Diamond D Tells the Stories Behind His Classic Records

DJ_Enki

Yeah yeah, I know, Complex's slideshow format is a pain in the ass. But there's good stuff here. Check Diamond talking about his remix of LONS' "Classic Material":

To me, that???s the worst mix of any remix I did. I remember I got into a confrontation with the engineer about something. We had words, and I thought that was it. Then he sabotaged that shit [after I left the session]. He turned the hi-hat up real loud. The shit sounds horrible. I take responsibility too, because I should have stayed there to make sure it was mixed to my specifications. Another man should never mix another man???s song.

The remix that eventually came out, it may sound normal to people, but that hi-hat is way too loud. It???s a real bright mix. I wish I remembered this engineer???s name too. He used to work at Chung King, little skinny white guy with glasses that used to wear t-shirts all the time. If I ever see dude in the street I swear I???ll choke the shit out of him to this day.

SIRUS

has anyone listened to those last 2 albums he put out? how were they?

YNOT

This is an interesting read and very thoro, miss those mid 90s sampled bass lines. Glad they went over so many joints, framed up the era nicely. I' ve always wondered how he got down with the Liks and the Pharcyde. D Squizzy must've been getting some nice mail box money from the major labels. Un-related Diamond is the only one that ever hits me back when I send out mass emails, always gets me geeked.

facesd

Thanks for posting this...brings back many memories. I remember buying the Show and AG "Runaway Slave" tape (I think I was in middle school) the day it came out....when you heard that first track, and the very first thing you heard was Diamond...you were like, OH SHIT its on!!! So hype.

DJ_Enki

YNOT said:

Un-related Diamond is the only one that ever hits me back when I send out mass emails, always gets me geeked.

He actually hollered about playing at the 45 Sessions we (DJ Platurn, E Da Boss, and I) have been doing in Oakland, which was an "awwwww shit!" moment for sure. Sadly, we can't afford his rate, especially given that the party is pretty small.

djkingotto

he's right, that high hat is hecka loud.

hertzhog

Nice stories. Listening to those songs back to back reminds me how incredibly consistent Diamond was.

Downstroke

Diamond's always been in my top 5 for sure, both as a producer and MC. From what I hear, he's a top dude too.

Duderonomy

???When you???re layering samples, they all have to be in key. You might have to go through a lot of records to find that thing that sounds good, and doesn???t sound forced. I played in a band class, but I???m not gonna sit here and front like I knew keys and chord changes. But I have a good ear, and I can hear when something is in key. I might not be able to tell you what key it???s in, but I know when something is in the right key."

I'm in total agreement with what he's saying here, in the same boat, and would extend the importance of this sentiment to tunes that DJs spin. Transitions shouldn't sound forced, and there's such an art to that, it's amazing how often people get it wrong. A guy I know uses a laptop to DJ, and he uses some key-identifying software. It feels too removed from having any real input, and this will always bug me. Technology is great for taking things forward, but too many people use it to be lazy and skip the basics.




Having written that, I fully expect this to come back and bite me on the arse some time.
Nice article though.

RAJ

djkingotto said:

he's right, that high hat is hecka loud.

Seriously, sounds like digital skipping.

Great article BTW.

In case you haven't noticed, Complex is sponsored by Dr. Pepper Cherry.

CousinLarry

RAJ said:

In case you haven't noticed, Complex is sponsored by Dr. Pepper Cherry.

So good you'll piss your pants.