SUITE FOR MA DUKES by CARLOS NINO & MIGUEL ATWOOD-FERGUSON

Four tracks cover Dilla magic. From Antiquity to Nag Champa, from Tribe Called Quest’s (Dilla produced) Find a Way to the Slum Village’s Fall in Love the harmonic and melodic beauty of Dilla’s music is liberated. Early in 09 the project received the official blessing of Ma Dukes herself and part of the proceeds from the record will go to Dilla’s heirs. Tip!Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Carlos Niño and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, have been working together on a wide variety of projects for several years now. They produced albums for Build An Ark (Kindred Spirits,) Mia Doi Todd (City Zen,) Grace Woodroofe (for Executive Producer Heath Ledger,) Ariana Delawari (alongside David Lynch,) as well as a duet album entitled Carlos Niño & Miguel Atwood- Ferguson Fill the Heart Shaped Cup (Alpha Pup,) . They have been a virtual production powerhouse. The colloboration started when Niño hired Atwood- Ferguson’s string quartet, Supernova, to perform on the record Dwight Trible & The Life Force Trio Love is the Answer (Ninja Tune) in 2004. On that same Dwight Tribble album project, Niño first met, and befriend, and then licensed a track from one of his heroes, James “Jay Dee/J Dilla” Yancey. The song Antiquity came from these sessions — it is a stand out from Dilla’s vast and distinct catalog. Tribble brings his unique jazz vocal stylings to Dilla’s jazz influenced hiphop. A circle had been completed somehow. Fast forward two years — in February, 2007, several days after his 32nd birthday, Dilla passed away due to Lupus related complications. After his untimely death, Niño and Atwood-Ferguson chose to pay tribute to Dilla by continuing the musical conversation that he had started. But now in the contemporary chamber music style that Atwood-Ferguson had been developing. On, what would have been, Dilla’s 33rd birthday, February 7, 2007, Niño & Atwood-Ferguson sent their strings, brass and reeds only version of Common’s “Nag Champa (Afrodisiac for the World,)” to DJs, producers and fans, for free, via the internet. It caused a big stir amongst fans and first time listeners alike. Hiphop had never been given the Chamber music treatment before and in such a reverential and rhythmic way and there is no drums. They had written the entire piece to accompany the record. Dilla was still in the track not by his presence but by his absence. At the end of 08 they put the finishing touches on the first official release of this music — a four track EP entitled Suite for Ma Dukes which will be released by Mochilla in April of 09. It is hiphop as you never thought in a way you have never heard. Here three tastemakers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhg_fPD-Lhc http:// http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE_WX72hNjs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onnB6q5427g