J.Dilla’s Donuts is a record near and dear to my heart. Not only have I been able to enjoy the genius of this record, the producer’s legacy, and all his career had to offer, I have been able to pass it on to my young son, who has inpired me to make Dilla mixes for him, and has successfully listened to a Dilla sample mix for well over a year every day. Todayt we are highlighting this modern funk reinterpretation of Dilla’s Donuts called Basement Donuts by New Zealand artist Leonard Charles and put out on the Hit + Run label out of LA. Charles and a group of musician friends recorded the entire record (31 tracks!) in a basement studio on live instruments. Playing Rhodes and synthesizers, live bass, clavinet, drums, and without any samples whatsoever, this is instantly a modern classic. Utilizing vocals from Anji Toy, Adi Dick, Ruby Walsh and Georgia Anne Muldrow, it is a stunning example of musicianship, and a perfect tribute that The Roots would be excited about. Put out on the Los Angeles imprint Hit + Run, a crew that runs deep, and also does live screen printing events for more than ten years, this is legit right away. Limited to 300 (with only 36 remaining at press time), it’s made on a donut colored vinyl, with custom LP sleeve. Seriously, we slept on it, and we are telling you not to. It will be gone. This entire record is really fantastic. With a modern feel, the live instrumentation is on point, and before long you’ll be screaming for more synths like the ones on “One Eleven”. Top Billin’ people. Have a listen below for yourself. Long live Dilla.

Get the record here.

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