RJD2

Dead Ringer

(Def Jux, 2002)

The hip-hop community has never considered Ohio to be a major hot spot, however, of late there seems to be a good reason for that to change.  Between Cincinnati and Columbus over the last half a decade or so, quality records have been pouring out of the area.  With acts like The Five Dees, Blueprint, Illogic, Hi-Tek (of course) and now RJD2 Ohio can now boast of a scene that can exist independently of the major markets in the country.  Taking note of the insurgence of talent Def Jux owner El-P has released the album “Dead Ringer” by Columbus resident RJD2. 

The record (not his first though, I’m sure there a bunch of mix tapes out there, like “Your Face or Your Kneecaps”) featuring sixteen tracks is not just another dj album.  RJD2’s work doesn’t boast the same frantic drumming as the Dj Shadow records, but remains pretty relaxed all the way through.  Fellow Columbus res Blueprint (owner of Columbus label Weightless Recordings) is featured on the track “Final Frontier” and Cage appears on the track “June”.  So, it’s not all instrumental funk samples. On “Ghostwriter” a nice acoustic guitar sample begins and propels the song as various female “oohs” and “wooohs” are pulled in and out of the mix.  “Shot in the Dark”, boasting a nice beat, comments upon the coppers being too gung-ho, with assorted film samples of cops and suspects mixed up in a chase.  The whole deal is solid, not a throw-away-track to be seen. They’re not all classics, but at-least each track is above par. Hopefully he can reproduce the standard that he has created for himself while still changing up the game.  Appearing at this past summer’s corporate sponsored Bonnaroo Festival (two separate sets) RJD2 will most assuredly be heard from again. Lori  Scacco

Circles

(Eastern Developments Music, 2004)

If you like one of these tracks, you like them all. It’s like a mini-symphony, without the old, European rigidity. Circles feels like it was perhaps recorded in Oregon, inside of a tree or some such. The instrumental nature of this album, Scacco playing guitar and piano, makes it very hard for the listener to discern one track from the next. Maybe it’s sound-track music. But it is rather impressive that this entire recording, save for the bass parts, attributable to Tim Delaney, came from a single persons’ mind. All the light and airy instrumental sections as well as the negative space (or silence if you’d like), echoes and occasional glitch-pop production came from one, singular perspective. Scacco’s talent was evident enough to Scott Herren (aka Prefuse 73) to take her on tour as well as put out this slab. Just one warning though. If you’re driving and feel moderately tired, do not put this on. It may, in that one situation, cause death.