Rewind: Jaylib 'Champion Sound' (Part 1)

When given a tape of J Dilla's beats in 2000, Madlib rapped over the beats starting the Jaylib project without J Dilla's initial knowledge. After trading beats and meeting only twice, the lone Jaylib album titled 'Champion Sound' was completed and released in 2003. This two part blog post will cover the sampled material from Dilla and Madlib's collaboration.

The opening track 'L.A. to Detroit' produced by both J Dilla and Madlib contains a sample of the drums from Mountain's live version of 'Long Red' from 1973 their album 'Live (The Road Goes Ever On)'. 'McNasty Filth' featuring raps by Dilla and Frank-N-Dank finds Madlib using a sample from Paul Muriat's 1971 album 'El Condor Pasa''s album cut 'Melancholy Man'. Due to a cease and desist order, the sample of Cris Williamson's 'Shine On, Straight Arrow' does not appear on the rerelease version of the Dilla produced cut 'The Red'. Madlib kicks some dub knowledge by sampling Herman Chin-Loy's 'Heavy Duty' (featuring melodica by dub pioneer Augustus Pablo) on the track 'Heavy' with lyrics by Dilla.

Check back for part 2 of our look at 'Champion Sound'.

The Lowdown:
Jaylib 'L.A. to Detroit', 'McNasty Filth', 'The Red', and 'Heavy'
from 'Champion Sound' (2003) (MP3/CD)
Mountain 'Long Red'
from 'Live (The Road Goes Ever On)' (1972) (MP3 not available/Import CD)
Paul Mauriat 'Melancholy Man'
from 'El Condor Pasa' (1971) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Cris Williamson 'Shine On, Straight Arrow'
from 'Cris Williamson' (1970) (MP3/CD)
Herman Chin-Loy 'Heavy Duty'
from 'Aquarius Dub' (1975) (MP3 not available/CD not available)

Bonus Cuts:
Instrumental versions, get your rap on: 'McNasty Filth' (Instrumental), 'The Red' (Instrumental), and 'Heavy' (Instrumental).

Related Posts:
Producer Profile: J Dilla (Part 5, 2001-2003)

Pull Up: Darker Shade of Black Riddim

In this installment of Pull Up, this blog's look at reggae and dancehall, we'll be investigating the background of the Darker Shade of Black Riddim.

The origin of the Darker Shade of Black Riddim are still highly debated in dancehall circles, but the first appearance was either Soul Dimension's 'Darker Shade of Black' or Jackie Mittoo and the Soul Vendors' 'Darker Shade of Black'. Trained ears may notice a more than passing resemblance to the Beatles' single 'Norwegian Wood', though they do not have any writing credits for 'Darker Shade of Black'. Some classic cuts on the Darker Shade of Black Riddim include Augustus Pablo's dub exploration 'The Red Sea', James Eastwood's electric guitar peppered 'Darkest Night', and dancehall great Dennis Brown's 'Dark Continent'.

Recently, the Darker Shade of Black has appeared as the backing of some of dancehall's bigger singles. The most notable is Mr. Vegas' laid-back banger 'Lean Wid It'. I'm not one to pester the DJ; but when I first heard my friend Geoffro play this, I had to storm the booth to know what it was. A more recent track on the riddim is Cherine's 'Kingston State of Mind', which is blazing hot despite the possible Billy Joel title reference.

The Lowdown:
Jackie Mittoo and the Soul Vendors 'Darker Shade of Black'
The Beatles 'Norwegian Wood (The Bird Has Flown)'
from 'Revolver' (1965) (MP3 not available/CD)
Augustus Pablo 'The Red Sea'
James Eastwood 'Darkest Night'
Dennis Brown 'Dark Continent'
Mr. Vegas 'Lean Wid It'
from 'Hot It Up' (2007) (MP3/CD)
Cherine 'Kingston State of Mind' (Redemption Mix)
from 'Kingston State of Mind' (2008) (MP3/CD not available)

BONUS CUT:
Version time: Mr. Vegas 'Lean Wid It' (Instrumental)

Rewind: Quasimoto 'The Unseen' (Part 1)

After production work with Tha Alkoholiks and the Lootpack, Madlib debuted his high-pitched alter ego Quasimoto in 1999 on Stones Throw. In 2000, reportedly after a drug fueled session, Madlib emerged with the 2000 album 'The Unseen' as Quasimoto, brimming with (literally) sped-up raps and unusual sample choices.

Madlib plunders Augustus Pablo's 'Unfinished Melody' from 'East of the River Nile' (one of dub reggae's most essential releases) on 'Goodmorning Sunshine'. One of the album's odder samples comes from Alain Goraguer's soundtrack to the bizarre, animated 70s sci-fi film 'La Planète Sauvage' (known as 'The Fantastic Planet' in America). 'Le Bracelet' from the spacy soundtrack appears on Quas' 'Come On Feet'. 'Boom Music' mines Sam and Dave's Stax classic 'Soul Men' for the track 'Let it Be Me'.

Check back for part 2 of 'The Unseen' for more reggae beats and some California soul.

The Lowdown:
Quasimoto 'Goodmorning Sunshine', 'Come on Feet', and 'Boom Music'.
from 'The Unseen' (2000) (MP3/CD)
Augustus Pablo 'Unfinished Melody'
from 'East of the River Nile' (1978) (MP3/CD)
Alain Goraguer 'Le Bracelet'
from 'La Planète Sauvage' (1972) (MP3/CD not available)
Sam and Dave 'Let it Be Me'
from 'Soul Men' (1966) (MP3/CD)