How J Dilla’s Timefeel ACTUALLY Works
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2023
- J Dilla’s music has an incredibly unique feel to it. The most commonly talked about aspect of J Dilla’s production is his drums, BUT there’s a big misconception about Dilla’s drums that we need to talk about. Today we’re diving all the way into Dilla’s time feel, going through the entire history of recorded music, recreating grooves along the way, and in the process of debunking one misconception, we’ll see how Dilla’s contribution to music is even bigger than you think.
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SOURCES
► “Dilla Time” by Dan Charnas - amzn.to/3X6hHP1
► The “Planet Rock” 808 Recreation: • Ten classic Roland TR-...
►A BIG Thank You to Mario Montes for playing drums in this video. Follow Mario on Instagram: / oiram.setnom
TOPICS COVERED
Groove
Grid
Dilla
J Dilla
Dan Charnas
Dilla Time
Book
Example
Drums
Production
Sampling
Music History
Dilla Feel
Hip Hop
R&B
Jay Dee
James Yancey
Dilla Day
Slum Village
I feel like this is the thing that Lo-Fi hip-hop misses BIG on. J Dilla's drums were never awkwardly off-beat
Exactly
Bro thank you I hate this Clanky off beat shit
There’s always a method to the madness
Yes! Dilla beats still flow and it feels in the pocket despite the rushing/dragging elements, it always comes back in time and doesn't feel off balance. Lofi hip hop is cool but it's like these producers watched a J Dilla UA-cam video and just thought "cool all I have to do is make the drums out of time" 🤦 it's not bad, it's a stylistic choice, but it doesn't flow and groove the way a Dilla beat does.
@@chrisoakleyfx Exactly. "Off-beat" doesn't mean out of rhythm but they conflate the two. You can go outside the confines of the click track and still have a rhythm, and a lot of these lo-fi cats don't bother with that.
You hit this one out the park. For me, it's just like hearing Stevie Wonder or James Jamerson for the first time, when you grew up on everybody who followed them and imitated them, and then incorporated it into your own music. It's like, ok wait here's the root of that whole tree. This is another giant who was decades ahead.
🙏🙏 yes a MONUMENTAL contribution to all of music - RIP J Dilla
found a goody:
ua-cam.com/video/U7fyZOBt7xM/v-deo.html
Yessir. Couldn’t agree more especially with James Jamerson (the 🐐). All my baseline’s are just jamerson rip offs. ✊
🎯 Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, James Brown/JBs, PFunk, and J Dilla. Very different artists all with the same thing in common - people never swung the same way after them
Of course it’s others in between too but none more impactful to where we’re at today
This is the best video about Jay Dee that I’ve ever seen. For forever it felt like every video about Dilla just chalked his technique down to “he didn’t use quantize wow”
Agreed! This is the first "what made Dilla great" video of this era of trendy Dilla content that didn't annoy me one bit lol
@@pickenchewsfr lol
Yeah, I especially dislike that Vox video. They oversimplified his work Don't Cry by essentially saying, "wow he took kicks and snares from the sample and arranged them regardless of what melodic elements were on top," which is nonsense. Listening to both the original sample and the Dilla flip, you can hear how methodical he was in determining which pieces went together, there's a clear and coherent melody and arrangement to Don't Cry that Dilla created by stitching the right chops together.
@@finkployd6110I agree. But some beats he did do that but still had a method to it. I think he jus knew many ways of manipulating samples. Sometimes he quantized sometimes he didn't. He would swing some parts of his drum tracks, all types of stuff he wasn't scared to do. That's why I myself delight in studying all his stuff, he had so many technics...all on purpose tho!...dat damn Dilla, genius
“…the grid is essentially being hand drawn by musicians in the moment - That’s what groove is. That’s what a pocket is. And this is the key to playing with other musicians live.” 🔥 Hit it outta the park with this one Brandon. So good.
Dilla, like Hendrix, Prince, James Brown and even Fletcher Henderson, heard the possibilities instead of accepting the current realities. This is the essence of Genius.
I'm a bit ashamed that I don't know J Dilla that good. I'm a 90s hiphop fan but with the explanation of this video and only an hour of deep dive on Spotify I gotta say your reaction is spot on friend 👍
Fletcher Henderson??! In addition to the random do us a favor stop with the awkward name drops of artists you know nothing about 😂😂😂
People forget/don't know J Dilla could actually play drums. That easily added to how he heard and could program his drums. The man was gifted.
People forget that he could actually play the instruments that he also often sampled? Or did those people just not know
@@CantTellYou Jesus dude really, you know full what he meant but you're in here with that comment. Awesome. Excellent contribution. Bet you're fun at parties.
I don't usually comment, but man, your videos are just so informative and calming, I just want to congratulate you. Keep on doing you
Thank you 🙏
Keep it going! Love what you do.
For real?! Thank you for the support! 🙏 This means so much 🙏
Biggest donation Ive seen so far on UA-cam in a comment, congrats to both of you 💪😁 great vid btw!
Dilla made me fall back in love with hiphop and music in general. Growing up in the 90s I hated commercial rap, but when I found J-88/Slum village around 1998 it was a special time for me. Then I went back and connected the dots and realized he worked on a lot of my favorite albums (busta rhymes, pharcyde, tribe, de la soul). It all made sense to me. All the albums I loved growing up from Erykah and Dwele to D'angelo all had his imprint on them. Happy Birthday Dilla. You gave me one of the greatest gifts ever.
Same here. After hearing Stakes is High rmx...I was always checking for his credits. 🎼💪🏿
On the way into work today jamming Jay Dee, and Lightworks came on with the most beautiful sunrise…man I damn near shed a tear. Happy Birthday J 🍩
RIP J Dilla
Aww man! I felt it.
Happy birthday j Dilla you gave your soul to music may people enjoy your beats until the end of time
Jay !! Asewe!!!
Happy birthday Nujabes
You don’t get enough credit for these video bro. The amount of time it takes to prepare all of these examples, film, and edit them all in a digestible format is unbelievably admirable. I look forward to each and every upload from you bro!! Thank you for your efforts.
Also, happy birthday Dilla 🤍
I honestly cannot believe that you’re releasing these vids for free. Thank you for all you do!!!
That's why i love Jazz music, it can go in whatever direction it pleases.
Love that you’re getting increasingly elaborate with your videos. Especially liked that you moved past people’s explanations of Dilla as “lack of quantize”
Great video as always. One thing maybe worth mentioning not only regarding Dilla and his timing but more about 90s Hip Hop in general: Chopping samples on the older Beat Machines like the SP1200 or the MPC60/3000 wasn‘t that accurate as you had no waveform on display, so you had to truncate them by ear and numbers. This often times led into some dead space before the actual sample hit which gives them a unique grid even with the quantization on. If you ever chopped a drum break on an SP1200 you‘ll know what i mean. Keep on posting the good stuff. PEACE!
i've watched some videos of old legends building a beat and they talk about intentionally leaving "air" before the hit. and yeah all of that adds looseness and swing
THIS IS THE GREATEST VID I’VE EVER SEEN ON SWING & QUANTIZATION!!! Not only did you thoroughly cover that in a fashion that’s easily digestible for all, but you also broke down the programming methodology of the production master: DILLA!!! Absolutely loved how you ventured throughout history for context and brought everything home for a grand finale…..and all in 20 mins!!! Over the years I’ve consumed tons of content on the subject that was no where near as informative or efficient. I’ll say it again, Your Delivery & Presentation style is greatly valued. Another great vid. Thank you. Your efforts are strongly appreciated! 🙌🏽
I've been hoping you'd make a video about this since you briefly mentioned it in an earlier video. And it does not disappoint. I love how you not only explained it very well, but also put it in a historical context.
This shines some new light. As a beatmaker myself, I wondered how he can get so much groove when a lot of his drum loops are 2 or even 1 bar! With so many layers of natural off timings, you have to keep the mechanical quantization short to snap the ear back.
Kinda feels like bshaw is just doing chapter after chapter of the book. I gotta buy that book! I've always wanted a break down of dilla feel because im not a drummer but i do have some musical background. This makes me appreciate his beats sooooo much more. Thanks for the amazin content brother!
I've used the book as a source a lot as it's THE best Dilla resource - though I'm trying to give additional context, examples, and weave more ideas into it. There is SO much more in the book on every aspect of Dilla so please go buy a copy
Maaannnn thanks for explaining this so vividly. I'm currently reading Dilla Time and was having a hard time wrapping my head around this concept. Your channel is awesome!
What an amazing rundown of the history and technique. Thank you for keeping these important crafts accessible with your thorough and articulate teaching style. I love how you leave in the mistakes to show how these are real imaginative skills that are very difficult to cop.
I was watching this on my TV. Now I'm watching on my phone, IT'S SO GOOD. I CAN'T PUT IT DOWN.
🙏🙏
This video perfectly explains what has confused me so much about Dilla. Every other source says 'no quantisation' but his beats all had such a strong consistency to them that I couldn't replicate when trying to make a beat in his style, definitely gonna read that book now!
Love your videos, Digging The Greats... keep up the great work!
Great analysis of dope topics 🔥🔥🔥
I need to get that _Dilla Time_ book - I keep hearing how amazing it is.
I love hip-hop and its history! Your channel is a breath of fresh air at deconstructing all of it. I appreciate everything you're doing!
Thank you for spending the time to make these you are appreciated more than you know!
Dude, your videos are AMAZING. This is such a great breakdown of quantization and Dilla's style that is easily digestible for the both the music producer and the casual music fan. Please keep making videos. Your creative voice and knowledge is unique. Thank you!!
“Let’s see how that sounds”
MIND BLOWN 🤯🤯🤯
YES! I really hoped that you would do something about J Dilla on his Birthday =)
Had to! RIP J Dilla
Absolutely stoked I came across this channel. As a game composer and hiphop producer, I think it's absolutely imperative to utilize both human feel AND quantize whenever it calls for it. J Dilla managed to do both. Looking forward to watching more vids!
dude every video you do is so well put together and edited well enough to keep my adhd infested brain focused throughout. stellar. as a producer watching you break everything down is bleeding into my production and making it so much better! thank you🙏🏻
Dilla-time is getting common now in live jazz, I just saw Takuya Kuroda at the NYC Winter Jazzfest where his drummer used it on many songs, saw bands in SanFran doing it as well, asked the drummer why: he said it was Dilla. They played Herbie Hancock and other classic jazz-funk grooves with that hip-hop feel, awesome that it's getting mainstream.
Incredibly well produced videos with lots of thoughtful insights! Deserves way more recognition.
Dude, coming into this after DJ Shortkut did a tribute stream for Dilla for his birthday on the 7th was perfect. I purposefully waited so I could see where this was going to go, and you should be called Hercules because you went the distance in this explanation. Thank you so much for doing such an in depth analysis on this, because I had no idea how important Dilla was to the game of music. It always sounded natural to me, so knowing this is just, amazing. Thank you thank you thank you!
Stellar work as usual Diggs.
The musical impact is huge. When I listen to Common's flow and delivery after "Resurrection", it feels like this drag-rush pattern as well, beyond working the syllables. I'm starting to think whatever made Dilla work the beats his way also impacted Common's rhymes, even if it was a parallel development. He already sounded a bit different on "One Day...". Them being friends later in life just makes musical sense.
Love your videos and how you take an idea that has been discussed but put a whole new nerdy spin on it!
Wow. I love all of your videos but this one is really special! I have no technical understanding of music whatsoever, I just really really really love hip hop and Dilla especially, but you explain things so beautifully that im able to grasp it. I’ve been subscribed for a while now and I was thrilled to see a new dilla vid on dilla day! Please keep up the good work, you are truly gifted at what you do!
OUTSTANDING video! Details upon details, with depth. Thanks for your effort and love that went into this!
Not a big UA-cam commenter, but man your videos just scratch that musical itch and I always learn so much. Thank you Digging The Greats
I love this video! You make it so insightful. Great stuff!
Your breakdowns are magnificent, man. I hope that you cover Large Professor and the yeoman-like work he puts into his production. Especially the layered construction he did with "Looking Out the Front Door". I'm still mystified on how all the elements that comprise that song work so well together. Classic.
i love this style, taking heavy inspo from charnas’ book but making the script your OWN and with great visuals. love the channel
🙏🏽 hope this channel blows tf up, so many of your videos show you to be a perfect ambassador for real, LIVE music
Great video! The demonstration with the MPC at the end is super cool
Dilla Time is an amazing book. Glad you made a great video helping cover it!
Just finished the book a couple of weeks ago. This was an amazing breakdown.
quickly turning into one of my favorite channels, great work
Your metaphors are incredibly pedagogical! Thanks for breaking this down for us
I love every one of your videos. Such fantastic content. Keep up the great work!
This is something I've been curious about for quite some time. I appreciate the breakdown. Makes total sense now. Cheers from Colorado. ✌️
This video is gold! thank you so much for the knowledge and the clear articulation.. you have no idea how much this can unlock stuck minds!
Another great one big dawg. Salute. And released on his birthday. Rest In Beats J Dilla.
Awesome video-I love the detail you put into this! So helpful.
Yeah, I watched Anderson Paak when he played with Bruno Mars, and he was playing drums Dilla Time AND SINGING... incredible! Thanks for this vid
Really great video, Been trying to fully understand swing for years, and you made that happen!
Excellent video sir. Props to the great Roger Linn for the MPC and to the one and only Dilla for taking it to unheard of levels. Let's continue to be inspired to keep pushing music forward -- and having fun in the process. Peace.
amazing video i love your dedication to explaining this as well and clear as possible
Thank you Dilla, Thank you DTG
RIP J Dilla
Oh jee raftaar tussi wi Dilla fan
I'm no musician but always been a big music addict. Your great videos make me feel so much music-smartER and make me understand what is that I like so much in this music you explain so well.
man i've been getting your vids in my reccomended for a couple days now and i've gotta say you have such an obvious and infectious passion for hip hop, and i've found your commentary to be a lot more insightful than a lot of music breakdown channels (not trying to hate on those guys btw, they're just not really for me). Keep up the dope videos
Great vid man, appreciate the time and effort you clearly put into this.
Excellent info and knowledge.
I’ll be checking the rest of you channel 👍🏻
EXCELLENT BREAKDOWN! 🔥🔥🔥 Thank you!
This is one of the best made videos I’ve ever seen. Great job big bro!
This is one of the best videos on music production I've seen. Good shit dude
Such a well done video! Your channel is freaking awesome man🙌🏼🙌🏼
As a channel OG when it was still really small (found you around 2K followers) I'm absolutely stoked that you're blowing up! So well deserved from day one, the quality of your videos has been consistent from the very first video it's great to see you succeed. Props to you my dude🙏
Thank you for the support! 🙏
Amazing as always. I look forward to your videos. I would take a semester of this if I could
Amazing presentation!!🔥
How you delve things are just perfect. Kudos.
The fact you can articulate this is impressive.
Thank you!
I grow to love your videos man!! solid production!! keep it up
Amazing video you really put so much effort into it thank you
Every video is so damn good man, I learn so much more each time and these outro’s for the next vid, so good
This was great, so educational man I really appreciate these videos thank you!
I have been enjoying your videos a great deal. Thanks for making these.
Going through a lot of the videos and man the quality is off the charts. Had to come see this one cause my personal favorite artist Jon Bellion says Dilla is one of his biggest influemces and also a big reason he makes music today.
You are explaining this sooo well, props to you from a professional producer/former drummer
Jeez, I gotta get that book. I've learned so much and got so much inspired by your vids. I'd be curious to try out that feel on some house beats just to see the vibes that it would give.
Amazing video. Thank you so much for this!
Bro this is the best video explaining Dills's groove i've ever seen. It felt like a Juilliard lecture or something
The analogies you used in this video were incredible. Thank you dude.
🙏🙏
You dropped another gem, probably the best breakdown of Dilla's beatmaking style to be found on UA-cam.
This is a great video, loved the depth you’ve went into!
Man I gotta say sometimes I hate the "algorithm" but damned if I wasn't blessed for it to bring me to your channel. I was obsessed with the Song Exploder podcast but it wasn't quite as comprehensive as I had hoped, and damn dude, you really hit all the marks. Thank you so much for your content and I'm along for the ride from here on out.
Great stuff all around, I think citing your sources might be seen as a positive thing when treating these topics as alot of your videos have clear inspo from the Dilla book which is incredible and deserves credit !
The video was AMAZING. The arrangement of all the parts, the build up before brinhing J dilla into focus, everything was so good. Initially I was thinking like, "Why are you going all over thr place? What do these things have to do with J dilla?" But the way how everything just connected at the end is dope. Subscribed!!
Unreal content my man. Appreciate it.
Youre killing it on the bass 🔥
Happy late birthday to two of the greatest producers!
Also that dillas direct inspiration is just the final song of piece of the action is maybe my favorite tidbit from the book. The author's episode on Rick Rubins podcast is also a must listen
every time i tap in ur vids i hop on my DAW with so much inspo and info. ur a blessing!
Just learning to produce in FL Studio and stumbled onto your video. WOW!! As a huge fan of hiphop from the 90's you opened my eyes to a lot of production behind the scenes aspects I didn't know. Great video!! You got a sub out of me bro!! Thanks
Yo yo, thanks for making this! I’ve been a fan of Dilla for a while. I started learning how to play bossa on guitar because of songs like Runnin and I wanted to learn more stuff I never looked into like Didn’t Cha Know in honor of the GOAT. Of course I watched ya vid on that and you dropped this gem today as well. My boy also got me the book last year as a bday gift. Good (Dilla) times all around! 🍩 😅
How am I just now finding out about your channel?!? Fantastic videos / content!! 👏👏👏
Wow really informative and well articulated
I could watch these videos all day. Awesome job sir?
Absolutely amazing video. 🙏 keep it up fam
So I'm a drummer, and as I've started to expand past my genre, this style beat has been something that has infatuated me more than almost anything, especially coming from a genre such as metal that is *so* reliant on the drums being right on the beat. When I heard other drummers around town playing these kinds of beats I began asking around with a limited vocabulary to try and learn more about this style and was met with either a similar level of ignorance/thirst for knowledge, or in very few cases, weirdly enough, gatekeeping. Today I finally made the Dilla connection, and this video is such great supplemental material for my educational journey. Thank you so much for all the work put into this!
Thank you man keep up the good work!
This is incredible. You never miss a beat lol literally. Masterfully done my virtual friend! #Salute