I’m just going to come out and say it: I’m a Madlib stan to the fullest. When I discovered his music during my sophomore year in college—yeah I know pretty late, don’t judge me—I literally went through a spiritual awakening. Inspired by the intense musical knowledge that was contain in all of his LPs, EPs, mixtapes, b-sides, or projects, I went on a mad dash to find out everything i could about the man and the music he created. My listening habits changed, no longer could i just hear a cool sound and let it pass, now I had to find out where it originated, if it was a sample or not. I went from an amateur music lover to a seasoned vet, and Madlib was my ever present mentor.
Its not that controversial of a view and no one is ever going to slowly shake their head in disappointment when i announce my love for this producer, DJ extraordinaire. However, I do think that he is a top five producer of all time…but that’s a conversation for another day. Today, actually yesterday, the Beat Konducta released a new track that takes him back to his sampling roots.
“Black Widow” is the latest leak from Madlib’s upcoming project, Rock Konducta. It features intricate instrumentation taken from a variety of sources, including vocals from J. Dilla. While he has been in the news for his collaborations recently, this funky instrumental is beyond due. It has many of the classic qualities that are found in his music, including softer drum samples, crazy adlibs, major tempo shifts, and random breaks. Your head will be bopping up and down, and you may even do a little jig.
I cannot wait for this new project and “Black Widow” feels like a tease. If you are a fan of his work, definitely check out this track and head over to his soundcloud to find some more really great music. Expect Rock Konducta to be out in December.