Hear veteran music journalist, Dan Charnas, examine the pioneering rhythms and sampling rituals of J Dilla.
A new episode of Oliver Wang’s podcast, Heat Rocks, dissects the myriad innovations and production methods of the late J Dilla, as well as their impact on hip-hop’s torch-bearing beatmakers.
Joined by journalist Dan Charnas (former A&R, author of The Big Payback, and alum of The Source,) the duo of studious heads break down the singular sampling style and unique sense of rhythm the late producer brought to the genre. Examining Slum Village‘s debut proper, Fantastic Vol. 2, Charnas and Wang dive deep into the source material, picking apart the samples, studio habits, and copious intangibles that aided the creation of an era-defining body of work from the revered Detroit trio.
Charnas, in a tweet on Thursday (see below,) referred to the episode as a bit of a warm-up for his upcoming book, Dilla Time, where he’ll unpack the producer’s legacy and discography in long-form. According to the author, the book is tentatively slated for a 2021 release. Dilla Time will mark only the second bound exploration of the producer’s story, following Jordan Ferguson’s book on Donuts for 33 1/3.
Hear Dan Charnas and Oliver Wang dissect J Dilla’s innovative sampling technique on a new episode of Heat Rocks below. Hold tight for updates on the release of Charnas’ Dilla Time in the weeks and months ahead. In the meantime, you can also jump back to a previous episode of the podcast that looks into the producer’s magnum opus, Donuts, with journalist and author, Nate Patrin.
OK, so… if you want a bit of a preview of some of the ideas that will surface in this J Dilla book, this episode of @heatrockspod on Fantastic, Vol. 2 is pretty much the first place where I take them out for a long walk. https://t.co/MrBQDmmLZq
— Dan Charnas (@dancharnas) October 9, 2020