Today’s loop is my hat tip to J Dilla and his incredible 2006 album, Donuts. While I had been familiar with Dilla’s work as a producer through his collaborations with Common and Talib Kweli, it wasn’t until the release of Donuts (and his untimely passing) that I got to know Dilla as a solo artist. Funky, warm, inventive, melodic and inspiring, Donuts is the kind of artistic statement that every musician should strive to create. Just take a listen to “Stop” and you’ll hear what I’m talking about.
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I might be a white kid from Iowa, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get down with some hip hop. As I’ve mentioned before, groups like RUN-D.M.C. and The Beastie Boys played a significant role in my musical development. Due to the fact that many hip hop beats are sampled from some of the funkiest albums ever recorded, playing along with these tracks is a great practice tool for drummers. Repeating the same one measure groove, over and over, without any fills, while keeping it in the pocket, sounds simple…. until you try it.
To this day, one of my favorite “practice albums” is Jurassic 5’s 2000 release, “Quality Control”. The record is loaded with great samples from artists such as James Brown, Larry Coryell, Quincy Jones… and even Blowfly. To hear how Jurassic 5 tastefully pulls it all together, check out the title track here:
Loop #65
Today’s loop is inspired by the production and feel that Jurassic 5 captures on this album. I fuzzed things up a bit and tried to emulate the warm, punchy sound of an old, vinyl record. I also grilled up some burgers and prepared them “animal style” to get in a West Coast frame of mind.
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Nothing says I love you more than a 60″ Bass Drum. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
Loop #12
Dry, compressed, reamped and plenty of bass drum.
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