

by this point i'm sold. Jay Dee became my favorite hip hop producer. he'd get edged out periodically by Pete Rock, but there's no doubt in my mind what spot he holds now.

i would go on to be on top of every release or project he'd have a hand in (with the exclusion of Common's Electric Circus, which i dismissed as a bad Andre 3000 rendition. the album now stands on it's own in my head, and Com hasn't rhymed like that since. )

Welcome 2 Detroit was the first in a series of Beat Generation producer albums, released through the british label BBE in 2002. noticably absent were his SV partners, Dilla instead opted to let some other Detroit mc's get shine, and handled the rest on his own. it was the best release of the Beat Generation canon, followed closely by Pete Rock's Petestrumentals. stand out tracks include Shake It Down, Come Get It (featuring Elzhi) and Think Twice, an incredible take on Donald Byrd's original by the same name. this is when i started to figure out the extent of Dilla's talent. a complete recreation updated for the hiphop ear, replete with live instrumentation and Dilla's signature punchy drums and lazy hi hat programming. i swore by this album as well.

between 1999 and 2006, he'd produce tracks for an amazing range of artists including Erykah Badu, Bilal, Busta Rhymes, Mos Def and Talib Kweli (together and seperately), Vivian Green, Lucy Pearl, Jazzy Jeff, Spacek, Oh No, Dwele, Amp Fiddler, Platinum Pied Pipers, Royce the 5'9" and Madlib.

he owned every track he did. his own releases were often experimental envelope pushers that had biters licking their chops and duplicating. check the discog and cross reference it with the chronology. Dilla was largely responsible for the Neo Soul movement that took over the world before it became overdone and jumped the shark. of course, by that time, Dilla was making his signature Detroit synth bounce with frank and dank, something like Trans-Europe Express slowed down and bouncing along with kicks on the 1s, 2s, 3s and 4s.

incredible.

i hope to upload at least a few of these tracks in a .zip file for you, sometime over the weekend, as a kind of introductory guide to the breadth of Dilla's skills.

all respect due.

yeah. let's get live with it.

J DILLA
February 7 1974 - February 10 2006
---
It is with great sorrow that the Family and Friends of J Dilla announces his spiritual transition on the morning of February 10th, 2006 in the loving arms of his mother, Maureen Yancey.
J Dilla had suffered for over three years with an incurable blood disease, and had also been diagnosed with lupus.
A public viewing (closed casket) will take place Monday, February 13, 2006, 430PM-900PM at Forest Lawn Memorial Parks and Mortuaries, 1712 South Glendale Avenue, Glendale, CA 91205.
A private funeral will follow.
---
Mrs. Yancey relocated to Los Angeles in order to care for her son J Dilla during his lengthy illness. On behalf of Mrs. Yancey we ask that in lieu of flowers, any heartfelt donations be made payable and sent to a fund which has been established in her name:Made Payable to Mrs. Maureen Yancey
Donations can be mailed to:Maureen Yancey132 N. Sycamore AvenueLos Angeles, CA 90036

Bank Wires can be sent to:Wells Fargo Bank of Los Angeles, CARouting Number: 122000247
Account Number: 6043250676 1-800-869-3557

Please note that donations made to Mrs. Yancey are not considered a charitable deduction. This will be considered a gift of help.
---
He leaves behind a body of work which will be loved and rediscovered for years to come. His most recent album "Donuts" on February 7th, the day of his 32nd birthday. Two other projects, "The Shining" and "Jay Love Japan" are completed. Other production work has been completed for artists Madlib, Busta Rhymes, Ghostface Killah, A.G., Visionaries, Truth Hurts, Phat Kat, MF DOOM, Skillz, and Frank N Dank.
---

reading this really messed with me. lupus and blood disease. 3 years.

then, Feb 7th being the release date for Donuts & his birthday. him passing on Feb 10th.
him performing at that concert from a wheelchair. him working in his hospital bed.

infinite respect for a man who his finishes work before he bounces.

this makes me so sad.

everything has been compounded by the things ive experienced since his passing. what he did with music is...
unexplainable. you have to hear it. jigsawing songs.

imagine taking a photo of a rural town, cutting it into small and singularly ordinary pieces. now imagine re-ordering those same pieces into an absolutely beautiful aerial portrait of new york city.

seem impossible?

i agree. this is the closest equivalent i can fathom of what jay dee did with a sampler and records.

i'm going to be spending the next few days sharing thoughts and favorite cuts from his massive body of work, and what ever insight i can offer into how he did what he did. he's been so integral to my own aspirations and skill development, not to mention inspirational fodder, that it fits perfectly into the scope of this blog. whatever i accomplish, i owe in great deal to jay dee's legacy.

i can't think of a death that's affected me more. i've been lucky not to have to experience death very close to me in relation, knock on wood if you're superstitious. this one is starting to sink in though, and it's a slow twisting of the proverbial knife, inside my gut, each time i experience some undiscovered genius from the man.

hopefully i'll get over it soon and continue with what i have to do.

but for now...rip dilla.

bang it! bang it in your jeeps!

this is officially the worst day of my musical life.

i can not begin to express the deep sorrow that's consuming me right now, and i couldn't care less if i'm revering this man too much...

Jay Dee/J. Dilla/James Yancey died today at the young age of 32. just a few days removed from the release of Donuts. just one day after a young lady in my office asked me who's i had plastered on my desktop as wallpaper.

jay dee is unquestionably my pick for the greatest beatmaker of our time. undoubtedly. his discography is unbelieveable. his skill was immeasurable. he eclipsed the collective stretches of imagination of his listeners and fans on a regular basis. he was one of the few sampling producers that took it beyond looping up samples and laying drums under them. he was an artists' artist, in that the simple a+b = c format of beatmaking wasn't enough for him.

he was infinitely creative with it.

nobody i can think of comes close to what he did with music. he commanded respect from producers who had much more mainstream success than he, he was to the MPC what Jimi Hendrix was to the guitar. you could listen to some of his beats and get chills from the the sheer amazingness of what you were hearing. he ran the gambit as far as style goes, going from laid back grooves with pretty chords, to nasty bangers with sinister basslines, to club ready tracks, to loose drummed simple-sounding cuts that could make any mc tolerable, to avant garde synth driven four on the floors and the ridiculously mutilated soul samples that had been spliced and sliced beyond recognition-

it was obvious that jay dee did what he did because he loved to do it.

i looked up to the man. i can't even lie. jay dee was the single most important figure in my musical life. by far. i'm so sad that i can't wait on him for a new beat. the fact that he'll never make another beat is unfathomably depressing to me.

i hope i'm half as good as he was.

god bless his life.

RIP JAY DEE
1974-2006

keeping up with this thing is harder than it seems.

i've been writing like crazy. trying to nail down the skill of tying up my verses, getting what i wanna say out in 16 bars, and observing typical hip hop structure. it ain't easy. i'm so used to writing on the fly and then having these ridiculously long verses with indeterminable conclusions; working my way out of that is going to be interesting.

whatever though. at least i'm finding time to rhyme and make beats.

i feel hella creative right now. crazy ideas for beats, great music for sampling purposes at my disposal, and the words are coming. not mad at all.

so...where's the recorded evidence, right? mic'd up, i should be laying tracks down at this point.

true, but not really.

i've been playing with the mic. lets just say that without proper soundproofing and pre-amping, you might as well record through a Labtec computer mic/headphone combo. the cheapie joint.

the more you know. it's cool, this is a learning process and the experience is- piece by expensive piece- improving my studio, and my knowledge is expanding exponentially.

now i've got a wish list for new equipment a mile long. wanna hear it?! here it go!

TASCAM FW-1804:




this would replace my Terratec sound card, which is showing it's age and limitations, now that my needs are expanding. it's amazing how cheap i've seen the tascam go for, considering how glowing the reviews i've read have been. i wanna say 12 ins/18 outs, 24bit/96khz operation, word clock in and out, rack mountable... it'd be a huge upgrade for me. apparently the drivers are so good that you can really push it in the virtual realm with out having to submit to latency issues. lord knows that's been a problem for me, i'm the herbie hancock of virtual synths. it's firewire too.




this is the ART Digital MPA mic pre. it's also gotten good reviews. thing with mic pres is that price REALLY determines what kind of quality you're getting, there's no sneak arounds like with mics and digital interfaces like the TASCAM above. in my price range, though... can't argue with this. 2 channels, tube operation, word clock i/o, s/pdif and ADAT outputs. it's high low end, runs about $500. i could theoretically use the pres in the FW-1804, but i'm scared of built in mic pres. i'll take my chances and mess with the ART, at least until i can get my filthy mitts on a Focusrite channel strip.





these are the Behringner BCF and BCR 2000s. BCF is a motorized fader midi controller, and the BCR has illuminated rotaries. the BCF would be for mixing in FL and Cubase, and the BCR i'd probably use for automating synths and mixing. they're really cheap and are supposedly excellent quality. copped.

i think that'd be enough money spending for the moment. i was looking to pour either 12dp money or tax return money into the cause, but that's not happening, on either count.

*saves and eats pb&j for the next 2 months*

you're reading dedication in print.
viva la spit, yo.

____

the track i'm doing with donwill started to take shape last night. it's almost over, kids.

-23