Recently got hold of a few J Dee albums including 'Donuts' and realised what an incredible producer the man was!
His sound has been replicated by so many producers I know and love but given their own special twist. Burial, Robert Glasper and Fly Lo to name but a few have taken elements of his work into ther own. Unfortunately, listening to the real McCoy cannot be beaten. J Dee Worked with many high profile groups & artists before releasing his own material, including Q-Tip, De La Soul, A tribe Called Quest, Ghostface Killah and even Janet Jackson. He learned to play Piano, Bass, Guitar, Flute and Drums and is often referred to as 'your producer's favorite producer'.
His tunes combine all kinds of black music and cut from one to another frequently, never letting the ears rest. The cut up vocals and beautifully sampled/produced instruments out do almost any other producer I've heard.
One story about Jay (written on the inside of one of his album covers) is that one night, while stuck without a drum machine, one of jays friends tapped out a beat on his body and J recorded it and EQ-ed it till it sounded like a drum kit. The man was a Genius.
Dilla suffered from a rare blood disease, TTP and died on Feb 10, 2006.
Rest in Beats.
