Wax Music Lounge is hosting a free party dedicated entirely to the legendary hip hop producer J Dilla on 7 February, celebrating what would have been his 51st birthday.
The basement venue beneath Melbourne institution Museum Records will be spinning nothing but Jay Dee all night long, with classics, remixes and deep cuts from the iconic producer’s catalogue. Dilla features live performances from OJ Kush alongside sets from Raph Boogie, with more acts still to be announced for the evening.
Dilla
- When: 7 February, 8pm-2am
- Where: Wax Music Lounge, 250 Flinders St (basement), Melbourne
- Cost: Free
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Before his death in February 2006 at age 32 from a rare blood disease, Dilla shaped the sound of artists including The Pharcyde, A Tribe Called Quest, Common, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo and De La Soul. As a founding member of the production collective Slum Village and later The Ummah alongside Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, he helped define the sound of alternative hip hop throughout the late 90s and early 2000s.
His instrumental album Donuts, released just three days before his death, is considered one of the greatest instrumental hip hop records ever made. Created largely from his hospital bed using nothing but a sampler and crates of records, the album showcased his ability to flip obscure samples into something entirely new. His earlier solo work Welcome 2 Detroit and his production across albums like The Pharcyde’s Labcabincalifornia and Common’s Like Water for Chocolate cemented his reputation as a producer’s producer.
Wax Music Lounge sits in the basement beneath Museum Records, which has been a Melbourne institution for 17 years. The venue has become a regular spot for intimate DJ nights and live music events, hosting everything from hip hop to house across its underground space on Flinders Street. The party runs from 8pm until 2am and is free to attend for those 18 and over.
For more information, head here.
