rjd2 - dead ringer

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it's like he perfectly mediated shadow's admirable but sometimes too-intense 'going for it' seriousness and the avalanches' swirly party vibe! dead ringer is just about the most swoony sample-based record i could ever possibly hope to hear; i haven't melted after a first listen in quite some time, but this was immediate. even the def jux promobot somehow seemed right.

― Mark, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

new answers biaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiatch

― Mark, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

also: it marked the first occasion in recent memory where i was compelled to phone a friend just to tell them about this alb. surely that means something?

― Mark, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I haven't heard Dead Ringer yet, but RJD2 is incredible.

― J Blount, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I've started to listen to this (I got a promo for reviewin' purposes), but I haven't been able to get the full scope of it yet since I've just been putting "The Horror" on repeat and going "DAY-UMN" every time. It's creepshow spy-flick head-nod perfection.

― Nate Patrin, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

(Out of small caps mode now.)

I had a total moment of geek-love revelry when I realized that - omigod, is that REALLY, yes IT IS - a sample of Elliott Smith's 'I Didn't Understand' holding the *incredible* 'Ghostwriter' together...

Nate -> please listen to the whole thing so that I can have somebody to fawn with.

― Mark, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Does it have that 40 minute funk breaks mix on it? I like that. Even if it is like Brainfreeze with slightly less obscure records.

― Ben Williams, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

haven't got the record, but i saw RJD2 at a Def Jux show where he was facing off against DJ Abilities (of Eyedea and Abilities). Abilities kicked his ass in terms of straight up scratch technique, but as a producer RJ's seriously got his ish together. please fawn some more for those of us contemplating purchase.

― Dave M., Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I need to hear this. Is it better than Private Press (which was o-k in my book)? RJD2 was always caught in Shadow's... umm.. shadow, at least judging from the tracks I've heard.....

― Honda, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

RJD2 is what I wish Shadow was more often; ie Shadow minus the stuff that gets him taken so seriously by rock critics.

― J Blount, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Look, I *liked* The Private Press a ton, but it's an Akai s900 to Dead Ringer's s5000. There is simply no comparison.

Great artwork too. It thrills me to no end that such an unassuming, scrabbly little whiteboy can make such a sick record. Probably because I'm also an unassuming, scrabbly little whiteboy.

― Mark, Thursday, 11 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh! I've just found out that RJD2 and Mr. Lif are the openers for the DJ Shadow gig (which I've already got tickets for) this Wednesday. This news has sent me into paroxyms of pure sugarfree joy..

― Mark, Monday, 15 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

six months pass...

so, purely on the recommendations of various ILMers, I forked out 40 bucks for the import of this album at the weekend.

and...it's...alright, y'know? little bit Mr Scruff, little bit simplistic Shadow, the odd cool new beat, guitar-loop-over-break-ooh-how-innovative, otherwise business as usual in downtempoville.

Isn't it?

What's all the fuss about? Quick, reassure me, cos I'm feeling swindled now (my alternative choice was the MC Paul Barman album).

― Charlie (Charlie), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 03:45 (twenty-three years ago)

Dead Ringer doesn't have "Vulture Shark Sculpture Park"?

OK, uh... listen to "The Horror" again. And again and again x 1000. That's a $40 song right there.

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 03:55 (twenty-three years ago)

It's a $10 song, at least.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 03:58 (twenty-three years ago)

btw, that was the first thing I bought based on ILM
will I do it again?

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 03:59 (twenty-three years ago)

go find the rjd2 vs shadow thread, i think that's where we dissected that one

if only for averting paul barman you should kneel before it with tears in your eyes and pass it on to your youths for generations to come

― zemko (bob), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 04:02 (twenty-three years ago)

erase downtempoville out of head, spin Mecca & the Soul Brother 10 times, hold your breath for a decade, then re-listen.

― Honda (Honda), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 04:58 (twenty-three years ago)

I let Helltime borrow this bitch and somehow forgot what with moving and all. I need to retrieve. Total classic.

― Millar (Millar), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 05:03 (twenty-three years ago)

I kinda overrated him though.

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 05:05 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm with James. The last time I listened to Dead Ringer, it whelmed me, and I'm sort of afraid to listen again -- it might confirm my fears.

― Leee (Leee), Wednesday, 12 February 2003 06:26 (twenty-three years ago)

three years pass...

Just listening to this tonight after interviewing him today for a bit of news he has on the horizon, and fuck! It sounds so good! I remember first hearing it and not really being into this kind of stuff in the first place but liking "Good Times Roll" and "F.H.H." and the secret track a lot, thinking the rest of the album was kind of boring. Fuck, fuck fuck! It sounds great (despite his claims to the contrary), and the songs are just throwing me into cliche-spouting territory at the moment. Suffice it to say, I feel like there's movement here, surprises, new elements constantly appearing to hold my interests, as opposed to the boredom I feel when I listen to DJ Shadow (even Endtroducing, *ducks*). I'll repost when the story goes up so we can talk about that stuff (and maybe start the requisite new thread).

But for now, what do people think of this, four years later? Mark (glad to see you started this thread, btw)?

P.S. Some artists namechecked by RJ: Elliott Smith (of course), Queens of the Stone Age, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles (and Paul McCartney), Tears for Fears, Beyonce, and Dungen. Plus, the most important records of the years 1998-2003 from an engineering standpoint: Poets of Rhythm's Discern/Define and D'Angelo's Voodoo.

― regular roundups (Dave M), Thursday, 14 September 2006 02:25 (nineteen years ago)

Oh yeah, he called Deadringer and Since We Last Spoke "fucking abominations of modern recording," from an engineering perspective.

― regular roundups (Dave M), Thursday, 14 September 2006 02:31 (nineteen years ago)

I've kind of cooled on this, but still adore Since We Last Spoke, especially the title song, because it sounds like Moroder's Scarface theme.

― Telephonething (Telephonething), Thursday, 14 September 2006 02:43 (nineteen years ago)

Really? This doesn't still sound actually incredible to anyone else?

― regular roundups (Dave M), Thursday, 14 September 2006 05:04 (nineteen years ago)

Where does the time go?

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Thursday, 14 September 2006 06:09 (nineteen years ago)

i still like both those records. or at least i assume i do. i'm not going to dig them out to confirm it. but i'm pretty sure they still sound good.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Thursday, 14 September 2006 06:13 (nineteen years ago)

it seems to be the turntablist record for people who don't like turntablist records. this and brainfreeze (which is more of just an amazing soul/funk breaks comp than anything, which is fine by me) are about all i've ever been able to bring myself to listen to more than a few times... endtroducing too i guess but only when i'm feeling goth

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Thursday, 14 September 2006 12:26 (nineteen years ago)

This is the interview I did, by the way. So yeah, new album, not hip-hop, not on Def Jux, etc. Mostly, I just think all his metaphors are great, Arch Deluxe and all.

― regular roundups (Dave M), Friday, 15 September 2006 20:44 (nineteen years ago)

He's got a problem with finding good guest mcs.

― Squirrel_Police (Squirrel_Police), Friday, 15 September 2006 20:54 (nineteen years ago)

Not anymore!

― regular roundups (Dave M), Friday, 15 September 2006 21:13 (nineteen years ago)

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