To celebrate the release of the instrumental version of the already highly acclaimed debut album In The Ruff, DMV triumvirate Diamond District is proud to release the first of a small handful of remixes for the new project. The first one up is “Make It Clear” (Getcha Break On Remix) produced by SlimKat78, who also produced the track “Off The Late Night” from In The Ruff.
“Make It Clear” is definitely one of the more up-tempo tracks off the album, and SlimKat didn’t stray too far from that formula. When asked about the track and how he went about creating it Slim had this to say, “I was just going through the acapellas and trying to see if certain drum patterns I made would fit to the vocals… I started to play drum sounds out live for ‘Make It Clear’ and told myself I wanted to take the challenge and the rest was history.” The remix builds up from horns and thumping drums to a funky guitar lick with a steady bass line, carrying the energy from the original over to the remix. The first remix is here; stay tuned for new tracks that will be dropping soon.
With all of the recent praise and accolade that Diamond District has been receiving for In The Ruff, the group has decided to drop an instrumental version available in digital foramt. Oddisee’s production was nothing short of stellar on their debut album and the instrumental version will be a great way to vibe out to that D.C. boom-bap flavor that is In The Ruff. Buy link is below.
“Make It Clear” (Getcha Break On Remix): http://media.audibletreats.com/Diamond_District-Make_It_Clear-Slims_Getchabreakon_Remix.mp3
Please post buy links:
In The Ruff:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=333950536&s=143441
In The Ruff Instrumentals:
“Who I Be” single:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=327515629&s=143441
“I Mean Business” single:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=327517072&s=143441
The Background:
The group Diamond District is comprised of emcee/producer Oddisee, and emcees X.O. and YU. Greatly influenced by their surroundings and love for 90’s east coast hip-hop, Diamond District is on a mission to bring back the sounds of old with a new twist and represent for the DMV. X.O. who was born & raised in the North West quarter of D.C. defines what it is to be a black male raised in the district. With lyrics that depict street life and harsh surroundings, X.O. has a way of philosophizing that raw, gutter reality of DC life that is rarely looked at or spoken about when we discuss our nation’s capitol. Oddisee defines the experience of growing up in black middle class Maryland. Bordering the poverty that his and many other families fled to escape, they found out over time that the troubles of the inner city came along with them. Oddisee’s soulful, haunting samples over bass-heavy beat breaks create the perfect instrumentals for Diamond District to match the street savvy, politically conscious lyrics that capture the dynamic of being from the DMV. Y.U., having been raised in the district, Maryland & Virginia, brings that extra variety to the group and shows that D.C. culture has a huge influence beyond its 10 mile radius. Being that YU has lived in all areas of the DMV, his lyrics and stories compliment the rest of the group and define what it means to be from the DMV. In The Ruff, is available now via Mello Music Group.