More Dilla, Please

One can never have enough Dilla. And who doesn't love jazz and Donuts? What if we could combine all three into one, gooey, sticky mess? It would sound exactly like this. That's right, Dilla's Donuts, covered in its entirety, but a funked up jazz band. You're welcome.

With Storm Siegel on skins, Dave Mainella on piano and Evan Crane on bass, the trio called Stray Phrases performed an instrumental set of the album on Sunday, October 17, 2010. Unfortunately, it's all crammed into one mp3, but once you have a listen, maybe you'll decide that's for the best. Some things are just meant to be listened to a certain way.

mp3: Donuts Live (Stray Phrases from Live Donuts)

And then Stones Throw just keeps giving and giving and giving...

From Madlib's latest Medicine Show (#11 Low Budget High Fi Music), a formerly unreleased track from Jaylib, the collab between Dilla and Madlib, originally slated for their second album, which, sadly and criminally, never came to fruition.

mp3: Louder (Blast Your Radio Theme) (Jaylib from Madlib Medicine Show #11 Low Budget High Fi Music)

Beat Week: J Dilla Day

If the cosmos see fit to send me two Dilla-related tracks on the same day, well, who am i to deny the kid a try?

Luminary Youth recently opened for Bonobo and TokiMONSTA, so you should know off the bat the kid has skills. Upon receiving his new EP, Paper Constellations, two things struck me immediately: 1. If remixes by other artists are any indication, this kid keeps good company (read: Boards of Canada, Persona La Ave, and Washed Out, among others) 2. LY knows the Masters, as evidenced by this excellent J Dilla Tribute. i understand he's got a new LP in the works. Based on this bad boy, i can't wait to hear it.

mp3: Cloud Walking (J Dilla Tribute) (Luminary Youth from Paper Constellations)

As i am apt to do, i was checking out some of my fave artist sites yesterday and stumbled across this gem from my beat hero, Alex B. In his own words: "I found the original sample that dilla used on his track 'Players.' For personal enjoyment i remade the track to sound similar to his with my own twist on it. Enjoy!" i think you'll find that last command an easy thing to do.

mp3: Players (J Dilla_SV REMIX) (Alex B from his website)

And this last number came out months ago (early April, to be exact), but for whatever reason, it got lost in the piles of music constantly going through ye ode iPod. i intend to make amends today by sharing this mixtape banger by the Roots putting their instrumental spin on some of Dilla's classics.

mp3: The Stars (The Roots from Dilla Joints)

mp3: Look Into Her Eyes (The Roots from Dilla Joints)

Beat Meet: The Embarassment of Riches Edition

Since the holidays screwed up my blog week last week, ye olde inbox received a horn o' plenty's worth of stellar beats. And because i'm such a helluva guy, i'm going to share them with you.

Ah, Project: Mooncircle, how i love thee and thy dopish ways. Continuing with their kick ass Finest Ego series, this time up, the label features some of today's hottest Russian beatmakers doing their thing. Now, i know what you're thinking about Russian DJs, but, c'mon, man, that's racist. Allow me to confirm the fact that P:M yet again knocks this one out of the park, particularly on tracks by Pavel Dovgal and Shawalski. Here's what i'm trippin' on, though--how come all these foreign compilations only use English language samples? i'm just asking. Regardless, here's a little mini-mix to prove my point about just how good this bad boy is.

mp3: Finest Ego Russian Beatmakers Compiliation Mini-Mix

i can't tell you much about the Cutler beyond what you can read on their website yourself, other than that their latest, The Best Things in Life Aren't Things, is a stone cold groove, baby. Jazzy/funky instruments, cymbal-ic percussion and Charlie Brown sounding vocal samples? Yes, please.

mp3: PAYR (The Cutler from The Best Things in Life Aren't Things)

mp3: Sync Estate (The Cutler from The Best Things in Life Aren't Things)

You didn't think i was going to allow LET to falter in its goal of maintaining its place as THE leading source for heavily and probably illegally sampled children's movie beats, did you? Hells no, i'm not. So let's check out Pogo's latest update to his already classic take on Alice in Wonderland.

mp3: Alice (Extended) (Pogo from Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole)

mp3: Oyster Dreamland (Pogo from Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole)

i'm normally not a huge remix fan, but when one of my fave up and coming beatmakers is behind the board, what can i do? Here's oOoOO's take on Marina & the Diamond's "Obsessions." i've got to be honest, i'm not at all familiar with the original, but i sure as hell am digging the remix.

mp3: Obsessions (oOoOO Remix) (Marina & the Diamonds from Soundcloud)

If the cats at the WEDIDIT Collective give a song props, i'm going to have to give it a listen. So far, they have yet to let me down. And they maintain that streak with this Juj-recommended track by Ackryte. i'm assuming the instrumental is NOT about Ackryte's problems with the Alabama Police Department, but what the hell do i know?

mp3: Ackryte_x_AL_PD_-_Untitled (Ackryte from Soundcloud)

Is there anything better than "re-released" Dilla? Maybe "re-released" Dilla remixed by Madlib? OK, i'll buy that.

mp3: The $ (Madlib Remix) (J Dilla from Hella International)

My Blogger Went to Vegas And All I Got Were These Dope Beats

Damnation, what a vacation! You'd love to know about the time spent with the supermodels and various celebs in the VIP section of the club, but this isn't some celebrity sighting blog, folks. Go elsewhere for that bull crocka. i will say it was a true blast to reconnect with an old friend and welcome her new hubby into the fold, as it were.

As you fellow working schlubs can imagine, i had quite a plateful of work when i got home, but what can you do? It certainly was worth it, ain't no 'bout a doubt it. That being said, i haven't really had time to come up with a meaningful mix for the weekend or anything like that just yet. To ease back into the saddle, here are a couple of dope beat joints i've found recently to share with you fine people.

You've probably heard about it before now, but Stones Throw is offering all the tracks from J Dilla's Donut Shop for the low, low price of signing up for their newsletter. i strongly recommend you do so.

Sign up for the newsletter here.

mp3: Safety Dance (J Dilla from Donut Shop)

mp3: Sycamore (J Dilla from Donut Shop)

i keep telling you people that the We Did It Collective does not fuck around, and i keep telling you the truth. i don't exactly know how they continually find the new talent, but if my on-going beat production lessons bear fruit, maybe i can get an invite, too. Depakote is the latest to drop a bomb on me, The Gummo Album. Deft mixes and cuts of overall soulful and funky grooves. Yes, that is some Funkadelic in there.

mp3: Darby (Depakote from The Gummo Album)

mp3: Freak of Nature (Depakote from The Gummo Album)

And to round things out, a little something from ye olde inbox. It took me a while to decipher just who was who on these projects since i didn't have a handy chart, so allow me to allow him to elucidate.

"Museum is the name of the whole crew: Art&Craft, 3rd Party, the Contortionist, the Hermit and Keno 1. The museum album was released in 2002 on CD only and was a very limited run. It was very popular so I am re-issuing the album as a free mp3 download for all the folks who missed it first time round.The Hermit went on to record as Nostalgia 77 and Keno 1 went on to record as Natural Self. Myself and 3rd Party record as Left Channel and Products of the Secondhand Circus is our album."

Both are master blasts, featuring tricky cuts and sample work. Like most of the music that works in the genre, these cats have an obvious ear for pastiche and apparently deep crates. i'm a bit more fond of Products myself, but that's simply because it strikes me as the more eclectic of the two pieces, and i lurvs me some weird assed eclecticism when i hears it.

mp3: Splinters (The Hermit ft. Art&Craft from Museum)

mp3: Standard Bearings (Left Channel from Products of the Secondhand Circus)

Back to the Back: The Greatest "So You Just Learned Your Back Surgery Is Going to Cost You More than Your Last Three Cars" Mix You Will Ever Hear

Spent way longer than planned at the spine doc's earlier today and have a conference call to attend to shortly, so today's post is going to be a George Clinton-style quickie.

Long story short, i just found out that my current backologist is out of my insurance network, meaning that to get my broken parts fixed is going to cost me personally approximately $20,000.

Add in my new house and a new car for The Missus, and it has not been a good year so far for my savings account.

mp3: Cure for Pain (Morphine from Cure for Pain)

mp3: Back to Basics (Kid 'n Play from Funhouse)

mp3: Back Up Against the Wall (George Clinton & the P-Funk All-Stars from Dope Dogs)

mp3: Expensive Whip (J Dilla from Jay Stay Paid)

mp3: Insurance Man (Richard Pryor from Evolution-Revolution: The Early Years (1966-1974) )

mp3: Medicine Man (Bobby McFerrin from Medicine Music)

The Greatest 420 Mix You Will Ever Hear Today, Part the First

i heard somebody is having a big 420 party tomorrow. No, not for Hitler's birthday, you damn Nazi. April 20 is the Stoner High Holiday, every one's favorite call number for their favorite not exactly legal depending where you live plant. Or so i hear. It's not like i'm a two time attendee of the High Times Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam (13th and 15th annual do what now?) or anything. Hugs, not drugs, kids. Unless the hugs are administered by creepy strangers and/or the drugs are really good shit. i'm not saying, i'm just saying. What was i saying again?

Oh yes, Part the First of LET's Two Part Greatest 420 Mix You Will Ever Hear Today. A few laughs and a few tracks to keep it stoney, son. You spit fiyah, and i'll slurp smoke.

mp3: Champagne & Reefer (Muddy Waters from Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live)

mp3: Medicinal Marijuana (Police Chief Wiggum, Sergeant Lou, Officer Eddie and Mr. Mitchell from The Canine Mutiny, Episode 20, Season 8)

mp3: When I Get Low, I Get High (Chick Webb & His Orchestra With Ella Fitzgerald from Viper Mad Blues: 25 Songs Of Dope And Depravity)

mp3: Suck Dick for Coke (Dave Chapelle, Bob Saget and the "I Seen It!" Guy from Half-Baked)

mp3: Smokin' Cheeba Cheeba (George Benson & the Harlem Underground Band from Erotic Moods)

mp3: Do You Smoke Weed? (Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl from Knocked Up)

mp3: Smoker's Anthem (Aesop from Legendary Music Vol. 2)

mp3: Smoke (ft. Blu) (J Dilla from Jay Stay Paid)

mp3: Something Stank ft. George Clinton (Sativa from Jersey Girl)

mp3: I NEED WEED (YG from 4 Fingaz Mixtape)

mp3: Breakfast Blunts (Ras G And The Afrikan Space Program from LA Series 3)

Old Skool Review: The Pharcyde

Today's Old Skool Review focuses on one of my favorite hip hop acts in college. Back when damn near everything coming out of Cali was Gangsta, a few cats from around the way decided to buck convention and put out one of the most "fun" CDs the game has ever seen, before or since. Calling themselves The Pharcyde, the quartet of Slimkid3 (aka Tre Hardson), Bootie Brown, Imani and Fatlip remain a killer combo to this day.

Hyperbole be damned, Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde remains one of the Top Ten Greatest Rap CDs of All-Time, as far as i'm concerned. Eschewing gang violence in favor of tracks about waiting for their weed dealer to show up, not only were the lyrics markedly different from what was out there, but their sound was unlike anything else, as well. They took a marked turn with their second LP, Labcabincalifornia, essentially introducing the world to LET God, J Dilla (though he was just Jay Dee back then). Around this time, of course, the band broke up, allegedly over drug issues with some of the members, though later interviews paint a rosier picture, allowing that they were all young kids dealing with huge fame who, along the way, took some missteps.

Though the line-up dwindled, a couple of more albums were dropped over the years, each with less critical and commercial love.

Fortunately for the universe, the boys in the band decided to let bygones be bygones and reconvened for the Rock the Bells tour back in 08. Periodically, both as individuals and as the full group, Pharcyde has been showing up on more and more guest spots. While they claim to be still feeling out the vibe, one can only hope a new joint is in the works. If that never happens, however, the body of work they've left behind thus far is mad crazy good. Kind of like the band itself.

mp3: Pack the Pipe (Pharcyde from Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde)

mp3: Drop (Pharcyde produced by J Dilla from Labcabincalifornia)

mp3: Get Down Remix Dirty (Jern Eye ft. Pharcyde from Vision)

mp3: Sumpthin 2 Say ft. Imani & Pep Love (Luckyiam from The Present)

mp3: Today's Your Day (Feat Chalin 2na) (Fatlip from The Loneliest Punk)

mp3: Easy My Mind (Feat. Tre Hardson, Fat Lip And Omni) (Jazz Liberatorz from Clin D'oeil)

Odds and Ends FREE-FOR-ALL!!!

i've got a couple of things that need writing, including a few Old Skool Reviews i'm looking forward to, but i also realized ye olde inbox is getting a tad full these days and figured now was as good a time as any to do some spring cleaning and bring the music to the masses. As for explanatory notes regarding said tardiness, sue me. Too many pretty people walking around in lesser states of dress than they had on a scant weeks ago. What's a Terrible to do?

In no particular order of anything...

NEW RELEASES

Have you heard the new Eryka Badu joint yet? Good Lord and Butter, that's some groovey listening for your earholes right there. i know i mentioned it a while back when she started dropping singles for New Ameryka Part II, but i had no idea it was going to be this good. Let me be the first to call it, "Turn Me Away (Get Munny)" is going to be the summer block party BBQ after hours jam, ladies and gents. Twinkle, twinkle, baby, this one is a star.

mp3: Turn Me Away (Get Munny) (Eryka Badu from New Amerykah, Part Two (Return of the Ankh))

Yes, i lurvs me some Flying Lotus, and, of course, i'm a sucka for Dilla, but i have to say, i'm pretty sure my favorite DJ/producer these days is Alex B. Once i heard his amazing Brainfeeder podcast, i was pretty much hooked for life. i just picked up his brand new Moments earlier today, and the tracks i've heard so far are too nice. Money, even. i want to be able to do what this man does with digital manipulation. The electronic kind, you dirty bastards, not the other kind.

Ed's note: i'm already quite proficient at that other kind thank you very much.

mp3: You and I Both Know (Alex B from Moments)

SPEAKING OF BEAT PRODUCERS...

If you follow the beat scene, you've probably already heard there's another J Dilla piece in the works. Coming out May 10, The Donut Shop will contain "the official J Dilla serato with 6 Dilla tracks b/w Serato Control Tone, 2 slipmats & badass package." As i took my first private DJ session this past weekend, i now actually know what all those things mean. To whet your 'tites, Stones Throw has thrown this stoned out classic.

mp3: Safety Dance (J Dilla from The Donut Shop)

Since 15 minutes elapsed since his last one, Madlib came out with the latest in his ongoing Beat Konducta series, this time focusing on Africa. Surprising absolutely no one, it's three nice.

mp3: The Frontline (Liberation) (Madlib from Beat Konducta in Africa)

mp3: African Voodoo Queen (Drama) (Madlib from Beat Konducta in Africa)

Did you just blink? Yep, in that time, Madlib finished another one. Look for the long-awaited OJ Simpson to hit shelves May 18.

mp3: Cali Hills (Guilty Simpson + Madlib from OJ Simpson)

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO THOSE FREE MUSIC FRIDAYS?

Didn't i just get through saying i've been ogling scantily clad females lately? Listen, people. Or read, at least. You're right, though, i do have a bit of a backlog of tracks to work through the pipes, as it were.

Every time i think i've found the band name of the year, a new one comes along and starts the debate anew. This time up, it's Trampled by Turtles. Seriously, it's beauty in its simplicity, yet evocative of Buddhist koan universality in its descriptiveness. The fact that they play "punk-bluegrass" only makes it that much sweeter. If the Devil actually did go down to Georgia while he was doing Tony Montana-sized mountains of coke, he might sound a little like this. Find out the rest for yourselves when the new LP drops on April 13.

mp3: Wait So Long (Trampled by Turtles from Palomino)

As next in line to run the Fambly business, i get and dig nepotism. At the same time, i also understand the hassles of trying to get out from underneath the shadow of one's progenitor in such situations. If you're in a similar place, take that and multiple it by 1000 and you probably would feel a little like Paul Simon's kid, Harper. (Un)fortunately, Harper sounds quite a bit like Pop, so if that's the sound for you, try this one on for size.

mp3: Wishes and Stars (Harper Simon from Harper Simon)

Ever wondered what it would sound like if Shooter Jennings partnered with Stephen King to make borderline industrial electro prog rock? Me neither, but now that the idea is in your head, here's a bit of that. And it ain't too shabby, truth be told. Somebody had to carry the NIN torch forward, right? This here is a "concept" album, children, wherein Stevie is the voice of a radio DJ playing his last gig before the government takes over the airwaves, all while Shooter is rawking out like he's taking it personally. Or something like that.

mp3: Don't Feed the Animals (Shooter Jennings & Hierophant from Black Ribbons)

In a bid for "Most Fucked Up Album Cover of the Year," the group Drink Up Buttercup are here with Born and Thrown on a Hook. Is that a woman holding a gun and a smoke in a blood spattered car? Hell, now you kind of feel like you HAVE to listen to their first single, right? It's a bit of Beatles-inspired brit pop, so it's got that going for it, too.

mp3: Young Ladies (Drink Up Buttercup from Born and Thrown on a Hook)

And finally, beloved label Arts & Crafts graced us with the latest from LET fave The Most Serene Republic. Keep an ear out for a sample of Jon Brion from Eternal Sunshine For The Spotless Mind, if you're into that kind of thing. Interestingly enough, their PR folks tell me the track is called "Photocall," while the download clearly is labelled "Longevity Please." As i'm in PR myself and realize those fools hardly ever know what they're talking about, let's go with the latter.

mp3: Longevity Please (The Most Serene Republic from their Website)

HEARD ANY GOOD RANDOMLY SUBMITTED MUSIC LATELY?

As luck would have it, i have.

By this point in our lives, i think we can all agree that some of the best things in all the world, really, come out of Chicago. Personally, i have my own theories involving Michigan waters, a sub-Arctic necessity for cuddling and the proximity to Canadians, but whether you buy into that or not, i'm confident saying you'll dig the Windy City's latest offering, one Mr. Danny Chaimson and his band, the Eleventh Hour. The boys manage to sound like an amalgam of Dr. John, Billy Joel and the Stax house band. They didn't say so to me directly or anything, but it sounds to me like they're on a mission from God.

mp3: Sittin' By the Bayou (Danny Chaimson and the Eleventh Hour from Young Blood, Old Soul)

mp3: Bobblehead Girl (Danny Chaimson and the Eleventh Hour from Young Blood, Old Soul)

DUDE, WTF WITH ALL THE SHOUTING?

Chill, sucka. i'm done now. Kill a guy for being a bit hard of hearing, for Chrissakes.

Singles Club: Gazzillion Ear

i don't know what it is, but i have been downright addicted to some space age sounding shit lately. i've been listening to a bunch of DJs to an almost unnatural degree, assuming such a thing is possible. Of particular interest of late have been Flying Lotus, The Gaslamp Killer, Madlib and the incomparable J Dilla. As luck would have it, a couple of those cats are on the latest DOOM joint, the Gazzillion Ear EP.

Unfortunately, it hasn't actually dropped yet and i still need to get my hands on the full thing, but thanks to the wonderful Interwebs, i've been able to track down a couple of the tracks, for free, no less. And what kind of mp3 blogger would i be if i didn't share the spoils with you lazy bastards? Seriously, you can start giving back at any time now. If anyone wants to start giving me free Pro Tools lessons, i'm more than willing to call us even.

Back to the remixes, though. Of course, there's the original, complete with beats provided by the late, great J. Dilla. Originally, there was only that and the Thom Yorke's spooky version that's been floating around for months. Now, though, for the price of your email address, you can get a version that isn't even on the EP, by none other than Madlib himself with an intro by Kayne West.

There are a couple more versions on the actual EP, plus a bonus beat, but, as previously mentioned, i'm afraid i can't tell you anything about those. i have little doubt, however, that they are quite villainous, and what more do we need than that?

mp3: Gazzillion Ear (DOOM original with beat by J. Dilla from Born Like This)

mp3: Gazzillion Ear (Thom Yorke Remix) (DOOM from Gazzillion Ear Remixes EP)

mp3: Gazzillion Ear (MADVILLAINZ remix ft. Kanye West as KHAN) (DOOM from the Interwebs)

Album Review: Jay Stay Paid

I'm guessing you've already heard the back story on the latest, posthumous release from Jay Dilla, Jay Stay Paid, but just in case...

The late hip-hop artist extraordinaire James Dewitt Yancey (aka Jay Dilla aka Jay Dee) has a new CD out, produced by his mother, Maureen Yancey, and his hero, Pete Rock. The two salvaged untold hours of unreleased beats by the genius to put the project together. The conceit is simple, playing out like a radio show, over both beats and radio clips from the past several years. Artists such as DOOM, Black Thought and Raekwon do guest duty.

What's most amazing about the project is how organic and fresh this thing sounds. There's no dust on these tracks whatsoever. Of course, that was always the beauty of Dilla's work. To describe his work is nearly beyond my humble abilities, coming across as some kind of futuristic Space Cowboy Ninja Pimp soundtrack with enough old school tastiness to make you want to smack your momma, as I believe the saying goes. (Don't ask where I get my sayings.)

While the instrumental tracks are truly amazing, the vocal appearances are just as incredible, if not more so. This is all the more amazing to me, as no one has any idea what Jay Dee had intended with these samples, yet these artists found more than enough material to create some off-the-chain rhymes to accompany the beats.

Sure, this thing is a labor of love, but the genius shines through nonetheless. As beloved a member of the hip-hop community as J. Dilla was, it would have been forgivable if this was a "mail it in" project. Thankfully for the listeners, this project is worthy of his best work ever. As the man allegedly left more stuff behind than Prince has in his own vaults and as well as this turned out, I'm a bit pumped to see what comes next from Jay Dee's estate.

mp3: Fire Wood Drumstix (ft. DOOM)