About

During his brief lifetime, James "J Dilla" Yancey produced thousands of tracks. The dozens of untitled beats on Dillatronic are like sketchbooks from a widely recognized master of the art form. Yet in total, they bear traces of his superior instincts. As Erykah Badu, who worked with him on her Mama's Gun album, once said during a RBMA lecture, Dilla made "beats all day long." He collected many of them onto CDs, and handed them out to friends and colleagues. These "beat tapes" had begun circulating across the Internet by the time he passed in 2006 at the age of 32.

The King of Beats, as well as 2013's Lost Tapes Reels + More, and now Dillatronic are like sketchbooks from a widely recognized master of the art form. On the latter, each track bears the spartan title "Dillatronic 01", et cetera. According to its promotional materials, Dillatronic represents his "electronic-influenced" material, but that's a loose theme at best. There is nothing here as gloriously techno as "Nothing Like This" from the 2003 EP Ruff Draft, or the Kraftwerk homage "B.B.E. (Big Booty Express)" from his 2001 album as Jay Dee, Welcome 2 Detroit. If anything, many of these virtually unnamed and undated "beats batches" float along like the rudimentary, keyboards-and-bass-drums beats of late-'90s indie rap producers like Shawn J. Period and 88-Keys. Most have a running time of around two to three minutes, while a few last less than a minute. Yet in total, they bear traces of his superior instincts.

A few of these files suggest paths unexplored. "05", which only lasts a minute and three seconds, weds a bhangra-like melody to a drum kit. It's an avenue Dilla's close friend Madlib explored more fully on his Beat Konducta in India. "31" builds like a '70s horror cut (or perhaps a porno flick?) around an unnamed woman breathing "No" as a solitary keyboard sound throbs creepily. "33" weaves around a sped-up recording of a voices chirping as if out of The Wizard of Oz.

Dilla's familiar techniques are evident, like his frequent use of air sirens and hard, slapping percussion. He speaks only once, near the end of the minute-and-three-second track "39". "Yeah! Bounce with a nigga!" he commands to us over loping bass and spacey keyboard effects. This might be a data dump of studio experiments, not a cohesive Donuts-like experience that casual listeners might crave. But admirers of this brilliantly inventive musician will find much to rhyme over, get inspired by, or simply bounce to on Dillatronic. — (via Pitchfork)

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This is not Donuts. A posthumous release from the J.Dilla camp, Dillatronic is a 41 track sonic ride featuring all-new unreleased material from the undisputed messiah of underground hip-hop production. So why did I start this review off with a statement like this ain’t Donuts? Well, it isn’t. Donuts was a cohesive project, which had Dilla’s stank all over it, beyond the beats themselves, and into the actual arrangement and ora of the seminal example of what a beat tape should be. Dillatronic was produced by Dilla, there’s no argument there, but it lacks the same emotional punch that his earlier work had.

Don’t pit this against Ruff Draft or Donuts – it’s not fair. this is an unearthed collection of Dilla beats that are perfect for a midnight ride through the city on a sticky summer evening. RIP to the greatest. — (via Above Average Hip Hop)

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Label: Vintage Vibez Music Group
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Reissue
Reissued: 2018 / Originally Released: 2015
Genre: Electronic, Hip Hop
Style: Instrumental

File under: Hip Hop
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