Pitchfork

Considering the amount of material the man has released-- not to mention the fact that he probably has months of music that has yet to see the light of day-- my theory about Madlib is that he is actually a bubble-man of sorts, rolling around all day in a human-sized, music studio version of a hamster ball.

As usual, the latest recorded emissions from the Madlib hamster ball are plentiful. Though the deluxe re-release of his J Dilla collaboration Jaylib's Champion Sound has been pushed from its previously reported date of May 8, it is still coming out. Stones Throw will now reissue the album on June 12, with an advance release to iTunes on May 22.

The producer has also gone almost completely down the rabbit hole to put Yesterdays New Quintet-- the jazz/funk/soul/hip hop fusion "band" consisting entirely of his own alter egos-- on something of a hiatus. How is it possible to put an imaginary group on hiatus, other than just forgetting about it, you ask? For Madlib, it's pretty simple: create new imaginary groups and focus on their full-lengths. He is currently prepping full-lengths by YNQ offshoots/side projects/diversions Kamala Walker, the Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble, and the Jahari Massamba Unit for summer and fall releases.

Despite Madlib's work on these new projects, there are two new YNQ releases planned for the summer.

The first is the "Jewelz" 12"/EP, credited to the Otis Jackson Jr. Trio. Jackson "was" a "member" of Yesterdays New Quintet who shares Madlib's given name.

The second YNQ-related release is titled Yesterdays Universe, which, according to a press release, "will feature the next phase in the YNQ universe: 10 new groups produced by Madlib, all of whom will have records released in the next 12 months."

So it's a compilation composed entirely of contributions from new Madlib alter egos. Actually, that's not entirely true. In addition to tracks by the three aforementioned YNQ new groups (and others), real people Karriem Riggins and Ivan Conti (aka Mamão of Azymuth) play drums on the record. It turns out Riggins is even a de facto member of the Jahari Massamba Unit, since he drums on all of "their" tracks.

Stones Throw will release the "Jewelz" 12"/EP in mid-June and Yesterdays Universe on July 17. The label will also release the third volume of Madlib's Beat Konducta series, Beat Konducta Vol. 3: Beat Konducta in India, in the first half of July.

And of course, there's more. In addition to working with Riggins on a forthcoming full-length from their new Supreme Team project, Madlib has also been busy collaborating with the likes of Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, and Percee P.

He contributed production to Kweli's forthcoming Ear Drum (July 24, Blacksmith/Warner Bros.), and he is producing the entirety of Percee's Perseverance (August 14, Stones Throw). His work with Badu has been a little more untethered. They have collaborated on seven songs together so far, and they could all potentially appear on Badu's new album, though there is no official word on what that record will look like. You can, however, download one of tracks they did together, "Real Thing", at the link below.

Madlib has a single U.S. DJ date scheduled for May 18 at Chicago's Sonotheque with Riggins and Stones Throw colleagues J. Rocc and Egon, and on June 2 he will appear at the Taico Club Festival at Suge Kiso Village Festival Grounds in Nagano, Japan. Rhythm & Sound, Sleeparchive, Rub-N-Tug, Daedelus, and more will also perform at that festival.

Yesterdays Universe tracklist:

01 Otis Jackson Jr. Trio: "Bitches Brew (M. Davis)"
02 The Jahari Massamba Unit [ft. Karreim Riggins Trio]: "Umoja (Unity)"
03 Young Jazz Rebels: "Slave Riot (D. Smith)"
04 The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble: "One for the Monica Lingas Band"
05 Kamala Walker and the Soul Tribe: "Street Talkin"
06 The Jazzistics: "Marcus, Martin & Malcolm"
07 Suntouch: "Two for Strata East"
08 Sound Directions: "She's Gonnna Stay"
09 The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble: "Cold Nights and Rainy Days"
10 Otis Jackson Jr. Trio: "Free Son"
11 Jackson Conti: "Barumba (L. Eca, Bebeto)"
12 Ahmad Miller: "Sunny C (California)"
13 The Eddie Prince Fusion Band: "Mtume's Song"
14 Yesterday's Universe All Stars: "Vibes From the Tribes Suite (For Phil)"
15 Jackson Conti: "Upa Neguinho"

Beat Konducta Vol. 3: Beat Konducta in India tracklist:

01 Enter: Hot Curry
02 Indian Hump
03 Movie Finale
04 Raw Tranquility Pt. 3
05 Freeze
06 Masala
07 Onthatnewthing
08 Indian Deli
09 The Rumble
10 Dancing Girls Theme
11 Piano Garden
12 Dark Alley Incidental Music
13 Early Party
14 Fifth Chant
15 The Rip Off (Scene 3)
16 Sitar Ride