Digging The Greats Podcast

I recently posted a video that was a lot different from a typical DTG video. In it, I show a... thing that someone sent me, and that sends me down a rabbit hole trying to figure out what it is. Honestly, if you haven't seen the video, you should watch that first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfRSBEqueL8

Today I'm bringing you my full conversation with Simon Adler - he's the creator of this project, and the Senior Producer of Radiolab. We talk not only about the unique packaging of this project, but the process of making the music, and the larger world around it.

We're in the middle of some big shifts with the Internet right now, so as part of my iPod month, I called up Jason Koebler of 404 Media to talk about the state of the Internet, and how he's navigating it with 404 Media. 

Make sure and check out 404's YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@UC7YMZb0X_W06ToOazhFuXIQ as well as their full site at www.404media.co

Revel Day is an artist, vocalist, and songwriter who also happens to be one of the best people you could meet. As part of week 2 of my iPod series I sat down with him for a conversation about what it's like making things for the internet, his Spotify presence, staying true to yourself as an artist, as well as the music festival that he puts on in Southern California. 

Make sure and check him out online: 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0GlCo4o05HxdzR4Gj7GKyw?si=KD2XHVhgSpS4kQKhkl-P5w

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revel_day/

Algorithms are a part of our everyday life, and they help us get more of what we want, right? Well, in Kyle Chayka’s new book he argues that this has flattened culture, making the popular things more popular, and the obscure things more obscure. I read his book “Filterworld” during my iPod experiment month. I was feeling frustrated with Spotify’s algorithm and decided to listen to music exclusively through an iPod for a month.

I loved Kyle’s book so much that I had to reach out to talk to him more about it. A clip of this interview appeared in the first video of this iPod month series on Digging The Greats, but today I’m bringing you our full conversation. I loved getting to talk to Kyle, and especially loved his book as it hit the nail on the head. So here’s my full interview with Kyle Chayka, author of Filterworld: how algorithms flattened culture.

Lalah Hathaway is an incredible vocalist - not only because she has an incredible voice, but because she’s a great musician. She’s released many solo albums, won 5 Grammys, and collaborate with everybody from Robert Glasper to Joe Sample, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J Blige, Anderson Paak, Marcus Miller - and so many more. She’s also famous for her ability to… sing chords. Oh, and as her last name suggests, the legendary Donny Hathaway is her father. 

In this conversation we get into her career, some favorite collaborations, how she approaches music, how she does the chord thing, and talk about the Christmas Heist - the plan to make "This Christmas" hit No. 1. 

Check out the video of this conversation on YouTube (Digging The Talks) and get the full DTG Experience at patreon.com/diggingthegreats

Bob Power is a legendary Engineer and Mixer who's known for his work with A Tribe Called Quest on ground breaking albums like "The Low End Theory" and "Midnight Marauders", having also worked with more artists than I can name (De La Soul, Jungle Bros, Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, The Roots, Meshell Ndegeocello, and so many more).

In our conversation Bob tells me about his work on these albums, how he got his start in music, and we even get into some mix tips. 

Portions of this interview appear in the video breakdown of Midnight Marauders, go check out that full video on the Digging the Greats YouTube. 

Afrika Baby Bam, or as he’s also known, Bam - is a member of the Jungle Brothers - an incredibly influential hip hop group who were part of the Native Tongues Collective. I've talked about the Native Tongues in multiple Digging the Greats videos - but today I’m excited to bring you my recent conversation with Bam himself. 

We get into the formation of the Jungle Brothers, the Native Tongues, stories like recording the classic song “Buddy”, making the classic Hip House track “I’ll House You”, meeting Queen Latifah for the first time, and his new project, which is punk rock. 

Follow Bam online - 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bam_jungle/?hl=en
His latest punk rock project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsL8nXfIQLg

And of course, check out the main channel at https://www.youtube.com/@diggingthegreats

Derrick Hodge is a bass player, arranger, conductor, and he’s worked with a TON of huge artists, at the highest level possible. I recently posted a video on Digging The Greats breaking down Common’s album “Be” - Derrick played that bass intro on the album and arranged the strings you hear.

Other artists he’s worked with: Robert Glasper, Jill Scott, Mos Def, The Juneteenth Celebration at the Hollywood Bowl, The Oscars, Q Tip, the list goes on and on. We talk about his work with all these artists, his approach to music in general, and his most recent album, The Color of Noize, and his current tour.

We first connected a few years ago because he did arrangements for the orchestral performance of Nas’ Illmatic, playing bass on the original performance at the Kennedy Center. As a current member of Nas’ band, this is a show I’ve played many times since, so I sent Derrick a message a few years ago the first time I played it, and now here we are, nerding out about music and the bass… this was such a great conversation. 

Follow Derrick Online: 
https://derrickhodge.com/
https://www.instagram.com/dhodgeworld/?hl=en
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1jvBVqm4g5Jk8tEmKoYoes?si=WPL4WL-wTRat77RMlsFocg

House Shoes is a legendary DJ and Producer. I recently posted a video on the main channel all about De La Soul’s Stakes is High, which was produced by J Dilla. A short clip from this conversation is in that video, because House Shoes put out the Jay Dee Unreleased EP, which features a remix of Stakes is High. 

Well today I’m bringing you the FULL conversation - we talk about his beginnings in music, the scene at St. Andrews Hall, some Dilla, His Record Label Street Corner Music, Fatherhood, a Crazy Story about the Secret Service, and just generally nerd out about music.

You’ll want to follow House Shoes online: 

Street Corner Music: https://streetcornerscm.com

House Shoes on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/shoeshouse

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseshoes/?hl=en

LaDerrick Perry is a Musician and Producer who has worked with artists like Alicia Keys, 112, Tyga, Doja Cat, Rick Ross, Her, and currently plays keys for Ms. Lauryn Hill.

In this conversation we talk about his career, how he started, what it's like playing for a musical legend, as well as specifics of how often they rehearse, and how many people are in their current touring band - Spoiler - the answer to both questions is A LOT. 

Find LaDerrick online: https://www.youtube.com/@LaDerrickTheChemistPerry
https://www.instagram.com/the_chemist0/?hl=en

Lori Lieberman is a singer-songwriter who got her start in the 70s with a song called, "Killing Me Softly", and after an extended hiatus, resumed her career in the 90s, and has released many albums since. 

My recent YouTube video on Killing Me Softly explored The Fugees' version, Roberta Flack's version, and told Lori's story. Today I'm thrilled to play my recent conversation with Lori, discussing this song, her career, and her upcoming performances. 

Find Lori Lieberman online at https://lorilieberman.com/

Full video breakdown of "Killing Me Softly": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2xBQgYIqz8

Ken Lewis is a mixer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who has worked with… just a ridiculous number of huge artists.

Kanye, Eminem, J. Cole, Usher, Watch The Throne, Queen Latifah, Pusha T, Drake, Kid Cudi, Alicia Keys, Pete Rock, Public Enemy, Mariah Carey, Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, and more!

There are a ton of great stories that he tells, and portions of this interview have appeared in song breakdowns on the Digging The Greats YouTube channel. 

Check out Ken Lewis' Mixing Night Livestreams on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MixingNight or visit www.kenlewis.com

Check out the Full Breakdown of Kanye's "All Falls Down": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH5srIgWLZk&t=26s