RJD2
The
Colossus (RJ's Electrical Connections)
10 years! My god, that is a LIFETIME!
I can’t believe I have been making records on a national
level for 10 years. In 1999, I was just making these little
beats in my bedroom for release on an independent label. Fast
forward to 2009, and I’m . . . making these little beats
in my bedroom for release on an independent label. Okay, to
be fair, some things have changed -- a bigger studio, I OWN
the studio, I OWN the independent label, and instead of driving
10 blocks to a gig in my hometown, I fly 10 hours to a gig
in another country. But when it all comes down to its most
basic level, the goal is still the same -- to make a piece
of music that is going to hopefully rearrange your brain,
or at least provide some relief from real life for a moment
or two. So let’s take a look at what’s happened
over the course of those 10 years . . .
Things all started in Columbus,
Ohio with (the now defunct) Fondle ‘Em Records and a
rap group I was in called the MHz. We did a few 12”
singles in the late 90’s on Fondle ‘Em, which
lead to one of the members, Copywrite, doing a record on (the
now defunct) Eastern Conference Records, which I produced
some of. Those early singles also brought me to the attention
of Definitive Jux Records, with whom I signed to (after having
my demo turned down by virtually EVERY label in the U.S. and
U.K. that did anything remotely instrumental or weird in hiphop!).
After a few singles and songs came out in 2001 under the moniker,
RJD2, 2002 saw the release of my first solo album, Dead Ringer.
That year became the first in a series of whirlwinds that
seem to change shape annually, but never slow down. I toured
the world for the first time, Europe/Japan/U.S. several times,
licensed music to an auto company of yesteryear called Saturn,
spent time opening for DJ Shadow, and moved to Philadelphia.
The following year of 2003 saw the release of “The Horror
EP”, remixes for Massive Attack, Mos Def, Polyphonic
Spree (among many others), more touring, and the release of
the first Soul Position album, 8 Million Stories. While traveling
the states in support of the Soul Position album, I had my
MPC plugged into the cigarette lighter of a rented minivan,
feverishly slaving away. These tracks I made during drives
across the U.S. would become the 2004 album Since We Last
Spoke. By then, Dead Ringer had surpassed 75,000 copies worldwide,
and had gotten a fair amount of attention, including support
by folks like David Lynch and Mark Ecko, among others.
With the 2004 release of Since
We Last Spoke, I hit the road for my first headlining tour
ever. Armed with four turntables, an MPC and a video rig,
I made my way across the U.S. and Europe for the third year
in a row. The production work for other artists also continued
for both rappers and singers, including Diverse, Tweet, Fallout
Boy, Cage, etc. But unbeknownst to the rest of the world,
this year was critical in the path that led me to where I
am now: I made the decision to not resign with Definitive
Jux. It was really my first move outside of a comfort zone,
and into uncharted territory. It was also the start of realizing
a vision of being my own boss, both creatively AND business-wise.
2004 was also the beginning of my love affair with vintage
synthesizers and restoring them; this would lead to things
later . . .
The next few years saw the release
of many side projects: a second Soul Position LP, Things Go
Better With RJ and Al, a collaboration with Aceyalone, Magnificent
City, the scoring of my first video game, Mark Ecko’s
Getting Up, and the usual remixes and production work for
other artists. I also contributed to a cookbook of recipes
by musicians, I Like Food, Food Tastes Good. (I’m still
waiting for a vol. 2 so I can include my homemade apple/walnut/raisin
pie.) Of course, I toured to support the records this year
as well. (I have traversed the continental U.S at least once
a year since 2001. Watch out for my comprehensive guide to
espresso in America). But throughout this period of 2005-2006,
I was working on some recordings that would mark the furthest
reaches of anything I had done to date . . .
These recordings became 2007’s
The Third Hand, a record that was done with a specific methodology
in mind -- reach as far as I could by using strictly my own
resources. This meant using the MPC sampler, as I always had
for my solo records, but primarily for the drums. However,
save for a few small passages, all of the instrumentation
was performed by myself in a studio I had spent years building
up to mimic the types of keyboards/guitars/amps/synths/etc.
that would have appeared on the types of records I COULD have
been sampling. And in keeping with the intent of weaning myself
off of the samples I had relied on for so long, I took on
the duties of vocalist as well. My take on “sample based
music” had always been to try and make things that felt
like pop records, in the sense that they had a vocal element,
but had the urgency and immediacy of funk or hip-hop records.
To boot, I arrived at the decision to do the record on XL
Recordings, as I felt they believed in the record the most.
Thus, 2007 was a year that many saw as one of departures,
but to me was more another stop in what is hopefully a long
journey. I decided at a point that I’d rather look back
on a varied catalog that was interesting and challenging,
than one of multiple attempts at the same vibe, with varying
degrees of success. Furthermore, I just can’t get excited
about doing the same thing over and over. And if I can’t
get excited about the music I’m making, how can I expect
someone else to?
Which brings us to now. After two years of touring as a headliner
in support of The Third Hand with a full band, as well as
winning my first award, ASCAP’S Best TV Theme for my
recording of the Mad Men theme, its time for my 4th solo album,
The Colossus. The last piece of the puzzle is that
this record marks the first album I will release on my own
label, RJ’s Electrical Connections. In addition to re-acquiring
the master recordings to all of my Definitive Jux catalog,
and re-releasing them, this marks a massive step towards being
completely independent and working on my own terms, artistically
and business-wise. Cheers, here’s to many more to hopefully
come
.A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE COLOSSUS:
As The Third Hand was my first TRULY solo album, with NO guest
performances whatsoever, I decided to do the opposite of sorts
this time -- an album that is as collaborative as possible,
an “overview” of all the different types of working
approaches I’ve used over the years. Some songs are
strictly sample-based; some are live; some songs are completely
instrumental while others are vocal songs , some have guest
vocalists, a few songs I sing myself; and I brought a few
rappers on board. As this was all tracked at the same time
and in the same place, it has a nice cohesive feel to it,
but retains the diversity throughout that I think has become
a trademark. It features Phonte Coleman (Little Brother, Foreign
Exchange), Kenna (Star Trak, VA Beach), Aaron Livingston (The
Roots’ Guns Are Drawn), Columbus MC’s The Catalyst,
Illogic, and NP, and a slew of instrumentalists. And I think
I can safely say this is the most sonically lush and varied
record I’ve ever created. The album also marks my debut
behind the drum kit (“Games You Can Win”,”The
Shining Path”, “Tin Flower”,”Gypsy
Caravan”,”Walk With Me”). Save for “A
Son’s Cycle” which features MC’s, all songs
were written and arranged by myself. When my instincts were
telling me that something like horns, flute, or mandolin were
needed, I hit the Rolodex. Same goes for the execution of
vocals -- if a song’s vision was something I couldn’t
pull off myself, I went on the hunt for the right person to
pull it off. I’d rather not spend time describing the
music, but I honestly do feel that this album is a kaleidoscopic
look forward, as well as back.
-- RJD2
SELECT PRESS QUOTATIONS ABOUT RJD2
:“Equal parts dusted nostalgia
and spacey headtrip, the artist’s debut coalesces a
panoramic arrangement of musical eras into a sophisticated,
almost existential narrative.” -- Joseph Patel, FLAUNT
“Fusing folk soul, haunted-house
sci-fi, and cobwebbed breakbeats, Deadringer is catchy enough
to sell a million Volkswagens, passionate enough to break
your heart.” -- Chris Ryan, SPIN (Best of 2003 list)
"The Horror is superlatively
inhuman in its quality, much like RJD2's production skills."
-- Sara Jayne Crow, XLR8R
“The hip-hop DJ and producer
RJD2 stacked those changes on top of one another on Thursday
night at the Bowery Ballroom, collapsing four generations
of musical transmission into one performance. Watching him
hustle back and forth between his sequencer and four turntables,
it was impossible not to think of how those records were made.”
-- Kelefa Sanneh, The New York Times
“RJD2’s The Third Hand
showcases a deft manipulator of underground-hip-hop beats
who has evolved beyond his role as drum-machine guru into
the realm of eccentric pop. . . RJD2’s daring innovation
and unconventional melodies are enough to cement his reputation
as hip-hop’s most adventurous musical astronaut.”
-- Sean Edgar, Paste
“one of the few Djs who seems
like an artist rather than just a record collector.”
-- Pat Blashill, Rolling Stone
“The Third Hand, his third
legitimate solo record, distances Ramble Jon Krohn from his
indie hip-hop past in a number of startling ways. For starters,
it’s a pop record with real instruments and live vocals.
Fans of his classic Dead Ringer may already feel betrayed,
and we’re about to twist the blade: RJ taught himself
how to play all of the instruments, and he’s handling
the singing himself. Take a minute to appreciate how ballsy
this move is.”
-- Christian W. Smith, Big Shot
“RJD2 scores points not only
for making a cohesive and accessible disc, but for hatching
and adhering to a plan of comprehensive career reinvention.”
-- Jeff Vrabel, Billboard
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