“The Chronic” — the iconic solo debut of Dr. Dre that came out in 1992 — is a classic for many reasons. Fueled by the rage at the acquittal of four white police officers for the beating of black motorist Rodney King, the album put gritty and urgent rap lyrics over a soundscape of psychedelic funk. It also ushered in an era of West Coast hip-hop that would no longer be ignored. And it made rapper Snoop Dogg, who was featured on several songs such as the hit, “Nothin’ But a ‘G’ Thang,” into a star.
One of the creative forces behind “The Chronic” is Colin Wolfe, a music producer, composer and bassist who wrote the music and played bass guitar and the Moog synthesizer. Wolfe’s work helped bring the Moog synthesizer back into the mainstream.
Wolfe will give a live demonstration of how he created songs on “The Chronic” during an appearance at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Stevens Center in downtown Winston-Salem. The live demonstration will be streamed on www.moogfest.com, and Wolfe will spend the rest of the week in workshops with students at UNC School of the Arts to help them improve their skills in songwriting, music production and music technology. Wolfe also will attend Moogfest in Durham May 18-21.
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