This may be a somewhat hastily-conceived notion, but DJ RJD2 might be the best thing to happen to the ever-expanding genre in years. He may be even the way to bridge that widening gap between the terminally unhip and old-fashioned instrument players (read: music snobs), and the countless DJs also slaving at their craft and bringing their own variety of musical influences into it all. Ramble (as people call him) is no exception.
The man is truly a diverse musician who explores nearly every conceivable musical classification — from jazz to trip-hop, from 80′s synth tinkery to film scores and soundtracks, from country licks to stand-up comic bits, he always manages to make it all blend together perfectly. And RJ’s worked hard to get this far, beginning nearly 20 years ago, steadily climbing his way to the top of that mountainous pile. From the jazzed-out funk of soul of “Here and Now” to the Kill Bill-worthy, exploitation film-soundtrack reverberations of “Take the Picture Off”, should you talk to anyone worth their weight in music criticism, you’ll hear nothing but the best about the guy.
Clever, diverse, and lending that certain undefinable, sprawling epic-ness to his mish-mashes, RJD2 is ahead of the game. Recently Ramble sat down and chatted with ChinaShop about his history, his influences, and how he’s gotten so far.
One thing I noticed about your discography is that your musical interests are very diverse but you show an unabashed love for different kinds of jazz — especially pieces like “A Beautiful Mine”, off Magnificent City Instrumentals. Then on tracks like “Iced Lightning” off Since We Last Spoke, you’re delving into more of a 80′s-conscious, synthy kind of vibe. What are you listening to and looking for when you jump around between genres?
RJD2: Really, all I’m looking for is drama. suspense. I have always felt like the ideas that I work with are tension and release, and the medium is rhythm and chords. So with both of those, it really just comes down to using harmonic and rhythmic techniques to build tension, suspense, intrigue, and (maybe) provide release. So synth, guitar, drums, strings, samples, piano-the goal is almost always the same.
Could you talk a little more about how you got involved in the Exit Music project /tribute to Radiohead, and your remix of the song “Airbag”? How did you approach doing a remix like that — especially knowing Radiohead has both a cult-like following and mass appeal, who can tend to take anyone with their favorite band’s music a little too seriously?
RJD2: Ha! I think that is the thing I’m most insecure about of all my catalog. Of course, when they asked me to be a part of it, I couldn’t say no, but at the same time, it was a little like interpreting a musical “standard” — you’re not gonna capture what the original did. I just had my best go of it. It is what it is….
RJD2: Well, I had re-acquired my catalog masters, and needed a way to re-release them. I had also finished “The Colossus”, and needed a way to release it. So, the best way to do that was through my own label. I had learned so much over the years about releasing a record, and had built up a lot of contacts, and frankly, figured out how to get done what needs to get done to release an album. So I was confident it was do-able. And it was. While the record might have gotten a bigger profile if a label had handled everything, it might not have. It’s hard to put a price on NOT owning your masters, at least for me. That’s huge.
RJD2: It’s great. they actually do the physical distribution in the U.S. and Canada as well. The orchard actually distributes a lot of labels, so I consider it to in essence be on par with the resources I would have had if I had put the record out with a label. It really doesn’t differ too much. The whole game of physical is changing so much that you aren’t comparing apples to apples if you compare now to 3 or 4 years ago.
RJD2: Umm, I’m not crazy about the term, but whatever. Doesn’t really matter. I don’t think its fully accurate, but I guess for a few songs, its kinda descriptive, maybe?
Interview by Jeff Nau. Photos by John Wells.
More ChinaShop Articles regarding RJD2:
