Archive for February, 2012
The Solution Beat Battle Contestants…Catch The Solution Beat Battle at La Rumba on Sunday, 2/26 w/special guests Boonie Mayfield, Tanya Morgan & Courtland Urbano fka Xperiment…
SUNDAY, 2/26 -> After a lot of deliberation and a ton of listens to all the great submissions we got, we finally narrowed everything down to the twelve producers that we think will go hardest in the battle yesterday. We got a ton of top notch beat submissions; some were really dope just too relaxed for a battle, some showed a lot of potential but needed a little refinement and someone had to be the tough 13th person who was super close to making it so if you submitted and didn’t get in, definitely don’t think it was because your beats were wack (although we did get a couple of wack submissions, can’t win ’em all…LOL). With that said, here are the 12 competitors for The Solution Beat Battle:
Jay Gunna
Dealz Makes Beats
Yonnas
DJ Matt Cassidy
Cliff Cage
One Flu Over
Big J Beats
Infamous Jones
BK Beats
Nofrendo
IQ
Intricate Dezighn
And here’s more info on The Solution Beat Battle at La Rumba (99 W. 9th Ave) in case you missed it the first time around. At the battle, a dozen of Denver’s top producers will face off head to head to see who has the best beats in town for the title, studio time from Side 3 (Denver’s top recording facility), a huge gear package from Family Affair and a paid feature at an upcoming Solution Showcase . Colorado production icon Boonie Mayfield & beat prodigy Courtland Urbano (fka Xperiment) will be rocking live beat showcases and “legends in the making” (according to Ali Shaheed Muhammed of A Tribe Called Quest)/new school vets Tanya Morgan will be performing to headline the event. Last but not least, DJ Low Key, Sounds Supreme & Lazy Eyez will be on the turntables throughout the night. 21+ / $10 cover / doors at 9.
What is #TheSolution5?
February 2012 marks 5 years of The Solution and before anything else can be mentioned, we have to thank everyone in Denver and beyond who’s come out to the party. Whether it was in our earliest days at the Shelter/Milk Bar or at our longest running home, The Funky Buddha, or maybe you just learned about us via The Solution Showcase at the Meadowlark over the last month or two, it doesn’t matter; we wouldn’t be able to do anything cool without your love and support. With that said, a lot has changed since we started the party and we want to make sure everyone knows about what we’re up to going forward.
As you might have noticed, the party has grown beyond just a club night. Last year, we embarked on a statewide tour with Tanya Morgan, TiRon, Whygee, King F.O.E. & Boonie Mayfield, threw our first BBQ (with our good friends Family Affair) and started a monthly spinoff based around showcasing new talent, called The Solution Showcase, at the Meadowlark. This year we’ve already launched The Solution Boulder at ‘Round Midnight, we’re about to take the party outside of our great state for some collabs with like-minded parties in other cities and this month, we’re going to celebrate our 5 years with 5 events that we call The Solution 5 aka #TheSolution5.
With that in mind, what hasn’t changed about The Solution is that we’re still dedicated to making sure every event we throw is something we’d wanna go to, something fun and, hopefully, something a little more unique than your average party. With that in mind, let us tell you about what we’ve got in store for #TheSolution5.
Wednesday, February 22nd we’re teaming up with world renowned Red Bull Music Academy for what’s shaping up to be a one of a kind celebration of the man who was quite possibly the greatest hip hop producer ever, J Dilla. We’re throwing the party at Beta Nightclub (1909 Blake St) and it’s an unprecedented event to hear Dilla’s music on one of the best sound systems in the world. As if that wasn’t enough, we’re bringing out the legendary DJ Spinna (New York) and frequent Dilla collaborators and Detroit icons Waajeed & Phat Kat out to celebrate with us. Phat Kat will be rocking with Dameion Hines and Q-Knox of Big Wheel, who’ll also be performing a tribute to Jay Dee of their own. The Solution DJs aka DJ Low Key, Sounds Supreme and Lazy Eyez will be on the turntables to kick things off and with Dilla’s catalogue, you’re gonna miss some incredible music if you show up late.
Thursday, February 23rd is The Solution Showcase #3 at the Meadowlark (2701 Larimer St) and the lineup is ridiculous. We’ve got Trackademicks (of A-Trak’s Fool’s Gold Records) and DJ Tap 10 coming out from the Bay, bringing a trademark slap that’s one of our favorite sounds out. Black Actors (Quiz fka Sunkenstate and .anansi) is our Denver feature and the one and only Kid Hum will be making his live production debut, plus DJ Low Key & Lazy Eyez will get the party started.
Saturday, February 25th is the opening of The Art Of Records at Family Affair downtown (2048 Larimer St) from 6-9pm. It’s an art show based around classic hip hop album artwork being interpreted by top Colorado-based artists including the likes of Dunn The Signtologist, Path One, Thomas Evans, Tristan Minton & more, curated by Dunn himself and DJ Low Key. We’ll be displaying the actual 12″ album covers next to the artwork and DJ Low Key will be spinning the records on display throughout the evening to bring things full circle.
Sunday, February 26th we’re excited to present The Solution Beat Battle at La Rumba (99 W. 9th Ave). A dozen of Denver’s top producers will face off head to head to see who has the best beats in town. Producer extraordinaire Boonie Mayfield will be rocking a live beat showcase, “legends in the making” (according to Ali Shaheed Muhammed of A Tribe Called Quest) and new school vets Tanya Morgan will be performing and we still have more on the bill to be announced shortly. If you’re a producer or beatmaker looking to enter, check out this post for more info.
Every Thursday night in Boulder, don’t miss our fifth event of the #TheSolution5, The Solution Boulder, at ‘Round Midnight (1005 Pearl St). Â In the coming weeks, we’ll be throwing our infamous chicken & waffles party up there, featuring a performance from Tanya Morgan, hosting a women’s shoe and fashion show with Installation (an easy contender for best shoe store in the whole state) and a whole lot more.
So thanks again for everything Colorado, you’re the best. Here’s to the next 5 years and beyond.
Every Thursday -> The Solution Boulder w/DJ Low Key, Sounds Supreme & friends at ‘Round Midnight…We’ve got Tanya Morgan, Courtland Urbano, Turner Jackson, B Money, Dunn The Signtologist, chicken & waffles and a fashion show to get things started…
EVERY THURSDAY -> The Solution Boulder has officially hit ‘Round Midnight (1005 Pearl St). Every Thursday night you can catch DJ Low Key, Sounds Supreme and some of #COHipHop’s top DJs spinning the best in hip hop and more. We’re teaming up with Installation (easily one of the best shoe stores in the state, if not country), Red Bull and some other friends of our to get things off to a proper start. Check out what we’ve got lined up for the next few weeks at The Solution Boulder:
2/16: Amatuer Ape’s own, Boulder favorite DJ B Money comes through for a guest set.
2/23: #TheSolution5 hits Boulder w/special guests Tanya Morgan (XXL Freshman List 2009 /// Brooklyn) + Courtland Urbano (fka Xperiment /// Portland) + Turner Jackson Star Destroyer Listening Party at 10pm + Sounds Supreme & DJ Dozen.
3/8: The Solution Boulder’s Chicken & Waffles (all west coast music, all night, complimentary chicken & waffles til 11, Nate Digg tribute and gin & juice specials).
3/15: Art Opening from Dunn The Signtologist.
3/22: Ladies Shoe & Fashion Show with Installation. More details coming soon.
21+ /// No Cover /// Music at 10.
Saturday, 2/25 from 6-9pm -> The Art Of Records Opening at Family Affair, curated by Dunn The Signtologist & DJ Low Key…
SATURDAY, 2/25 from 6-9pm -> Over the last few decades album art has gone from a 12†canvases to a 2†screens, and that’s usually the best-case scenario for the often incredible art that accompanies music releases. Landmark albums like A Tribe Called Quest’s Low End Theory, Nas’s Illmatic and De La Soul is Dead have instantly recognizable covers that are embedded in music and art lovers’ psyches forever, but the 12†as a canvas has become a rarity in the public eye. Everyone from music and art lovers to average people on the street still connect to both the album art and 12†format, yet we rarely take the time to honor the truly great ones. The Art Of Records is an exhibit that aims to do just that; focusing on the legacy of exceptional art accompanying exceptional music and the idea of introducing both to a new generation.
The Art Of Records combines art, music and tradition to celebrate and honor the rich history and mystique of record cover art, 12″ vinyl and the artists that create it (both musically and graphically). Curated by Dunn the Signtologist and DJ Low Key, the exhibit features a series of classic 12″ album and single covers re-imagined and recreated by top artists in Denver. The 12†covers will also be on display and the concept comes full circle with DJ Low Key playing an all vinyl set of the featured records as the night’s soundtrack. Please join us at Family Affair (2048 Larimer St downtown) as we recognize and pay homage to the talented assortment of artists that make The Art Of Records so important to us all. Complimentary drinks /// No Cover /// All Ages.
Meet Waajeed, one of our special guests for The Solution’s 6th Annual J Dilla Celebration on Wednesday, 2/22…Shouts to Red Bull Music Academy & Bling 47…
The Solution’s 6th annual celebration of the life and music of Jay Dee aka J Dilla is only a couple of days away (Wednesday, 2/22) and we can’t wait. We’ve teamed up with the infamous Red Bull Music Academy and Beta Nightclub (1909 Blake St) to bring out some ridiculous artists and we wanna make sure you’re familiar. On that note, meet Waajeed; Detroit legend, frequent Dilla collaborator, producer (and ghost producer) extraordinaire in his own right, half of PPP and the man who named Slum Village.
Waajeed got his start DJing (he was Slum Village’s early DJ) and made his way into production after fixing an MPC of J Dilla’s that had been broken by Questlove. Dilla told him he could have the MPC if he could fix it, Waajeed made it happen and the rest is history. Since then Waajeed’s made quite a name for himself in the production world; releasing two critically acclaimed Platinum Pied Pipers/PPP albums, producing tracks for artists like Slum Village, Jazmine Sullivan & Sa-Ra Creative Partners, as well as remixing the likes of Radiohead, Roy Ayers and Marvin Gaye (check out his AMAZING “I Want You” remix below) and getting heavy into ghost production (check the video below) while traveling the world DJing. Check out the homie DJ Mensa’s The Best Of Waajeed & Platinum Army (circa 2006) for a great introduction to Waajeed & PPP’s music.
Waajeed’s also the founder of Bling 47, a label/website that has released projects from Jay Dee, Tiombe Lockhart & more; as well as being a great resource on Dilla and Detroit. Check out the previously unreleased original version of J Dilla’s “Crushin'” (from the Ruff Draft EP) that Waajeed just posted on Bling47.com below and check the site for more exclusive goodness.
Catch Waajeed rocking with NY’s DJ Spinna, Phat Kat (performing with members of Big Wheel) and The Solution DJs (DJ Low Key, Sounds Supreme & Lazy Eyez) for our 6th Annual J Dilla Celebration on Wednesday, 2/22 at Beta.
Meet DJ Spinna, one of our special guests for The Solution’s 6th Annual J Dilla Celebration on Wednesday, 2/22…Shouts to Red Bull Music Academy…
We can’t wait for The Solution’s 6th annual celebration of the life and music of James Yancey aka J Dilla on Wednesday, 2/22. We’ve teamed up with the infamous Red Bull Music Academy and Beta Nightclub (1909 Blake St) to bring out some amazing artists and we wanna make sure you’re familiar. With that said, let me introduce you to New York production/DJ legend DJ Spinna.
New York’s DJ Spinna is legendary producer/DJ who’s worked with everyone from Eminem to Mos Def to J-Live 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 ridiculous J Dilla tribute, “Dillagence” with Phonte above or download it here (which you might have heard at The Solution before) and check out The Recall, his self-made best of production mixtape, here.
Spinna is also widely respected as one of NYC’s best DJs, having regularly collaborated with one and only Bobbito on their world renowned “Wonderful” parties (honoring Stevie Wonder, and Stevie has even attended twice!!!), working with the likes of Spike Lee, Q-Tip, Jazzy Jeff and Gilles Peterson on events and traveling everywhere from Tokyo to Europe and beyond. Catch DJ Spinna rocking with Detroit legends Waajeed, Phat Kat (performing with members of Big Wheel) and The Solution DJs (DJ Low Key, Sounds Supreme & Lazy Eyez) for our 6th Annual J Dilla Celebration on Wednesday, 2/22 at Beta.
Sunday, 2/26 -> The Solution Beat Battle at La Rumba w/special guests Boonie Mayfield, Tanya Morgan & Courtland Urbano fka Xperiment…
SUNDAY, 2/26 -> We’re excited to present The Solution Beat Battle at La Rumba (99 W. 9th Ave). A dozen of Denver’s top producers will face off head to head to see who has the best beats in town. Colorado production icon Boonie Mayfield & beat prodigy Courtland Urbano (fka Xperiment) will be rocking live beat showcases and “legends in the making” (according to Ali Shaheed Muhammed of A Tribe Called Quest)/new school vets Tanya Morgan will be performing. Producers, beatmakers & such, The Solution Beat Battle is taking submissions for competitors from now until Monday, February 20th.  No application fee necessary.  Please send either:
-A soundcloud link to 3+ of your beats
or
-An e-mail with 3 beats attached
or
-A streaming link to a project you produced
and
-a photo of yourself (to be posted when the competitors are announced)
and
-a short bio
to:
thesolutionbeatbattle <at> denversolution (dot) com
Submission deadline is Monday, 2/20. Participants will be announced on Thursday, 2/23.
UPDATE: Prize packages announced. The winners gets recording time at Side 3 Studios (Denver’s premier recording facility), a gear package from Family Affair (value at $200+) and will be a paid featured producer at an upcoming Solution Showcase.
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…
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 LINKS
J Dilla – Complete Discography
J Dilla – Official BiographyKEY WORKS
J Dilla – Donuts Album
J Dilla – Ruff Draft Album
Jaylib – Champion Sound AlbumKEY NEWS FEATURES & TRIBUTES
J Dilla Cover Story Real Detroit Weekly, 2006
Jay Dee 1974-2006 Urb, 2006
Jay Dee’s Last Days Detroit Free Press, Feb. 2006
Jaylib Live in 2004 Audio & Photos
J Dilla & Madlib at Rock the Bells Photos
B+ Remembers Dilla & Madlib in Brazil
Associated Press: J Dilla Obit
New York Times: J Dilla Obit
Behind the Beat: Photos: Inside J Dilla’s studio, 2005
The Battle for J Dilla’s Legacy Vibe, 2009
Reorganized J Dilla Estate Announced 2010
Every Thursday -> The Solution Boulder w/DJ Low Key, Sounds Supreme & friends at ‘Round Midnight…We’ve got Tanya Morgan, Turner Jackson, Dunn The Signtologist, chicken & waffles and a fashion show to get things started…
EVERY THURSDAY -> The Solution Boulder has officially hit ‘Round Midnight (1005 Pearl St). Every Thursday night you can catch DJ Low Key, Sounds Supreme and some of #COHipHop’s top DJs spinning the best in hip hop and more. We’re teaming up with Installation (easily one of the best shoe stores in the state, if not country), Red Bull and some other friends of our to get things off to a proper start. Check out what we’ve got lined up for the next few weeks at The Solution Boulder:
2/23 -> Special guests Tanya Morgan (Brooklyn) + Turner Jackson Star Destroyer Listening Party from 9:30-10:30pm.
3/1 -> The Solution’s Chicken & Waffles (all west coast music, all night, complimentary chicken & waffles til 11 and gin & juice specials).
3/8 -> Ladies Shoe & Fashion Show with Installation. More details coming soon.
21+ /// No Cover /// Music at 10.
Recent Posts
- Saturday, 8/27 at 8pm -> The Solution x Stay Up Saturdays w/ DJ Low Key, DJ Lazy Eyez, CRL CRRLL, Slot-A & El Rizzy at Fort Greene!
- Friday, 2/4 & Saturday, 2/5 -> The Solution w/ DJ Low Key & Lazy Eyez celebrates 15 years of community, music, parties & love with 15 special guests on Twitch!
- Catch The Solution w/DJ Low Key & Lazy Eyez every Friday night on Twitch!!! Download the app or stream with a browser to bring the party to your house every week from 8pm-11pm MST…
- Saturday, 2/29 at 11am -> The Solution’s 14th Annual J Dilla Celebration w/DJ Low Key, Lazy Eyez & DJ K-Nee!!! We’re teaming up with So What! The Brunch to celebrate all things Jay Dee at The Preservery – RSVPs highly recommended…
- Friday, 2/28 -> The Solution w/DJ Low Key & Lazy Eyez 13th Anniversary at the legendary Roller City!!! Tickets include open bar, skate rental & more!
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- Sunday, 3/8 at 3pm -> Spring Training Goodness w/DJ Low Key and special guests DJ Love & DJ Simone Says on Vinyl’s rooftop! Live art by Sky Welkin, complimentary buttons, temporary tattoos and stickers, photos by IG: @Armando_Geneyro & more!!! March 8, 2020
- Sunday, 3/8 in Denver & 3/29 in Houston -> Goodness w/DJ Low Key & Friends Season 9 Spring Training! Aguas frescas, top notch DJs, live art & more surprises to get ready for #GDNSS Season 9… March 7, 2020
- Saturday, 2/29 at 11am -> The Solution’s 14th Annual J Dilla Celebration w/DJ Low Key, Lazy Eyez & DJ K-Nee!!! We’re teaming up with So What! The Brunch to celebrate all things Jay Dee at The Preservery – RSVPs highly recommended… February 27, 2020
- Friday, 2/28 -> The Solution w/DJ Low Key & Lazy Eyez 13th Anniversary at the legendary Roller City!!! Tickets include open bar, skate rental & more! February 23, 2020
- Sunday, 12/29 at 11am -> So What! The Brunch at The Preservery w/DJ K-Nee & DJ Low Key!!! Bottomless mimosas, craft cocktails, new brunch menu & more! RSVPs highly recommended… December 27, 2019
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- FutureNightGrooves Live bedroom mix March 11, 2019
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