There's even more to this technique than what is covered in the video. If you listen to the original sample versus Dilla's flip, you'll notice that both of them follow the same chord progression, Eb minor to F minor, 2 bars each. This suggests that Dilla might have categorized his chops fitting into those chords, whether deliberately or unconsciously. Instead of picking samples and fitting them together at random, he plays the chops as if he was playing a remix of the original. What this also allows Dilla to do is play around with different combinations of chops while still sounding coherent and following the chord progression. Let's say you have 2 groups of chops, Group A for the first chord, Group B for the second chord. You can go through the entire sampled track to find bits and pieces that you then put into their respective groups based on the underlying chord. If you want to go even further, make subgroups of those groups that are divided into whether that chop comes from a kick, snare, or hihat in the original. Once you have those groups set up and organized, it becomes much easier to make sense of the chops and what they imply musically. What Dilla did in Don't Cry is alternate between Group A and Group B, creating variations within those groups by giving himself more options than a standard beat would require.
It's like searching for parts where there's as good as no vox that inner fears with the progression. The reason it still sounds like it has always been designed this way is that the bassline is the constant correct factor if you hear the loop. The rest swirls around it but still sounds good because notes of different instruments where already designed to combine a beautiful melody. So the bass sounds organic and realtime played but the other sounds seem like staccato instrument stabs while both sounds are in that sample part.
when i first heard Don't Cry intro part, i realised this will become one of my favorite tracks of all time the vibe, the beat, the vocal chopping, the skills of J Dilla left me speechless after first listening to Don't Cry and the whole Donuts...
I commented it before, but the “Extended Breakdowns” are by far my new favorite series on UA-cam. I could watch these all day. Please continue this series. It’s Absolutely the most entertaining content on UA-cam for a sample boom bap beat maker.
20 years.. 4 grammy noms n 10x platinum producer here... these things we learned from dilla & hitek ect we just felt n did... its amazing how well you not only learned but also explain so well... good job bro.. hiphop lives...
One tip that always helps me is in the exploring different sequences phase, I record myself messing around and experimenting. Have been in the situation where I get a groove I like going, take my hands off the pad to hit record, and then completely lose the vibe I had
Happens all the time. Thanks to retrospective recording in Cubase I now never worry about that stuff (because it is now constantly recording everything in the background within a two minute tape loop). Aaah the freedom to never hit record haha😂
i cant remember where i read this but, the chops seem so random throughout the track, but if you took all the high end away, he's writing a bassline. thats why he picked those seemingly random parts. i've heard daft punk have done the same with samples too. cus with dance music and instrumental hip hop its all about the drums and bass
After all this time people still study and analyze Dilla’s artwork which is just a testament that you can indeed be yourself, go off the beaten path, succeed at it and leave a legacy.
JD didn't start using the MPC 3000le until early 2000s. It wasn't even available until 2000. He used a SP 12, SP 1200, MPC 60 and mkII, all before 2000. That's a huge part of his catalog. Donuts wasn't made on the MPC. He used Protools on a laptop and a Roland 404.
He was also in pain and didn’t make much music in the hospital. Nor did he arrange Donuts. Jeff Jank created longer versions of Dilla’s tracks, named a few, and arranged them.
Huh. I’m rather surprised I haven’t properly found out about this person before now. He was a true Musical Genius. I’m also rather sad to learn now that he passed away at such a young age. But I’m still really happy to finally learn about J Dilla and his music. “The Light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and you have burned so very very brightly Roy.” - Tyrell (from “Blade Runner”)
I feel like if J Dilla were alive he would be roasting all these music nerds about their insanely complex analysis on what was probably a very simple concept to understand.
I hate when artists usually have to die to become the best or most influential. Before he respectfully passed away, he never garnished as much attention as the internet has now portrayed, especially this past year. R.I.P. Dilla #detroit
@@sp1200M3D for sure. in the lo-fi beatmaking scene definitely nujabes should get the black roses. got to say tho that on a musical level dilla is on a wild level tho
@@sp1200M3D respectfully got to disagree actually ☺ the vibes however are incredibly varied, so i can still understand the sentiment. everyone feeds off different feelings.
Detroit is that one unique city that will just occasionally SMASH the music industry out of nowhere, whether it’s early house or hiphop. The electronic roots run so so deep in that city.
A tribe called quests “find a way” is also a dilla beat- he somehow found a Brazilian track and manipulated the Portuguese lyrics to sound like the English chorus of the song… AMAZING.
I AGREE! Not many beatmakers doing their thing strong for 20 years still. My fav producers are The Neptunes, 9th Wonder, Charles Hamilton haha and J Dilla
Man how i missed Scratch Mag. Have each one from 1 to the end, short run but i had them all and was amazing. reason i bought a ASR10 from producers in there talking about it and made me love my MPCs more then ever. 3000, 1000, and rare used 2 and 500
And the fact that there wasn't any DAW or any of the advanced tech to manipulate samples back then except for the MPC3000 (which is still a hard thing to do) proves that he just built different
I love these. I'd love to see if you could break down "Population Control" by Company Flow. The sample flip seems straightforward at first, but after listening extensively to the sample and the CoFlow track, I realised there's more to it that I can't completely figure out.
For anybody struggling to figure out the difference between chopping on the quarter notes Vs chopping on the eighth notes, just chop the Ands between "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and". There, you've got some eighth note chops.
I did this technique off of a SP-505 and got it off. This jonts here was the blueprint for me and I personally thank #madukes for her son and contribution to this thing we call hip hop.
Nothing about Dilla was lo fi. It’s just that by the time the cassettes were dubbed over and over again there was hiss. This was uploaded to UA-cam. He didnt make lo fi music
Hope you enjoyed this new format sample-heads 👊 Which producer's sampling techniques should we dive into for the next one?
Sample Breakdown: The Pharcyde - Runnin' (prod by J Dilla)
Sample Breakdown: Common - The Light (prod by J Dilla)
Sample Breakdown: Illa J - All Good (prod by J Dilla)
Q-tip and Dj muggs
Good ones lol no J Dilla he’s corny
Sample Breakdown: J Dilla - Donuts (Full Album)
i had a dream...
I would sit down with my family on a nice sunday evening and watch the whole 2 hour documentary, if there was one.
ua-cam.com/video/tH-06T2qNr0/v-deo.html
That would be a dope series…with one song breakdown per week
Please do tracklib 🙏🙏🙏
There's even more to this technique than what is covered in the video. If you listen to the original sample versus Dilla's flip, you'll notice that both of them follow the same chord progression, Eb minor to F minor, 2 bars each. This suggests that Dilla might have categorized his chops fitting into those chords, whether deliberately or unconsciously. Instead of picking samples and fitting them together at random, he plays the chops as if he was playing a remix of the original. What this also allows Dilla to do is play around with different combinations of chops while still sounding coherent and following the chord progression.
Let's say you have 2 groups of chops, Group A for the first chord, Group B for the second chord. You can go through the entire sampled track to find bits and pieces that you then put into their respective groups based on the underlying chord. If you want to go even further, make subgroups of those groups that are divided into whether that chop comes from a kick, snare, or hihat in the original. Once you have those groups set up and organized, it becomes much easier to make sense of the chops and what they imply musically. What Dilla did in Don't Cry is alternate between Group A and Group B, creating variations within those groups by giving himself more options than a standard beat would require.
I wish I could like this comment 14 times.
make that 16+1 because that's a full clip of technique broken down
is there a way you could make a video explaining this?
It's like searching for parts where there's as good as no vox that inner fears with the progression. The reason it still sounds like it has always been designed this way is that the bassline is the constant correct factor if you hear the loop. The rest swirls around it but still sounds good because notes of different instruments where already designed to combine a beautiful melody. So the bass sounds organic and realtime played but the other sounds seem like staccato instrument stabs while both sounds are in that sample part.
I doubt he thought of that. Probably just chopped nice sounding parts an played them in a cohesive manner
Don’t cry is insane, J had that ear 🎧🦻
I found this video too early didn’t I? 😂
@@captain.s1918 Lol yeah get outta here ❣
when i first heard Don't Cry intro part, i realised this will become one of my favorite tracks of all time
the vibe, the beat, the vocal chopping, the skills of J Dilla left me speechless after first listening to Don't Cry and the whole Donuts...
The beat made with this technique was actually classic wtf??? Amazing!!!
This is amazing too: 10:08
I commented it before, but the “Extended Breakdowns” are by far my new favorite series on UA-cam. I could watch these all day. Please continue this series. It’s Absolutely the most entertaining content on UA-cam for a sample boom bap beat maker.
not gonna lie, that accidental swing rhythm at 5:38 is kinda sick
ikrrr i wanted to hear that longer and flow on it
Exactly. 😅 It's sounds like a Dilla beat, even like that.
20 years.. 4 grammy noms n 10x platinum producer here... these things we learned from dilla & hitek ect we just felt n did... its amazing how well you not only learned but also explain so well... good job bro.. hiphop lives...
loved experimental bro you good
That Grease flip is insane
One tip that always helps me is in the exploring different sequences phase, I record myself messing around and experimenting. Have been in the situation where I get a groove I like going, take my hands off the pad to hit record, and then completely lose the vibe I had
Happens all the time. Thanks to retrospective recording in Cubase I now never worry about that stuff (because it is now constantly recording everything in the background within a two minute tape loop). Aaah the freedom to never hit record haha😂
4:40 you know it's crazy when they pull out 23 different colors
“Last donut of the night” makes me cry every time I listen to it 😢
i cant remember where i read this but, the chops seem so random throughout the track, but if you took all the high end away, he's writing a bassline. thats why he picked those seemingly random parts. i've heard daft punk have done the same with samples too. cus with dance music and instrumental hip hop its all about the drums and bass
I saw that mpc in the black history museum 🙏🏽
After all this time people still study and analyze Dilla’s artwork which is just a testament that you can indeed be yourself, go off the beaten path, succeed at it and leave a legacy.
The tracks were worked on MPC 3000, SP-303 and Pro Tools
I hit watch as soon as I saw the thumbnail. Tracklib is one of my most loved channels on UA-cam.
Donuts is a masterpiece and a landmark album in music.
JD didn't start using the MPC 3000le until early 2000s. It wasn't even available until 2000. He used a SP 12, SP 1200, MPC 60 and mkII, all before 2000. That's a huge part of his catalog. Donuts wasn't made on the MPC. He used Protools on a laptop and a Roland 404.
He was also in pain and didn’t make much music in the hospital. Nor did he arrange Donuts. Jeff Jank created longer versions of Dilla’s tracks, named a few, and arranged them.
@@Ulukitkan recently been hearing the Donuts that here on the record wasn't arranged by himself, is this true or nah?
Dilla started using the 3000 in 96 so you’re very wrong about that
@@Darie2006 so he started on 3000? If he did then yeah I'm way off. But where your evidence to support this?
@@Darie2006 @sources?
Dont nobody come close to the donuts. You cant find nobody doing this stuff. ❤
Huh. I’m rather surprised I haven’t properly found out about this person before now. He was a true Musical Genius. I’m also rather sad to learn now that he passed away at such a young age. But I’m still really happy to finally learn about J Dilla and his music.
“The Light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and you have burned so very very brightly Roy.”
- Tyrell (from “Blade Runner”)
Salute for the work it takes to make these.
Dilla made these from at home on his desktop in Pro Tools. 😂. People be hyping it with myths while the music speaks for itself. Greatness.
Word. These breathless sample break down videos get way too deep. Dilla is/was amazing still..
Well said
all while being extremely ill. he’s just built different bro, he’s the production god
Partly only
@@keyboardwarrior4092yo mom is different
Excellent breakdown and the beat you made sounds fresh!
Just a masterpiece song no matter sampling at this level
I feel like if J Dilla were alive he would be roasting all these music nerds about their insanely complex analysis on what was probably a very simple concept to understand.
Fall in love (trinity album) and Players for me is one of most epic songs that i've heard from jd.
Give Dilla his flowers 💐 he changed the game.
J DILLA IS THE GOAT ! THANK YOU SO MUCH TRACKLIB !
This video was fire... rip J dilla gone but not forgotten.
this the most beautiful video of all time
You too
I hate when artists usually have to die to become the best or most influential. Before he respectfully passed away, he never garnished as much attention as the internet has now portrayed, especially this past year. R.I.P. Dilla #detroit
people forget that, but it's great that everyone and their ma knows the music now.
@@simonpitt4080 Nujubes should get just as much attention imo. Thanks for the feedback dude.
@@sp1200M3D for sure. in the lo-fi beatmaking scene definitely nujabes should get the black roses. got to say tho that on a musical level dilla is on a wild level tho
@@simonpitt4080 Agreed, I wasn’t a fan of all the Slum Village work though. Not all of Dilla’s work was all that great respectfully.
@@sp1200M3D respectfully got to disagree actually ☺ the vibes however are incredibly varied, so i can still understand the sentiment. everyone feeds off different feelings.
Detroit is that one unique city that will just occasionally SMASH the music industry out of nowhere, whether it’s early house or hiphop. The electronic roots run so so deep in that city.
My city Seattle turns rock on its head every now and then, but I do wish we had any sort of hip hop chops at all...
I was doing this in the mid-1990's... inspired by Art Of Noise mid-80's records... great video and graphics!
4:55 freal: all the homies did this. Aspect, N/A, Dibia$e. This was more common than people realized.
A tribe called quests “find a way” is also a dilla beat- he somehow found a Brazilian track and manipulated the Portuguese lyrics to sound like the English chorus of the song… AMAZING.
Eight note even 16th note chops is how u do it with out timestretch, and make the sample fit the drums. like how we used to do it with the sp1200
History and heat making? Thanks for this. 👏👏
i can't imagine how j dilla can break the game with all the tecnologys we got in the present. Its funny cause may be hard think on jd without a mpc
I still need more Dilla
Now can you do a beautiful on 9th wonder? I feel like he's super slept on.
I AGREE! Not many beatmakers doing their thing strong for 20 years still.
My fav producers are The Neptunes, 9th Wonder, Charles Hamilton haha and J Dilla
Man how i missed Scratch Mag. Have each one from 1 to the end, short run but i had them all and was amazing. reason i bought a ASR10 from producers in there talking about it and made me love my MPCs more then ever. 3000, 1000, and rare used 2 and 500
your beat came out really good using Dilla's technique
thank you 4 dis video
And the fact that there wasn't any DAW or any of the advanced tech to manipulate samples back then except for the MPC3000 (which is still a hard thing to do) proves that he just built different
THANK YOU TRACKLIB
Dilla was the shyt with them samples!!! 🔥🔥🔥
best video you guys have ever created
Wow I still own all of my copies of scratch magazine. Unfortunate it didn't last long. But I loved every moment of them.
Everytime i here someone explain about this guy... My skin shiver... Its plain to see he was an Alien.. R.I.P DeWitt
Such a cool video seeing the beat made in real time
I love these. I'd love to see if you could break down "Population Control" by Company Flow. The sample flip seems straightforward at first, but after listening extensively to the sample and the CoFlow track, I realised there's more to it that I can't completely figure out.
Great of All Time🕊
I’m so happy to see this video mayne
For anybody struggling to figure out the difference between chopping on the quarter notes Vs chopping on the eighth notes, just chop the Ands between "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and". There, you've got some eighth note chops.
Bay-Bay!!!! Miss you JayDee!!! 🫶🏾🤍🫶🏾
J Dilla changed my life
This is a great representation of the workflow.
You are the best
This is why J-Dilla is the GOAT.
Damn your beat was nice even without messing with the vocals or too much, just straight chops.
Great video once more! You should really do Giannis by Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, the beat is insane on that track
the anniversary of Dilla's birthday. isn't that just his birthday? lol 3:10
love this channel🫶🏼✨
Can yall do a Full Album sample breakdown of "Metaphorical Music" or "Modal Soul" both by Nujabes.
I love this channel
J DILLA was Masterful.
RIP DILLA 🕊🕊🕊✊
THE G.O.A.T.
Dope I like that record pick .
Wow that word manipulation was crazy
the goat🔥
I did this technique off of a SP-505 and got it off. This jonts here was the blueprint for me and I personally thank #madukes for her son and contribution to this thing we call hip hop.
💀☠@ 1:05 .... "James DO-IT Yancey"
This an example of how the underground been doin something long before the mainstream knew. 🤷🏽♂️
Nothing about Dilla was lo fi. It’s just that by the time the cassettes were dubbed over and over again there was hiss. This was uploaded to UA-cam. He didnt make lo fi music
thx this is really good
Craazy good
1:59 - 2:13:
Okay. This one is plain Trippy. I see how he did that but I still wonder “How?”.
this is crazy
THIS SHIT IS SO FUCKING COOLL WHATT
thank yu tracklib
This is great wow
great video
Amazing video
God I love 303 compression.
I feel like Alchemist probably did something like this for that Give Em Hell beat.
3:11
Is no one going to point out that "the anniversary of Dilla's birthday" is a really weird way of saying "his birthday"?
pls do a sample breakdown of out of time by weeknd thanks
Donuts was made on the SP303
0:46 what video is this
Sample breakdown:America's most blunted please!!
I WANT J DILLA BACK SO HARD
Did you just re-format the J dills vice article?
This video is 🥇
could you upload the full j Dilla inspired song and great video
Love j dilla forever but the eighth note chop just feels like a classic dj premier chop styled beat.
G.O.A.T. !!!!!
1:13 what song is playing in the background here?
4:03 as an emcee first, this may be why I wasn’t feeling Donuts. 🤷🏽♂️
Sample Breakdown: Erick Sermon- Music