Customer Reviews

Dead Ringer

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In 1996 DJ Shadow '...Endtroduced' himself with his debut wide release album, a compilation of sampled rhythms. '...Endtroducing' strived to create the perfect concoction between beat and melody, and succeeded, in a way. DJ Shadow relied heavily on the listeners' understanding of the intricacies of turntablism and sampling. To an average listener, the album might have seemed shallow and monotonous. It is unfair to criticize '...Endtroducing' for its simplicity though, due to the fact that in terms of complexity it ranks up there with the best of Q-Bert and Peanut Butter Wolf (with whom Shadow worked numerously). Yet when it comes to comparing Shadow's album to Rjd2's 2002 release 'Deadringer', it is necessary to point out that, though similar in their approaches to producing beats, Rjd2 adds enough variation and surprises to his sampling masterwork to please a wider audience.
Take the introductory 'The Horror', for example, which was released later as a single. Darkly atmospheric, the track contains no lyrics. 'The Horror' might even stimulate the desire to augment it with a freestyle (if you're not good at it, don't ruin the song and practice over Big Tymers instrumentals, brother). Its energy and structure brings to mind 'Midnight in a Perfect World' from '...Endtroducing'. Rjd2's lack of pretension and homing in on affecting simplicity distinguishes 'The Horror', along with distinctively excellent instrumentals, such as 'Ghostwriter' with its scratchy vinyl guitar that flows into an astounding trombone chorus; 'Cut Out to FL', which starts off quitely lyrical, builds up suspense and explodes with a helluva beat/scratching; and 'Silver Fox', that's bound to eerily dig its way under the skin with its jagged beat and hallucinatory Asian vibe.
Usually, experimental fusions with hip-hop don't work out. Uberzone's breakbeats on 'Faith in the Future' did not accomodate Beanie Man's freestyles well. AK1200's 'Shoot to Kill' was a major disappointment, due to the lack of energy Phife Dawg (of A Tribe Called Quest) exuded, along with other featured rappers, such as Last Empreror.
Those, and many more artists (Crystal Method, The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, even Aphex Twin and Moby, oh God, Moby for SURE) should have stuck with their own styles, explored and expanded them. Instead, they ventured into areas that they didn't know much about. Rjd2 knows much about hip-hop. He's collaborated with Copywrite, Blueprint, Aceyalone, Murs, Aesop Rock, El-P, Jakki Da Motormouth and Cage. He's created beats in underground hip-hop that rival only master turntablist, like the aforementioned Shadow, Cut Chemist, and Spooky when he is at his least pompous. 'Final Frontier' with Blueprint, F.H.H. featuring Jakki, and the masterpiece tear-jerker 'June', which Copywrite enhances with his sporadic lyrics: all those tracks accentuate the album's superiority and Rjd2's knowledge of sampling piano, guitar, deep-rooted beats, and a truck-full of other sounds he digs up from various sources (even the KFC-ad tune is stolen by the sly DJ from TV with a tape recorder). 'Deadringer' is a fine demonstartion of sampling skills. It is, despite some unnecessary tracks, like the overly-sentimental 'The Proxy', or '2 More Dead' which starts off complex but ends up dull, a major step in expanding the limits of underground hip-hop.

Oh, and if the rapping does disrupt the intensity of the tune for the listener (couldn't have phrased it better, could I?), 'The Horror' single should be checked out, with the same tracks as instrumentals, and some decent ones added, like 'Bus Stop Bitties'.

HIGHLIGHTS: 'Final Frontier', 'Ghostwriter', 'Cut Out to FL', 'Silver Fox' and 'June'
LOWPOINTS: ' Good Times Roll PT2', 'The Proxy', '2 More Dead'.

. . . is this good. Instrumental hip-hop is, I suppose, one possible label for this. And sure, there's some echoes of DJ Shadow here, perhaps a touch of Mr. Scruff, and weirdly enough, I hear hints - just hints mind you - of some of the solo stuff put out by Liam Howlett of, *sigh*, the Prodigy (specifically the Dirtchamber Sessions which admittedly is more of a mix album than anything else and which probably shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as an album like DeadRinger, but I still here some similarities. Sorry.)

But similarities aside, this isn't much like any of the aforementioned artists. It's one of the more unique things I've heard in a while. It's your typical collage of breakbeats and samples and odd melodies. And where RJD2 really shines is in the last element: melodies. Yes, his beats are, putting it mildly, awesome. But what stood out for me is just how tuneful and finely crafted his songs (yes, songs) are. This guy has an ear for melody, and creates tracks that bear this out.

And the songs are oddly rousing, anthemic even. Listening to 'The Horror,' I kept wanting to throw up my hands at my pointless 9-5 life, and go off and have some sort of adventure or something. If that makes sense. It's stirring music, is what I guess I'm trying to say.

The only downside to this album, in my personal opinion, are the non-instrumental tracks. Not to say that the MCing is weak - it's not - just that RJD2 is so good that I bemoan being distracted from his work by the lyrics. But that's a pretty minor quibble, and doesn't make this any less great of an album.

Have a listen and go have an adventure or something.

Being compared to DJ Shadow might have had an advantage for RJD2: I doubt that his affiliation with Def Jux would be heavy enough to translate into the success he has seen. Not to mention that he is not very similiar to DJ Shadow: sure, they both construct hip-hop based music from diverse samples, but RJD2 is admittedly more hip-hop, in small measure because of the appearance of three MCs on three songs. Of these, "June" featuring Copywrite is the best one: not only is his verse touching (a tribute to his dead father, who died in the month Write was born in), but the instrumental interlude is sublime, with classical guitar and synth. The other standouts include the opener "The Horror", with its addictive, menacing synth line that sounds like an alien invasion, and "2 More Dead" - not the gangsta workout you'd expect. No, it didn't "change the world" as El-P claimed, but it is a fine album on its own accord.

Now I haven't heard a lot of hip hop instrumental CDs so I'm not well-versed enough to definitively say that this is the best. But I've heard DJ Shadow and Amon Tobin's supposed best works, and neither hold a candle to 'Dead Ringer'. First off all, both of the aforementioned works fall into the hip hop category but really aren't hip hop. They sacrifice the essence of hip hop for creativity (which doesn't work in my opinion). RJD2 keeps it true to hip hop. The best track 'Ghostwriter' is an amazing beat with an awesome horns sample that blows out of your speakers. And while many complain about RJD2's fellow Def Jux record mates rapping over some of his beats, I actually enjoy 'F.H.H.' featuring Jakki da Mota Mouth and 'Final Frontier' featuring Blueprint. While the beats are definitely well thought out and are creative, this still isn't as strong as I would have liked it to be, with no songs coming close to 'Ghostwriter'. But it still a solid CD and is worth a listen for any hip hop fan.

(3/5 mics)

I first heard RjD2, alongside with Mr. Lif and The Gift of Gab, in Philadelphia opening up for DJ Shadow. Shadow put on a marvelous show, but the highlight of my evening was hearing The Horror live. The crowd was basically nonplussed after being smacked in the face by such a freakily galvanizing song. It was quite intense. Some other notable numbers he played live that made it onto Dead ringer inlude the haunting "Ghostwriter", the Mobyesque "Good Times Roll Pt. 2" and the super-sweet "2 More Dead". Thankfully, Rj is an artist who is capable of translating his thrilling, live sound to record, and Dead ringer is a fine example of a recording that possesses the vim and vigor of a live show and also the finesse and tempering of a good studio album. Running well over an hour, Dead ringer also manages to capture my interest for the entire duration of play. My least favorite tracks are those that showcase Rj's rapping label mates, but those numbers are kept to a minimum, so they don't detract too much from the overall quality of the recording. Other worthwhile songs include the peculiar, Orbital-like "The Proxy", the Shadowesque "Chicken-Bone Circuit", and the soulful closer, "Work". Real hip-hop is hard to come by nowadays, but Dead ringer is as firmly rooted in hip-hop mores as any good rap album of the last five years. If you're looking for a DJ who spins from the heart, RjD2 is you're man.

This is the best collection of instrumentals I've ever heard. This white boy from Oregan knows how to get down with the beats. There are two songs on the album where there is a rapper, and even those songs are fire! For all of my hip hop heads who are dying to hear real music, get this album. This isn't only for hip hop heads though, it could be taken as any type of music. But regardless of what type of music that RJD2 was trying to make, he has brought hip hop back to its roots. Take the words of a real emcee.

I don't understand why everybody compares this album to DJ Shadow's Endtroducing. I see a similarity, but this album is definitely taken in a more hip-hop direction. I even might go so far as to say i preferred this album to Endtroducing. The beats on this CD are fresh and varied: a blend of hip hop, funk and other influences that everyone can enjoy, whether it's the crazy freaky alien invasion riff in The Horror, or the upbeat funky cheer in Good Times Roll pt. 2, or the more downbeat songs like Work. This album was not spoiled by attempts at being artistic, or of any long boring sections. Overall, I loved this album for its great fresh beats and for always keeping me engaged without boring me. This is a great album so if you like underground hip hop or if you like Dj Shadow or anything like that I suggest you go out and buy it.

I first heard of Rjd2 through Aesop Rock - after listening to this unique rap that was so out of the ordinary, I delved deep into the underground/indie rap scene to find Rjd2, who's one of his labelmates. So I checked at iTunes, but they didn't have any to sample. I resorted to Limewire, and downloaded a couple of his songs - "Here's What's Left" (the bonus track on the CD) and "Ghostwriter". It was unusual, as I hadn't listened to much, if any, strictly instrumental music. I was planning to get it on Amazon, but on a recent trip, I picked it up at Virgin Megastore.

I unwrapped it, and plopped into my portable cd player. It seemed a bit odd at first, as I skipped around to songs like "Silver Fox", which is one of the more contemporary songs on the CD, but when I listened more closely, cool things started to pop out. During the 7-hour car trip back from LA, I probably listened through it 5 times. Wow. He is truly an amazing artist. His ability to flow from one style to another within a track is great, along with his versatility of the mood. He samples Jimi Hendrix, old horror movies, and features some great rappers. There are more dark songs - "Smoke and Mirrors", and some feel-good songs too - "Good Times Roll Pt.2", all put together extremely well.

______________________
More Listened To:

The Horror
Smoke And Mirrors
Good Times Roll Pt.2
Final Frontier
Ghostwriter
Cut Out To FL
Chicken-Bone Circuit
2 More Dead
June

Less Listened To:

Salud (an interlude)
F.H.H.
Shot In The Dark
The Proxy
Take The Picture Off
Silver Fox
Work
__________________________
(and thats not to say that the less listened to aren't good)

I think this album is the result of hard work, good taste in music, and pure talent for Rjd2. I'm really happy that I could be introduced to instrumental DJ music with this album. I recommend you do the same.

A Great Mixture of Hip hop, Soul, Blues, and rap!
I LOVE IT!!!!

I find it humorous that reviewers actually gave this album 1 star, because it was not like Sage Francis or DJ Shadow. I also remember RJD2 stating in an interview that he wanted to make something so creative that it would piss off the average, closed-minded hip hop listener, ala De La Soul Is Dead. If you are this kind of person, who only thinks hip hop should be one thing, than please stay away. If you are interested in hearing some of the most creative hip hop instrumental music ever created, then buy this album. The beats RJD2 conjured up from innumerous samples are diverse and lovely. Explaining the sound of the album is dificult, because the style and choice of samples jump around alot from track to track. Samples include everything from rock and roll, to soul, to old movie scores, to god knows what else. However, the flow of the album is never sacrifieced and this great diversification of music keeps the listener interested and entertained. A number of the tracks though are bluesey hip hop instrumentals created through layered sampling. I have never heard anything like this before, and boy is it lovely. The only posible complaint is that I think guest MCs, Jakki and Copy-Write, come off as whiney and anoying as they spend most of thier time on the mic complaining about the status of underground hip hop. Blueprint does a much better job, laying down some rhymes more deserving on RJD2's wonderful beats. Thier collaborative album, Soul Position - 8 Million Stories, is also quite excelent. I believe not only will RJD2 be remembered for his wonderful instrumentals as displayed on this album, but also for future collaborations with MCs. He is no doubt one of the best producers in hip hop in general. He could very well break into the mainstream one day, and if that happens that sector of hip hop will definantly be better off for it.