Tracking down J Dilla's synthesizer in D.C.
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Jay Dee's synthesizer at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Photos: Joe Guillen/Axios
👋 Hey, Joe here. While in D.C. for our Axios staff retreat, I had to make a detour to check out a one-of-a-kind Detroit artifact — J Dilla's Minimoog Voyager synthesizer.
Driving the news: I've been listening to Dilla's music for years, but my interest went to another level recently after reading his biography, "Dilla Time."
- The book describes how his mother, Maureen Yancey, gifted the synthesizer to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture after Dilla passed away in 2006.
Flashback: We interviewed the author, Dan Charnas, about the book and Dilla's legacy.
What happened: As soon as I had the chance, I hopped on the D.C. Metro's red line and made my way to the museum.
- Tucked into a corner of its music exhibit, alongside Bo Diddley's guitar pedal and handwritten notes by Dilla's friend and collaborator Questlove, was the famous synthesizer.
- Jay Dee doesn't quite have the name recognition of other artists featured at the museum, so his machine's inclusion is a nod to his enduring innovation.
Quick take: It felt like the culmination of a music discovery journey that started years ago when I started listening to his group Slum Village, and evolved into a deep appreciation of his more obscure tracks that I discovered by reading the biography.
- Staring at the synthesizer, I imagined Dilla turning the dials and striking the keys at his home studio in Detroit.
