Meanings
- uncountableentertainmentA groove in which notes are intentionally placed slightly ahead of or behind the grid, creating a loose, unquantized feel that simultaneously blends elements of straight time and swing time.
1 more example
That time-feel cannot be understood as either straight or swung time. It is not the median or midpoint or gradation between the two. It is the deliberate juxtaposition of multiple expressions of straight and swing time simultaneously, a conscious cultivation of rhythmic friction for maximum musicality and maximum surprise. It is conflicted time. It is Dilla Time.
2022, Dan Charnas, Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm, New York: MCD / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN, page 162
Origin
Coined by American author, radio host and record company executive Dan Charnas in 2022 in his book Dilla Time. Named after American record producer, rapper and composer J Dilla (1974–2006).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Dilla time. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dilla%20time
“Dilla time.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dilla%20time. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Dilla time,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Dilla%20time.
Source: Dilla time on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.