Hip hop producer Rjd2 (Ramble John Krohn) took the stage at Cat's Cradle (1/10/10) sporting a welder's mask and an electronic fanny pack (pics courtesy of Jackie Kolovrat). His hands danced across buttons that crafted solid beats, flowing straight from his nether regions.
From behind turntables or real instruments, RJ performed a wide array of songs, including some of his early classics Ghostwriter and Bus Stop Bitties. He also treated us to some tracks from his new record, The Colossus, out TODAY (get it on iTunes).
Cat's Cradle was one of his first stops on his nationwide tour to promote the record, which is his first release on RJ's Electrical Connections (his own recently founded label). And what a great way to launch the new label. Years of musical experimentation and exploration has culminated in a balance of refined hip-hop created by a mixture of some of his old sampling styles from earlier albums and the right type of vocals (including his own) that aren't as overwhelming as they were in his last album The Third Hand. This album touts his ability to masterfully blend anything from
funky horns to orchestral snippets to soulful samples.
Here's the album's first really awesome video: just your average pill-popping minotaur with anger issues. Who drives a really sweet smartcar.
"Let There Be Horns"
