J Dilla - Donuts (Album Review)

 

J Dilla - Donuts

(2006)


My copy: 2018 repress by Stones Throw Records.


J Dilla (James Dewitt Yancey) was a prolific hip-hop producer that got his start in the mid 90s until his untimely death at age 32 in 2006. Donuts was Dilla’s final solo studio release, only preceded by 2001’s Welcome 2 Detroit. Dilla carved a name for himself mostly by way of his impressive production credits and a wide array of collaborations; this is not to say that his two solo records are to be scoffed at. Donuts is an emotional trip into plunderphonics and instrumental hip-hop, an album Dilla largely mixed while in the hospital suffering from TTP and lupus. 

Donuts blends conceptual themes of Dilla’s health with a vast catalog of musical samples that are woven together to create new, inventive spins on a variety of genres. The album is almost totally connected, with Dilla seamlessly blending tracks together while maintaining a sleek and consistent production value. The album is also able to loop seamlessly as the final track “Welcome To The Show” is capable of flowing directly into the opening track “Donuts Outro.” 

“Workinonit” is a perfect example of how tightly executed Dilla’s mixing of samples is: there are eight musical samples working throughout the track to create something entirely new. Dilla maintains certain motifs throughout the album, such as the signature “King Of Beats” siren sound that featured on other projects prior to Donuts. A core theme of the record is Dilla’s rearranging of songs to either highlight and elevate a catchy chorus (“The Diff’rence,” “Stop,” “Two Can Win” or “Don’t Cry”) or to manipulate verse passages and stretch vocal samples into strange new instruments (“Mash,” “Airworks” or “One For Ghost”). 

Essentially, Donuts is a love letter to crate digging, it is an album less about individual tracks and more about Dilla’s curated “experience” whether that involves topping RnB ballads with sampled ad-libs or fleshing out the bass on funk/pop tunes. The soul shuffle of “Waves” is when it sets in that this record is a tour of Dilla’s heart; a series of musical vistas passionately tied together by a man with a deep love for music of all styles. 

Dilla also experiments with rearranging the speed and tempos of certain samples, most notably to create a faux breakdown on “Time: The Donut Of The Heart.” The fake out intro to “Airworks” slows things down and draws listeners back to the edge of their seats before Dilla reworks an electronic and vocal sample from Raymond Scott into a brooding beat on “Lightworks.” The samples on Donuts are so varied that it’s always exciting to see what will come next, from Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder to Frank Zappa and Fred Weinberg.

“Don’t Cry” turns things emotional before the strangest run of the album occurs from the folk twang on “Anti-American Graffiti” to the mesmerizing nature of the ESG sample on “Geek Down.” The vocal manipulations on “One For Ghost” border on creepy as the album delves further into darker atmospheres on “Dilla Says Go,” “Walkinonit” and “The Factory.” Sentimental themes return on the final four tracks, in which Dilla alludes to the end of his legacy. 

Donuts is an extremely impressive and heartfelt work by a man who used his skills in production to bend the words and sounds of others into something so distinctly his own. Some will dismiss this style of plunderphonics as lazy, but this is an assumption based purely in ignorance. Sometimes melodic themes are looped a bit too long, and some sampled ad-libs can sound corny but this album is a deeply engaging piece of instrumental hip-hop that stands as an amazing swan song for an extremely talented producer.   

Donuts is still available on vinyl though I am not a huge fan of the new artwork and the album honestly is best heard without stops between tracks.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Makes an Album Great

Image
            Great albums should leave lasting impressions, not only on those who listen as non-musicians, but also on the realm of music these albums occupy. In other words, a musical project should seek to leave some distinct mark on it's genre, to lay claim to some form of unique personality; this can often come in many forms, ranging from broad sound choices to subtle production techniques. This method for evaluating music seeks to make complacency the enemy, and forward movement the desired goal. This is not to say that all derivative albums are necessarily bad, as of course, outliers will always exist. Rather, the goal of an artist should, intrinsically, be to leave some reflection of their own condition, regardless of how relatable those emotions may or may not be. In music, this can be achieved in multiple ways, however I will focus on three aspects that I find particularly important when listening to music.      When co...
Read more

Oneohtrix Point Never - Again (Album Review)

Image
  Oneohtrix Point Never - Again (2023) My copy: 2023 limited press on orange transparent vinyl by Warp Records. Having built a strong reputation across a multitude of electronic projects, Daniel Lopatin now cashes in on his modern influence to compile what is likely his most ambitious project yet. Spanning over an hour, Again picks up where 2017’s Garden Of Delete left off, for better and for worse. Even with lush string arrangements and big-name features, Lopatin is unable to prevent Again from falling victim to some serious bloat. Anxiety immediately unravels in the orchestral “Elseware” though this introductory track quickly straightens out into a beguiling arrangement that is unlike any “typical” Oneohtrix track. The ritual “Again” then dives headfirst into Lopatin’s usual world of chittering robots and droning vocal mimicry. Things begin more explorative - descending into the depths of some synthesized hell before fading and restarting. Acoustic flourishes fester alongside...
Read more

Part Chimp - I Am Come (Album Review)

Image
  Part Chimp - I Am Come (2005) My copy: 2005 press by Rock Action Records As the millennium turned, rock music trends began to shift. In the U.S. a band called Lightning Bolt were establishing themselves as forerunners of modern noise-rock by pushing the music in increasingly weird directions. Across the pond, Mclusky were fighting the good fight with the 2002 Albini-produced Do Dallas, that wove dry, intelligent humor in between bursts of electrifying instrumental poundings. But over in London, another set of noise-crazed rockers got their start around the same time.  Part Chimp’s humor is a touch more on the nose; see album title Chart Pimp, or song title “Hitler and Jews” from the same 2002 debut. But directness is just where a band calling themselves “Part Chimp” excels. As rock began softening and going the way of the Strokes real quick, Chart Pimp offered a bastion of sludge-y rock ferocity that mostly suffered from being less able to fully capture the sheer volume ...
Read more