GOODBYE TO DISCO D
Mar 1, 2007 12:00 PM, Kylee Swenson Remix Editor
We were all saddened by the untimely death of Detroit producer J Dilla (aka Jay Dee) last year. Recently, on January 23, we lost another Detroit producer, ghetto-tech pioneer Disco D (aka David Shayman). His suicide comes as a shock to many of us — unfortunately, he allegedly suffered from depression and was recently diagnosed with the bipolar disorder.
D, who started out as a DJ at age 16 in his hometown of Ann Arbor, Mich., started his own label, GTI Recordings, and spread his love of hip-hop and ghetto-tech throughout Ann Arbor and Detroit. After releasing his mix CD, A Night at the Booty Bar, on Tommy Boy in 2003 (check out the July 2003 issue of Remix for a “Shop.Talk.” article on Disco D), he moved to New York and hit it big as a producer. Aside from doing the music for 50 Cent's hit “Ski Mask Way,” D also produced Trick Daddy, Nina Sky and Spank Rock. In addition, he remixed Pharrell, Crime Mob, Usher, Christina Milian and more. Most recently, he'd started the Gringo Louco label to support Brazilian baile-funk music.
Although D battled with mental illness, he was a very positive and driven artist and businessman (he graduated with honors from University of Michigan's Ross School of Business). In addition to juggling DJ gigs and studio time with artists, D also composed music for film, video games and commercials (including Best Buy and Sprite).
Without understanding his struggles with bipolar disorder and depression, it's hard to grasp how someone with such a bright future could check out at the young age of 27. A couple of years ago at the Remix Hotel event in NYC, D came by to participate in a panel, and he was not only smart and informative, but he was also an incredibly down-to-earth, nice guy. Late last summer, D e-mailed Remix to let us know that — in our July 2006 story, “Steps of Transformation” — we had neglected to shed light on DJ/producer Jeff Mills' career as The Wizard on Detroit's WJLB 97.9. “If it weren't for The Wizard, I wouldn't exist because he influenced all of my early mentors,” he said. D was truly passionate about music.
When I asked him what he was up to, he was really excited about how things were going. He said his Trick Daddy track, “I Pop,” had just leaked to radio, and he was finishing up studio time with Lil' Scrappy, BG, Lil' Eazy E (Easy E's son) and Kevin Federline. Meanwhile, he was juggling a marketing/distribution job for aLeda (a transparent rolling paper), working on licensing deals for his tracks and handling the launch of Gringo Louco with Brazilian artists Braza, Cabal and Mr. Catra. He talked about opening an L.A. office and seemed to be constantly expanding and moving faster than the speed of light.
His passing is heartbreaking. It's another reminder that we need to look out for our friends and family and get help for them and/or ourselves when times get tough. And we have to remember, as we struggle to balance our basic happiness with our creative passions, that sometimes we'll take a step forward, and sometimes we'll take two steps backward. Life is definitely a roller coaster, and we have to hang on.
I talked to a one-time collaborator of D's, Mocean Worker (aka Adam Dorn), and he put it simply: “It just really reminds me that all time is, in fact, borrowed, and that you can't take anything for granted. I hope he is at peace and in a better place now.” From the staff at Remix, our condolences go out to Disco D's friends and family. To pay your respects, go to www.myspace.com/gringolouco.
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