I was sitting in Dalek's Union City studio interviewing MC Dalek and producer Oktopus a few years back. Sitting amongst the mountains of vinyl, turntables and mixers, the band spoke of their musical journey and wide array of influences. The conversation flowed as Alap Momin (MC Dalek) traced his routes and musical journey. I felt an almost immediate connection having shared many of the experiences and mutual friends. It wasn't until he brought up his biggest influence that I drew a complete and total blank. That influence was Detroit's own J. Dilla (James Dewitt Yancey) I found myself scratching my head, curiously wondering just what I had missed. Sadly, Dilla had already passed. His death in 2006 at the age of 32 due to a rare blood disease (and possibly kidney failure) left us with an incredible music legacy and reputation as one of the most influential and respect Hip Hop artists and producers in the industry. Since that conversation with Dalek and numerous ones with D.J.'s and fans alike. I've fallen in love with the mans music, finding one gem after another on vinyl. In recent months I've picked up seven of his albums. Listening closely to each track with mindful ears.
James Damion
No comments:
Post a Comment