Imagine 41 undiscovered works of J.S. Bach being released to the world. To hip-hop enthusiasts (in specific) and music aficionados (in general), Dillatronic is close to this generation’s equivalent: 41 unreleased instrumentals by the late Grammy-nominated producer J Dilla, presented by his mother, Ma Dukes.
Dillatronic demonstrates the Detroit native’s production genius – from boom bap (Dillatronic 04) to Bollywood (Dillatronic 06) – to followers and first-time listeners. College radio DJs will likely debate whether J Dilla, who worked with a long list of hip-hop royalty before dying of lupus in 2006, might have featured his former Slum Village group members on a melodic track like Dillatronic 23, Q-Tip on the smooth Dillatronic 36 or perhaps Common on the hard-hitting Dillatronic 09.
That’s the album’s only setback: you find yourself wishing for even one bonus track reuniting some of J Dilla’s alumni artists over an unreleased beat.
Top track: Dillatronic 7