#defdee

[o0beatmapper0o]

[louisden]

Review - Def Dee - D1000 (Redefinition Records)

I stumbled upon Seattle’s Def Dee while jumping down a hashtag rabbit hole searching out beatmaking stuff on Instagram, a few 30 second clips from his lab showed me he was a killer on the MP and earned him an instant follow from me and after some short bursts of stanning (sorry research). I was getting familiar with dudes catalog and have been up on him for the past year or so.

I'll let you piece it together yourself but quick version is; he came up through the underground scene in Seattle and a self released beat tape led him to two notable labels; namely Mello Music Group and Re-definition Records (his current home).

Def had been talking about this D-1000 project for quite a while now; his second release on Redef (first being the LP Deja Vu which dropped last year), he even teased a few visual shorts from the album so it was evident he wasn't out to ride the waves from his first album and wanted to keep things moving.

Dee's project is a sincere attempt at being more than just a beat tape; theres quite a bit of attention directed towards keeping each 4 bar sequence in the instrumentals fresh whether its mutes / vocal stabs / sweeps or bringing in new element of the beat, he most certainly wasn't out to just dump tracks out of the MP into Protools and call it a day.

Tracks here are a mix of choppy boombap and stripped down synth bangers, there’s an obvious Dilla lineage here but its more in the DNA of the beats rather than the execution, unquantized bounce and melodic programmed basstones play centre stage in most the beats and its not to say these are done in the style of Jay Dee or anything; its just more you can tell he spent sometime studying at the Conant Gardens dojo (see "The Galleria", "Sunrise Reese") this isn't a bad thing as Def has honed these traits into his own the same way a producer like Germany's Wun Two has.

D-1000 doesn't really miss a step; Dee is very meticulous in putting these tracks together and some joints are actually hard to picture an emcee on meaning he's done the work to make these stand up on their own.  

Those craving an emcee element are blessed with three bonus joints featuring David Luke, Fish and a Blu remix.  The David Luke track "Feel" is probably my favourite; unfortunately only a 16 bar verse, David shows a hell of a lot of potential there over a stripped down bouncy beat which only uses a couple elements to deliver a certified headnod headcrack (I recall it getting at least 3 reloads on my first listen!)

Tracks like "The Merc", "Keep Keep it On" and "Ugly" would be essential pieces in a freestyle session or road trip cypher while the quirkiness of ones like "Mimetic Poly-Alloy" and "The Galleria" have a gem like quality to them, it's a great album start to finish, I also appreciate the raw tape feel of the project; it lacks the syrupy sweet gloss of your favourite side-chaining Soundcloud darling so its nice to hear something that’s polished but still has a rugged aesthetic.

I'd like to see some more emcee centred material from Def Dee next; he's no slouch on the mic either from what I've seen him drop on Instagram so some mc/producer ish would be great; as would be some more work with whoever this David Luke cat is [🔥🔥🔥 FIRE EMOJI 🔥🔥🔥 ]..

Cop it now on limited vinyl (like I have!) from Redefinition Records or pay what you want via Bandcamp.

Def Dee Homework

Def Dee - Cheap Heat Beat Tape (2011)

33 1/3rd - Def Dee's remix compilation for Mello Music Group (2012)

Def Dee - Deja Vu LP from 2014 on Redef

Kos..

If you would like your release considered for review on Louis Den, hit me up @Kosyne on Twitter.

[wonkabeats]

D-1000 by Seattle's own @defdeezy is out now! It's on VINYL and can also be found on Apple Music Spotify, Amazon, Bandcamp, etc • Great Terminator inspired project with some outstanding, unquantized drum programming and fun sequencing • We highly recommend you check out Def Dee's D-1000 project. Big thanks to everyone who pre-ordered the vinyl. Stay tuned for more info & related content including some behind the scenes vids, interviews etc • #defdee #redefinitionrecords #redefrecords #d1000 #howitshouldsound • www.redefinitionrecords.com

[wonkabeats]

With a co-sign from #damuthefudgemunk, you know Def Dee is gonna be nice. Check out another preview of @defdeezy's upcoming album, D-1000 at www.soundcloud.com/redef or cut to the chase and pre-order the vinyl (limited edition of 300 units) at www.redefinitionrecords.com, www.fatbeats.com or www.ughh.com 🔊 In stores everywhere on August 21, 2015 🔊 And if you haven't heard Dee's 2014 release, Deja Vu, which features guest appearances by #rocmarciano, @senseifromnj, @rawpoetic, One Be Lo, Blu from @newworldcolor & other greats, check that out (No excuse not to... Besides vinyl, it's on iTunes, spotify, bandcamp etc. Search for Def Dee Deja Vu) • #RedefRecords #redefinitionrecords #defdee #damuthefudgemunk #instrumentalhiphop

[hedknodic-blog]

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Bumping some records whjle digging through the stack on my bed. @defdeezy ✊DejaVu @redefrecords #DefDee#DejaVu#HipHop#Redef#Vinyl#Support

[hedknodic-blog]

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@defdeezy been on it bro! Bumping ever since it came in. Dope!! @mellomusicgroup #33andathird#mellowmusicgroup#defdee#hiphop#music#groove

[wonkabeats]

Heads up: Our guy Def Dee has a nice surprise in store for y'all this summer. A standout producer album ft @senseifromnj and other greats incl Blu, Roc Marciano and even Damu. More info and details as we proceed. Thanks to @defdeezy for making this happen with us and everyone else involved. Shout out to @strictlycassette on the design • #redefinitionrecords #defdee #damuthefudgemunk #eldasensei #rawpoetic #rocmarciano #redefrecords