some shit from the bbe website:
Detroit’s Don of the beats, widely regarded as the most important man in hip –hop along with Pete Rock and DJ Premier. Jay Dee is preparing for us a feast of ‘beats and pieces.’ His credentials are such that it reads like a who’s who hip hop and R & B.
Slum Village project has the dubious honour of being the most bootlegged band in history, their recent album has met superlative reviews from all areas.
Common’s ‘ Like Water For Chocolate’ (produced by Jay Dee ) we’re left with a land mark album, having worked with D’Angelo, DJ Premier, Rahzel, George Clinton, Bobby Caldwell.
The Ummah Jay Dee along with Q – Tip and Ali Shaheed, produced Tribe Called Quests’ last album ‘ The Love Movement’
Executive producer on new Erykah Bad LP. Recently produced a track for De La Soul & two tracks for Busta Rhymes
INTERVIEW BIOG
JAY DEE
Ist Record
I remember going to the record stores with my father. The first record I remember buying was ‘ Open Sesame ‘ by Kool And The Gang on 7”. I used to go to the record stores like every week and buy whatever was new on 7”. I was so spoilt ‘cos I had all the records.
Then I got into Jack McDuff. ‘I used to got to sleep listening to that shit, ‘ that’s wher e the jazz inluence came from. Album wise isstarted buying jazz first – then a lot of soul.
Growing up in Detroit
For me everything was always music, like from school, to marching bands, going to church – my parents forced me into it – I’m glad. They made me play an instrument. It was very strict and kind of rough because I wanted to hang out and do what everyone else did. I guess I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now – so I thank God for that.
What was happening club wise / DJ’s
3 clubs
Dance Street – TechnoShelter
Rhythm Kitchen – The first Underground Hip Hop club. A very small percentage of Detroits population was going to this club and out of that club a lot of different MC’s and DJ’s who were regulars , grew. Eminem for example.
Dance & techno
I used to also check out the dance and techno clubs, I love that music, disco classics – old school Sundays were incredible. Used to go to Chicago ‘ over there they’re into something else.’ ShocK bar which my manager Timothy took me to. ‘ They were playing shit you would never hear in Detroit.’ In Chicago they would go further than standard classics.
From 92
Shopping a Slum Village tape around, then AMP Fiddler called me once again out of the blue. I hadn’t talked to him in about a year and a half. There was a Tribe Called Quest concert. Amp, a good friend of Q – Tips recommended I bring my tape along. Cut a long story short Tip liked the beats,
but wasn’t too sure about what Slum Village were saying, they were too ‘ Out there’ for him at the time. Tip managed me and that’s when the Pharcyde came along. Madskills was the first artist on a major label that I produced in 1994, after that was the Pharcyde, then De La Soul.
Influences
My Dad, JB’s, Jack McDuff, Sergio Mendez, Slave, Prince, Chaka Khan. ‘ Theres quite a few.’
Instruments
Drums, keyboard, cello, trumpet, violin – mostly drums.
If you weren’t making music
Ok – either a director of X – rated movies, I can’t lie I’m a nasty….Or I’d be flying planes because I went to this crazy arse school in Detroit Davis Aerospace. There you could get your FAA license…I was thinking about going back, but the music started to take off.
DJ’s
The Wizard from Detroit brought more of the Hip Hop over. Mojo still going today play a lot of Parliament and Zapp Sound to DetroitDJ FingersDJ Zapp at the Dancestreet
Labels
Al lot of Verve, definitely CTI, Disco labels Salsoul
Started buying records in 1989Re- started collecting records in 1995Production came from DJ’ing. I was curious about how records were made. Whodini’s Big Mouth.
I Always tell that story – I didn’t understand how the drum sounds were made because they didn’t sound like anything on a Stevie Wonder record and it just fucked my head up. So eventually one day I met this guy called Amp Fiddler, A keyboard player who guided me and let me see how records were made and also introduced me to different musical forms. He had a record collection I used to dig through – he really got me. I just met
him walking around in tie dye clothes looking all crazy, into the Hip Hop thing. And he said are you guys rappers or something ? I told him I was doing production but I was doing it on tape decks. So he was like oooh man, come on in and he showed me how to work the MPC.
First Production
Front Street – by First Down who is actually Phat Kat – who I’m still messing with.
Detroit’s Don of the beats, widely regarded as the most important man in hip –hop along with Pete Rock and DJ Premier. Jay Dee is preparing for us a feast of ‘beats and pieces.’ His credentials are such that it reads like a who’s who hip hop and R & B.
Slum Village project has the dubious honour of being the most bootlegged band in history, their recent album has met superlative reviews from all areas.
Common’s ‘ Like Water For Chocolate’ (produced by Jay Dee ) we’re left with a land mark album, having worked with D’Angelo, DJ Premier, Rahzel, George Clinton, Bobby Caldwell.
The Ummah Jay Dee along with Q – Tip and Ali Shaheed, produced Tribe Called Quests’ last album ‘ The Love Movement’
Executive producer on new Erykah Bad LP. Recently produced a track for De La Soul & two tracks for Busta Rhymes
INTERVIEW BIOG
JAY DEE
Ist Record
I remember going to the record stores with my father. The first record I remember buying was ‘ Open Sesame ‘ by Kool And The Gang on 7”. I used to go to the record stores like every week and buy whatever was new on 7”. I was so spoilt ‘cos I had all the records.
Then I got into Jack McDuff. ‘I used to got to sleep listening to that shit, ‘ that’s wher e the jazz inluence came from. Album wise isstarted buying jazz first – then a lot of soul.
Growing up in Detroit
For me everything was always music, like from school, to marching bands, going to church – my parents forced me into it – I’m glad. They made me play an instrument. It was very strict and kind of rough because I wanted to hang out and do what everyone else did. I guess I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now – so I thank God for that.
What was happening club wise / DJ’s
3 clubs
Dance Street – TechnoShelter
Rhythm Kitchen – The first Underground Hip Hop club. A very small percentage of Detroits population was going to this club and out of that club a lot of different MC’s and DJ’s who were regulars , grew. Eminem for example.
Dance & techno
I used to also check out the dance and techno clubs, I love that music, disco classics – old school Sundays were incredible. Used to go to Chicago ‘ over there they’re into something else.’ ShocK bar which my manager Timothy took me to. ‘ They were playing shit you would never hear in Detroit.’ In Chicago they would go further than standard classics.
From 92
Shopping a Slum Village tape around, then AMP Fiddler called me once again out of the blue. I hadn’t talked to him in about a year and a half. There was a Tribe Called Quest concert. Amp, a good friend of Q – Tips recommended I bring my tape along. Cut a long story short Tip liked the beats,
but wasn’t too sure about what Slum Village were saying, they were too ‘ Out there’ for him at the time. Tip managed me and that’s when the Pharcyde came along. Madskills was the first artist on a major label that I produced in 1994, after that was the Pharcyde, then De La Soul.
Influences
My Dad, JB’s, Jack McDuff, Sergio Mendez, Slave, Prince, Chaka Khan. ‘ Theres quite a few.’
Instruments
Drums, keyboard, cello, trumpet, violin – mostly drums.
If you weren’t making music
Ok – either a director of X – rated movies, I can’t lie I’m a nasty….Or I’d be flying planes because I went to this crazy arse school in Detroit Davis Aerospace. There you could get your FAA license…I was thinking about going back, but the music started to take off.
DJ’s
The Wizard from Detroit brought more of the Hip Hop over. Mojo still going today play a lot of Parliament and Zapp Sound to DetroitDJ FingersDJ Zapp at the Dancestreet
Labels
Al lot of Verve, definitely CTI, Disco labels Salsoul
Started buying records in 1989Re- started collecting records in 1995Production came from DJ’ing. I was curious about how records were made. Whodini’s Big Mouth.
I Always tell that story – I didn’t understand how the drum sounds were made because they didn’t sound like anything on a Stevie Wonder record and it just fucked my head up. So eventually one day I met this guy called Amp Fiddler, A keyboard player who guided me and let me see how records were made and also introduced me to different musical forms. He had a record collection I used to dig through – he really got me. I just met
him walking around in tie dye clothes looking all crazy, into the Hip Hop thing. And he said are you guys rappers or something ? I told him I was doing production but I was doing it on tape decks. So he was like oooh man, come on in and he showed me how to work the MPC.
First Production
Front Street – by First Down who is actually Phat Kat – who I’m still messing with.
