FRIDAY, 5/18 -> The legendary party Denver party So What! (almost 20 years deep in scene) is celebrating their one year anniversary at the Beauty Bar (608 East 13th Avenue) and they invited me and DJ Chonz to come rock alongside the So What! Crew; K-Nee, Peter Black & DJ Big Styles and door diva, Ms. Deirdre. The party is known for cool, progressive music, so expect to hear everything from nu groove to jazzy hip hop to house to world flavor. I’ve already been working on some dope randomness for my set, so plan to get a set from me unlike any you’ve ever heard before. Also, in their own words “The So What! crew has a few other surprises up our sleeves, so you do not want to miss this extra special edition of So What! the Club.”. See you there. 21+ /// Party starts at 9.
SATURDAY, 5/26 -> May’s Solution Showcase is a beast!!! We’ve got one of Common & 9th Wonder’s new favorites, Chicago’s own Add-2, CO’s wildest group, BLKHRTS, the live production debut (!!!!!) from Izaak Haze aka Mass Prodand Mo Heat from the Foodchain, The Solution’s own DJ Low Key and more for The Solution Showcase #6 at the Meadowlark (2701 Larimer). Don’t sweat it if you’re not familiar with someone on the bill, just trust that your favorite DJs aren’t gonna steer you wrong (a big part of The Solution Showcase is about discovering dope new music, you’ll dig it, trust). So stay tuned to DenverSolution.com to learn more about the performers and hopefully we’ll see you at the party! 21+ /// $5 Pre-sales available at Family Affair downtown & get you 15% off your entire purchase /// $8 at the door /// Doors at 9.
Every THURSDAY in March + Friday, 3/30 -> We’ve teamed up with one of our all-time favorite venues, The Fox Theatre, to present the Boulder stop of the Unexpected Victory Tour featuring Raekwon (Wu-Tang Clan), Freddie Gibbs, JD Era & The Foodchain on Friday, 3/30. One of the perks of teaming up with the Fox is that we get the opportunity to give away a pair of tickets to the show every Thursday at The Solution Boulder (at ‘Round Midnight /// 1005 Pearl St) from now until the night before it happens. We’ll be posting a different way to win a free pair of tickets every week for the rest of the month here and at facebook.com/BoulderSolution so stay tuned, or you can click here to buy one if you’re not the contest type.
WEDNESDAY, 2/22 -> We’ve been working on this for a while now and we’re jumping up and down with excitement to announce all the details of The Solution’s 6th annual celebration of the life and music of James Yancey aka J Dilla aka Jay Dee aka one of the greatest hip hop producers of all-time (if not the greatest). We’ve teamed up with the infamous Red Bull Music Academy and Beta Nightclub (1909 Blake St) to bring out some top notch heavy hitters to celebrate in grand fashion, check out the lineup:
New York’s DJ Spinna is legendary producer/DJ who’s worked with everyone from Eminem to Mos Def to his group The Jigmastas, was tapped to remix songs by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Mary J Blige, George Michael, De La Soul, Das EFX & MC Eiht before making himself into a force to be reckoned with on the house music scene (his Shawn Escoffery’s “Days Like This” remix is a house classic). Listen to his J Dilla tribute above, download the ridiculous “Dillagence” version with Phonte here (which you might have heard at The Solution before) and check out The Recall, his self-made best of production mixtape, here.
Detroit’s Waajeed was a frequent Dilla collaborator, is one half of PPP/Platinum Pied Pipers and the founder of Bling47.com (if you’re a Dilla fan, you really need to check the site ASAP), a some time Slum Village DJ and producer, executive producer behind Dwele’s debut Rize, and has worked with everyone from Roy Ayers to Onra to Jazmine Sullivan. Check out these fresh Waajeed mixtapes from the homies DJ Mensa & DJ Topspin to get a little more familiar with his work.
Phat Kat aka Ronnie Cash aka @RonnieEuro aka 1/2 of First Down (J Dilla was the other half) is a Detroit legend, having put out records with Jay Dee before Slum Village, being featured on Fantastic Volume 1 and Welcome to Detroit, having some of Dilla fans favorite joints like “Nobody Care About Us”, “Cold Steel” (w/Elzhi, the video above) & “Game Over” and being known as one of the fiercest rappers to come from the D.
Two of our favorite musicians in town, Dameion Hines & Q-Knox of Big Wheel, will be backing Phat Kat and providing their own homage to the music of Dilla.
Beta’s insanely sophisticated Funktion One sound system is going to be as important to the night as anything. We’ll be blasting Dilla’s music on one of the best sound systems in the entire world, don’t miss an unprecedented chance to hear it sounding better than ever before.
18+ /// Doors at 9 /// $10 cover with half going to music-related charities /// BetaNightclub.com for more on the club and pre-sale tickets /// #TheSolution5 /// Special shouts to Detour on the flyer design, all the heads who’ve come out to any of our Dilla celebrations, Stones Throw for help with past events, our previous Dilla celebration guests Slum Village and Tanya Morgan and Red Bull Music Academy for helping make it happen this time around (check out the video below if you’re not familiar).
*Before we get started on 2/22, producers, musicians, singers, songwriters, engineers, DJs, instrumentalists, arrangers, sound experimentalists, etc are invited to come check out the Red Bull Music Academy Lecture Series w/DJ Spinna, Waajeed & Phat Kat earlier in the evening. If you’re interested in applying to the 2012 Red Bull Music Academy in NYC (which you can do from now until 4/2), you should definitely try and come out for more information and the experience of hearing what our renowned guests have to say about music, life & Dilla. RSVP required on the FB event page or justin[at]redbullmusicacademy{dot}com for entry and details.
P.S. In case you’re not familiar with J Dilla, you’re about to be blessed by a ton of incredible music (plus you probably are familiar with some of his work and don’t realize it, if you’re into acts like Common, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Slum Village, The Pharcyde, A Tribe Called Quest & De La Soul). Check out these links from StonesThrow.com for more on your favorite producer’s favorite producer, word to the likes of Questlove & Pharrell:
J Dilla passed away on the morning of February 10th, 2006 at the age of 32. He had suffered for over three years with an incurable blood disease, and had also been diagnosed with lupus. He left behind a body of work which will be loved and rediscovered for years to come.
Our admiration for this artist, and our brief time working with him, is too much to cover in this small space, but we have a wealth of biographical and discography info, photos, interview and published features in the links below.
THURSDAY, 2/23 -> Before we get this started, shouts to everyone who came out to The Solution Showcase #2. It followed in the footsteps of the first one and was a blast. Inka One showed why he’s one of the most respected DJs in California, Es Nine blessed the crowd with some beautiful music and The Foodchain somehow squeezed their whole band into the cozy space and had a packed house going crazy. Big ups to everyone who’s been coming out, y’all are the reason even the biggests of haters would have to say #TheSolutionShowcase is 2 for 2. In the interest of keeping our newly minted streak going, we’ve got a hell of a lineup booked for the The Solution Showcase #3 at the Meadowlark (2701 Larimer St).
He’s one of our favorite producers out and no slouch on the mic. His fun, breezy style of music slaps hard enough to get the attention of tastemakers like Mark Ronson and A-Trak (who signed him to his Fool’s Gold label) while his resume is thick with diverse and talented names like Phonte, Wale, Mistah F.A.B., Lyrics Born, Little Dragon, Teedra Moses, Tanya Morgan, J’Davey, his own Honor Roll crew & more; we’re honored to bring out the bay area’s own Trackademicks. Track will be joined by his Honor Roll brethen and one of the bay’s favorite DJs, DJ Tap 10, for their first Colorado show ever.
Above: DJ Tap 10 /// Below: Quiz (fka Sunkenstate) of Black Actors
Black Actors aka Quiz (fka Sunkenstate, of Suicide Watch fame) and .anansi will be holding down things for Denver, rocking songs from Quiz’s new Elm & Oak project, Etcetera, and more. To represent the production side of things, we’ve got the infamous Kid Hum debuting his first live beat performance and we don’t think anybody’s ready for that.
Me and Lazy Eyez will be the night’s DJs (Sounds Supreme will be holding things down at ‘Round Midnight for The Solution Boulder), rounding out the bill and keeping the party sounding right from beginning to end. We’ll be posting music and videos from everybody on the bill to get y’all familiar over the next few weeks, so don’t worry if you’re not familiar with someone on the bill, just trust that your favorite DJs aren’t gonna steer you wrong (a big part of The Solution Showcase is about discovering dope new music and people have been digging it). Stay tuned to @DenverSolution for more details and a chance to win free tickets. 21+ /// $5 Pre-sales available at Family Affair downtown & get you 15% off your entire purchase /// $8 at the door. – DJ Low Key
New video from for “Groove” from The Foodchain’s great project, Brunch (download it for free here). “Groove” is also featured on my section of The Summit Sessions #3 mixtape with DJ Matt Cassidy, Sounds Supreme & DJ Squirt, set to drop in the coming weeks, so be on the lookout for that. Last but not least, shouts to The Foodchain for tearing shit down at The Solution Showcase #2 last Friday, nothing but rave reviews all the way around.
FRIDAY, 1/20 -> First off, thank you Denver. The first Solution Showcasewas packed full of great people and great energy. All the performers left the party raving about how cool the crowd was, saying everything from “that was the best show I’ve ever been a part of” to “you guys have a great thing going on in Denver”; so thank y’all for being so damn cool. Everybody I talked to in the crowd showed love right back, excited to see some of their favorites rock and learn about other dope new music. Just about everything went according to plan, better than expected even; and on that note, it’s my pleasure to announce the lineup for The Solution Showcase #2 at the Meadowlark (2701 Larimer St).
He’s one of LA’s favorite DJs, the founder of Boombox, one of the best hip hop parties in the country, was a key part of Basementalism’s national college radio dominance in the mid 2000s and still somehow manages to hate 99% of the music that comes out, your favorite hater Inka One.
In my humble opinion, their new album Brunch is one of the best#COHipHop albums of all time, they’ve rocked with a who’s who of hip hop over the last few years and made fans worldwide, you know them asThe Foodchain.
The Solution DJs aka me, Sounds Supreme and Lazy Eyez will also be rocking throughout the night, bringing you the very best in hip hop & more. And in keeping with the Brunch theme, we’ll havecomplimentary silver dollar pancakes from 9-10pm to sweeten the deal, so make sure you come out early. Just like last time, we’ll be posting music & videos from everybody performing over the next few weeks to get y’all familiar, so don’t worry if you’re not up on the whole lineup, just know that me, Sounds & Lazy aren’t gonna steer you wrong (a big focus of this night is about introducing Denver to great new music, that is what DJs are supposed to do, right?). Stay tuned to @DenverSolution for more info, a chance to win free tickets & another contest. 21+ /// $5 Pre-sales available at Family Affair downtown (plus get 15% your entire purchase when you buy a Solution Showcase ticket) /// $8 at the door. – DJ Low Key
TONIGHT, 12/15 -> IT’S FINALLY HERE!!!!! I hope you already know, but if not, you’re just in time. Our new monthly, The Solution Showcase #1, takes place tonight at the Meadowlark (2701 Larimer St). We flew in two of our favorite new rappers from LA, TiRon & Ayomari, to…
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Wednesday, 2/22 -> Red Bull Music Academy presents The Solution’s 6th Annual J Dilla Celebration at Beta Nightclub w/DJ Spinna, Waajeed, Phat Kat, members of Big Wheel, DJ Low Key, Sounds Supreme, Lazy Eyez & more…
(click to enlarge)
WEDNESDAY, 2/22 -> We’ve been working on this for a while now and we’re jumping up and down with excitement to announce all the details of The Solution’s 6th annual celebration of the life and music of James Yancey aka J Dilla aka Jay Dee aka one of the greatest hip hop producers of all-time (if not the greatest). We’ve teamed up with the infamous Red Bull Music Academy and Beta Nightclub (1909 Blake St) to bring out some top notch heavy hitters to celebrate in grand fashion, check out the lineup:
New York’s DJ Spinna is legendary producer/DJ who’s worked with everyone from Eminem to Mos Def to his group The Jigmastas, was tapped to remix songs by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Mary J Blige, George Michael, De La Soul, Das EFX & MC Eiht before making himself into a force to be reckoned with on the house music scene (his Shawn Escoffery’s “Days Like This” remix is a house classic). Listen to his J Dilla tribute above, download the ridiculous “Dillagence” version with Phonte here (which you might have heard at The Solution before) and check out The Recall, his self-made best of production mixtape, here.
Detroit’s Waajeed was a frequent Dilla collaborator, is one half of PPP/Platinum Pied Pipers and the founder of Bling47.com (if you’re a Dilla fan, you really need to check the site ASAP), a some time Slum Village DJ and producer, executive producer behind Dwele’s debut Rize, and has worked with everyone from Roy Ayers to Onra to Jazmine Sullivan. Check out these fresh Waajeed mixtapes from the homies DJ Mensa & DJ Topspin to get a little more familiar with his work.
Phat Kat aka Ronnie Cash aka @RonnieEuro aka 1/2 of First Down (J Dilla was the other half) is a Detroit legend, having put out records with Jay Dee before Slum Village, being featured on Fantastic Volume 1 and Welcome to Detroit, having some of Dilla fans favorite joints like “Nobody Care About Us”, “Cold Steel” (w/Elzhi, the video above) & “Game Over” and being known as one of the fiercest rappers to come from the D.
Two of our favorite musicians in town, Dameion Hines & Q-Knox of Big Wheel, will be backing Phat Kat and providing their own homage to the music of Dilla.
DJ Low Key (DAF4), Sounds Supreme & Lazy Eyez aka The Solution DJs will get the night started and hold down things like we’ve done every year since our first Dilla tribute in February 2007 (our first Dilla tribute was actually the third Solution ever).
Beta’s insanely sophisticated Funktion One sound system is going to be as important to the night as anything. We’ll be blasting Dilla’s music on one of the best sound systems in the entire world, don’t miss an unprecedented chance to hear it sounding better than ever before.
18+ /// Doors at 9 /// $10 cover with half going to music-related charities /// BetaNightclub.com for more on the club and pre-sale tickets /// #TheSolution5 /// Special shouts to Detour on the flyer design, all the heads who’ve come out to any of our Dilla celebrations, Stones Throw for help with past events, our previous Dilla celebration guests Slum Village and Tanya Morgan and Red Bull Music Academy for helping make it happen this time around (check out the video below if you’re not familiar).
*Before we get started on 2/22, producers, musicians, singers, songwriters, engineers, DJs, instrumentalists, arrangers, sound experimentalists, etc are invited to come check out the Red Bull Music Academy Lecture Series w/DJ Spinna, Waajeed & Phat Kat earlier in the evening. If you’re interested in applying to the 2012 Red Bull Music Academy in NYC (which you can do from now until 4/2), you should definitely try and come out for more information and the experience of hearing what our renowned guests have to say about music, life & Dilla. RSVP required on the FB event page or justin[at]redbullmusicacademy{dot}com for entry and details.
P.S. In case you’re not familiar with J Dilla, you’re about to be blessed by a ton of incredible music (plus you probably are familiar with some of his work and don’t realize it, if you’re into acts like Common, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Slum Village, The Pharcyde, A Tribe Called Quest & De La Soul). Check out these links from StonesThrow.com for more on your favorite producer’s favorite producer, word to the likes of Questlove & Pharrell:
J Dilla passed away on the morning of February 10th, 2006 at the age of 32. He had suffered for over three years with an incurable blood disease, and had also been diagnosed with lupus. He left behind a body of work which will be loved and rediscovered for years to come.
Our admiration for this artist, and our brief time working with him, is too much to cover in this small space, but we have a wealth of biographical and discography info, photos, interview and published features in the links below.
J DILLA LINKSJ Dilla – Complete DiscographyJ Dilla – Official Biography
KEY WORKSJ Dilla – Donuts AlbumJ Dilla – Ruff Draft AlbumJaylib – Champion Sound Album
KEY NEWS FEATURES & TRIBUTESJ Dilla Cover Story Real Detroit Weekly, 2006Jay Dee 1974-2006 Urb, 2006Jay Dee’s Last Days Detroit Free Press, Feb. 2006Jaylib Live in 2004 Audio & PhotosJ Dilla & Madlib at Rock the Bells PhotosB+ Remembers Dilla & Madlib in BrazilAssociated Press: J Dilla ObitNew York Times: J Dilla ObitBehind the Beat: Photos: Inside J Dilla’s studio, 2005The Battle for J Dilla’s Legacy Vibe, 2009Reorganized J Dilla Estate Announced 2010](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz0wk6XqUb1r53iido1_500.jpg)
