Richard Beck at The Phoenix takes a look at J Dilla’s posthumous works.
Dilla’s 2006 album The Shining (BBE), with its sunny soul hooks laid over complex beat schemes, is a fair representation of his later sound. But the disc wasn’t complete at the time of his death, and it sounds unfinished, lacking Dilla’s usual coherence. A much fuller picture of the range of his talents emerges on the newly reissued 2003 EP Ruff Draft, which is stretched out over two discs with alternate mixes and instrumental-only versions by Stones Throw. Originally a limited edition vinyl-only release, Ruff Draft is the work of a very different Dilla from the one who produced The Shining or the similarly soul-soaked death-bed masterpiece Donuts (Stones Throw). The beats on Ruff Draft stomp on whatever lies in their path, and the layered, hazy production creates an uneasy, menacing climate. That Dilla spent his last days splicing together samples from his hospital bed is a good indicator of his obsessive approach; the experimental tracks on Ruff Draft are an enigmatic document of that obsession.
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