J Dilla
Dillatronic
Release Date: Oct 30, 2015
Genre(s): Rap, Pop/Rock, Underground Rap, Midwest Rap, Left-Field Hip-Hop
Record label: Vintage Vibez
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Album Review: Dillatronic by J Dilla
Great, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
Curated by his mother, Ma Dukes, Dillatronic offers 41 rare instrumentals from the late Detroit hip-hop producer James "J Dilla" Yancey, with the focus being on his "electronic music influences," who are as much Kraftwerk as George Clinton. Case in point, the funky, slinky track seven included here -- none of the tracks are titled -- which slowly rocks back and forth like Clinton's solo hit "Atomic Dog," while the 26th cut comes off as a cross between Madlib and "Maggot Brain" with Funkadelic guitars spinning and swaying in a psychedelic manner. The latter track also strays from the "electronic music influences" concept, which happens with about a quarter of the album's tracks.
Based on rating 7/10
J Dilla passed away at the young age of 32 from Moschcowitz syndrome, a rare blood disorder also known as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. The disease causes tiny clots to form that harm several vital organs. His illness slowed down his mainstream work, but Dilla was still well-represented on file sharing networks. Donuts would be the final album released in his lifetime, arriving on shelves on February 7, 2006, his 32nd birthday.
Based on rating 7.0/10
During his brief lifetime, James "J Dilla" Yancey produced thousands of tracks. 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.
Opinion: Excellent
Imagine 41 undiscovered works of J.S. Bach being released to the world. To hip-hop enthusiasts (in specific) and music aficionados (in general), Dillatronic is close to this generation's equivalent: 41 unreleased instrumentals by the late Grammy-nominated producer J Dilla, presented by his mother, Ma Dukes. Dillatronic demonstrates the Detroit native's production genius - from boom bap (Dillatronic 04) to Bollywood (Dillatronic 06) - to followers and first-time listeners.
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