Stem Player pocket-sized remixer adds unreleased J Dilla tracks
Rearrange beats by the legendary hip-hop producer.
The puck-shaped audio remixing tool Stem Player by Kano started its life as a collaboration with controversial musician Kanye West, but it has expanded and partnered with the estate of deceased hip-hop legend J Dilla. Users will be able to remix and rearrange J Dilla beats via an exclusive catalog of content selected by the producer’s mother, Ma Dukes.
The 20 songs added to Stem Player have never been officially released, so your arrangement could end up being the de facto standard. Unfortunately, there aren't any tracks from iconic J Dilla albums like Donuts and Champion Sound. The many legendary tracks he produced for other artists, like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, are also not available on this platform. Rights and all of that.
There are other musicians involved with this update. Stem Player has announced some Flea and Salaam Remi tracks are available for remixing, though J Dilla is the guest of honor. To that end, the collection even includes a discussion about his legacy led by his mother. The company also announced it is working on a documentary about the producer and has released a green skin for the Stem Player as a tribute.
For the uninitiated, the Stem Player is a puck-shaped device with physical controls to remix and rearrange audio tracks. In this context, “stems” refer to the basic tracks of a song, so you can use the device to change various attributes of each stem, such as volume. This gadget handles the actual raw and unmixed tracks from the artist. It does not use AI to separate each track after they are mixed. The end result? Better stems and more accurate controls.
Kano has severed ties with beleaguered rapper Kanye West, but it has added Ghostface Killah to the roster, prior to the J Dilla announcement. It has also recently released a projector used to remix visuals. The company has started crowdfunding to guarantee the release of future products, including a DIY headphone-building kit. All J Dilla tracks are available now, but you need a $200 Stem Player. The custom green skin costs $30 on top of that.
