I was originally going to drop this in February of last year but never did because I wasn't satisfied with what would be my tribute to Dilla.
When I was formulating ideas for a Dilla tribute mix, I tried to keep in mind all of the mixes that came before. I didn't want to rehash what had already been done. I finally decided on a time period.
The work of the Soulquarians spanned a period from 1999 with the release of Slum Village's Fantastic, Vol.2 and The Roots' Things Fall Apart to 2002 with Common's Electric Circus. As a recording collective, the Soulquarians recorded eight albums together - though not all were full-house affairs (such as The Roots' Phrenology and Common's Electric Circus).
It's no secret that Dilla had a huge in hand in the rise of "neo-soul" and the advent of a dustier, more organic groove in rap.
This is the sound I chose to highlight with The Electric Lady Suite.
