Having been in the production scene for over a decade, Ramble Jon Krohn, better known as RJD2, has returned with his fourth full-length studio album, and all the hype certainly lives up to expectations! His deftly cut samples, funky percussion, and original soul vocals craft an album full of tracks that originally captured my attention with Deadringer (2002, Definitive Jux).
Two years on, Krohn absolutely swept me away with his fresh take on instrumental hip-hop with Since We Last Spoke (2004, Definitive Jux). In 2007, Krohn was signed to XL and released The Third Hand, also available as an instrumental-only version. Being signed to a major label saw Krohn on the road, touring extensively for two years. The mixed reviews and constant performing must have been exhausting…
In 2009, he decided to take a break, launch his own label, RJ’s Electrical Connections, and return to his original sound. This move was definitely welcome. The Colossus is the first new album for his label, on which he has already re-released the extended version of The Horror EP, enhanced with a second disc full of live footage and the making of the music video; and a boxset of 12”, reissuing Deadringer, The Horror, Since We Last Spoke, and Tin Foil Hat. The latter is a superb limited release for all collectors, titled 2002-2010.
The Colossus is immediately solid, fresh, and appealing to an audience looking for those soulful sounds and laid-back beats. Featuring vocals from Kenna Zemedkun, Phonte Coleman, Aaron Livingston (as well as a few of his own), and the raps of The Catalyst, Illogic and NP, the album lightly skips across songs and instrumentals, demonstrating that Krohn feels back at home, in his own studio, on his own label, doing exactly what he always loved to do! With The Colossus, RJD2 is back, and fans of instrumental sampled funkadelica will not be disappointed! Be sure to also dig up RJD2’s obscure funky 39-track mix, Your Face Or Your Kneecaps, also known as Poorboy Lover Megamix, if you can find it in the archives. If you’ve never heard RJD2 before, prepare to fall in love if you enjoy DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, Blockhead and Prefuse 73. And… start with his earlier output and work your way up to The Colossus.
