Friday, March 16   11:00 p.m.
Karma Lounge   (119 W 8th St)

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RJD2
“The Third Hand” out March 6th 2007 on XL Recordings

It's 2007, and as usual, popular music finds itself stagnant. A cadre of important records slated to change the game forever join queue alongside a frequently replenished fresh faced roster of newcomers poised to champion new sounds and take their spoils. Purists in each camp decry the newcomers, citing the respective death of each genre and yearning for the days of yore, when records were judged by their innate qualities alone and not the amount of blog buzz garnered on the hot new band of the day. What’s to be done about the current state of things? Don’t ask RJ. He’s been in the basement.

Before delving into “The Third Hand,” its important to note the many accolades attached to RJ. Catapulted to notoriety, fame, and uber-serious hip-hop credibility with 2002’s Dead Ringer LP, 30-year-old Philadelphia resident and multi-instrumentalist RJD2 has enjoyed a thoroughly prolific career, following that debut album with 2004’s critically acclaimed Since We Last Spoke. In the last year alone, RJ produced records for his group Soul Position and Aceyalone, wrote scores for video games and DVDs, in addition to various remixes for artists such as Astrud Gilberto.

For The Third Hand, RJD2 seemingly abandons all the notions and titles that have been placed upon him over the past six years. Underground hip-hop super-producer to many, virtuoso sample-based instrumental wizard to some, RJD2 embodies all of these things on “The Third Hand” but placates none who seek more of the same. Recorded, performed, arranged, and produced entirely himself in his basement studio, RJD2 commands his trusty MPC 2000XL sampler/sequencer alongside a pantheon of analog synths, electric pianos and guitars, not to mention his own voice. Most notably, live instruments come in to play – RJ adds another dimension to his music, no longer satisfied with recording directly off of a sampler.

The result is a cohesive pop album in the most classic sense, a sound more akin to Phoenix than, say, Prefuse 73. In essence, this is RJD2’s entrance into the pantheon of enigmatic songwriter/producers (see Jon Brion, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder) capable of creating a record so full of rich songwriting, complex arrangement, and clever production that they transcend genre distinction and warrant an intent listen every time. The current state of music? As long as RJD2 keeps refining the sound of today with records like The Third Hand, we should be just fine.

Press contact: Kathryn Frazier – Kathryn@biz3.net - 773.645.1035

RJ's thoughts on leaving Definitive Jux:
"Leaving Jux was a hard decision for me to make, both personally and business-wise, but for the folks who follow that kind of thing (labels and such), I think it will make sense when you hear the new record as it's not hip hop. I got to a point where I just felt like it wouldn't make sense to have the music I'm doing now released on jux- they are a powerhouse within their arena, but I feel like I'm playing a different game now. I will definitely miss working with them."


RJ's thoughts on being at XL, and the new record:
'Im thrilled with what is happening for me right now. I cant wait for this new record to drop, to prep for the touring, to be working with XL. Music is more exciting than it's ever been to me. I've learned more about music, in a general sense, in the last 2 years than than I have in a long, long time.


RJ's thoughts on what the music is like now:
It's more lushly produced, with vocal harmonies and grooves. Like the Zombies, Steely Dan and Daft Punk having some brews in a hot tub. It's sort of a garage-y produced pop record, that's got vocal harmonies, some bad-ass guitar tones, very slight riffage, just enough piano, and some tough drums. I think it sounds more like real human beings playing instruments than anything I've ever done. Maybe it's kind of like if King Crimson went to a therapist, and came out really happy and optimistic about the world, and was just walking around giving out hugs, or you know how guys break down once a year, and tell their friends that they love them, but they still do it hella manly like? Its like that moment, I guess.



KRIS CHEN (formerly of Domino and newly at XL with RJ and Thom Yorke as his first signings) on RJ and his music:
"I've always been a fan of RJ's work, but when I first heard some of the tracks that shape this album - I was struck by how different and brave they sounded. I say brave because he's done something that all my favorite artists have done throughout their careers - which is to put it on the line and change up their sound, possibly even alienating their existing fanbase. All the while though, the songs remain true to their creator."

All press inquiries to kathryn@biz3.net