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[megateto]

And I have to say it, amazing atmospheric hiphop (I guess you could call his music like that ).

I am really digging it. I currently have Deadringer and In rare form (which is simply incredible). What else should I look for from him (as I am guessing it's a male individual)? And in the same vein?

C'mon, hiphop heads, a pop head is asking for help!!

 

[Fifty]

Since we Last spoke is my favorite album of his....but Deadringer is a very close second. You're on the right track, just pick this one up.


If you haven't heard any DJ Shadow, he's the #1 artist in the "same vein"

 

[HooDoo]

If you like it so much maybe you could try Prefuse 73 and Dj Krush. And I second the Dh Shadow advice.

 

[megateto]

Thanks for such fast advice!

I had heard some DJ Shadow and DJ Krush, but at the time I found them maybe a little too wierd (as in advanced) for my 3 chord tastes. But hey, maybe my ears are wider now and I am ready for their work. I'll definitely check them

I've got Deadringer on right now... it's so refreshing. I am getting the same feeling I got when I first heard Moby's Play: many familiar sounds, but mixed in a radically new and unexpected way.

 

[Fifty]

You might also like The Avalanches They do some amazing stuff with samples.

As far as DJ Shadow goes.....Endtroducing is THE album of his to own, or at least check out. My favorite two tracks are "Stem/Long Stem/Transmition 2" and "Building Steam with a grain of salt" . If you don't like these, well you probably won't like him

and oh yeah, since I'm bored I'll just shoot off two other names of artists that I'm listening to..these aren't in the same vein, but whatever, just ignore it if they suck.

"Rinocerose" Uptempo french house

and "Nightmares on Wax" downtempo

 

[Fifty]

If you had misspelled his name "R2D2" as I have, this thread would be very popular!

 

[aku:jiki]

Has he done anything since Spoke? I was kind of disappointed in it. It was good, but not as mindnumbingly awesome as Deadringer was. (Then again Deadringer was more than just an album in my circle of friends, it was like an event, so that probably has a lot to do with it.)

 

[Zensetsu]

amazing atmospheric hiphop

Sounds worth checking out.

 

[aku:jiki]

Sounds worth checking out.

I wouldn't call most of any of his albums hiphop, though. It's based in it but it's harder to define than that.

Although I guess "June" fits that description to a tee. Wish Copywrite was a better lyricist thoguh.

 

[Zensetsu]

So I checked it out, and it's great! You're right when you say its not exactly hip-hop though.

But lately i've been diggin the neo-soul, neo-funk kinda sound, and this is perfect. Cheers.

 

[ZootedGranny]

RJD2 has a collection of purely hip-hop productions out there for emcees, as well as a couple of old mixtapes. Of his material you may have not heard, I suggest his mix "Your Face or Your Kneecaps."

Taking into consideration you said you were a pop head, RJD2's albums are much "brighter" for lack of a better term than a majority of either of Shadow's major label solo efforts.

That said, "Endtroducing" is an absolute MUST LISTEN, and I actually prefer Shadow's "The Private Press" to "Since We Last Spoke." Though they aren't directly comparable, they both are a deviation from their debuts. All four albums are great though.

As for other artists, everyone that instantly comes to mind has been mentioned (prefuse, Avalanches, except for maybe Blockhead, who put out "Music By Cavelight" which is worth a listen.

If you get into it, there are a lot more acts that are more "out there" musically in comparison to RJD2.

 

[shuri]

Buck65 is kinda neat also

 

[pixelated]

Soul Position - 8 Million stories
Soul Position - Unlimited EP

both are RJD2 produced with Blueprint

An example of their work is on the Deadringer album: Final Frontier

Also check out stuff by

The Herbaliser - Something Wicked This Way Comes
The Herbaliser - Take London

 

[The Interrobanger]

RJD2 is one of my favorite artists, with "Since We Last Spoke" being my favorite of his (hell, that along with Deadringer are two of my favorite albums of all time).

Thank god there's another Buck 65 fan here, I've been praising him in these forums forever. Imagine Tom Waits as a rapper with amazing production skills and you've got Buck 65 in a nutshell. "Square" and "Man Overboard" are another two of my favorite albums.

DJ Shadow kicks ass too, but I prefer RJ to him. Check out Stem/Long Stem off of "Endtroducing..." and tell me he's not a genius.

Other good reccomendations as mentioned before are DJ Krush (especially "Milight"), Diplo ("Florida"), Blockhead and a not very well known Brazillian artist called Climber. Check out "Downtown Loop" by Climber (good luck finding it )for a prefect fusion of RJD2 and DJ Shadow.
Bonobo, Four Tet and Prefuse 73 are also awesome, although I consider them more of electronica artists than instrumental hip-hop.

And as much as I love hip-hop, I prefer RJ's solo instrumental work to the Soul Position albums.

I own pretty much every single album that has been mentioned in this thread, so that just proves how much of a nutcase I am when it comes to instrumental hip-hop/electronica. If anyone wants an album sample of any of these, just PM me.

 

[HooDoo]

If you're into that kind of music be sure to check Ninja Tune and Warp Records labels. Not every artists are RJD2-like but that's a good start to find some abstract hiphop albums.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Nothing in this genre can touch this album. Don't get Prefuse 73's newest one though. It's trash.

For someone that's coming in with an ear for pop music, Four Tet's "Rounds" would be the easiest intro. It isn't abstract at all and it's full of nothing but catchy melodies. It's a favorite of mine.

 

[impirius]

I'm listening to Since We Last Spoke and loving it. GAF > all for music recommendations.


edit: Hey, wasn't "Clean Living" in NFL 2K5?

 

[Fifty]

Glad to hear you like it! It's always nice turning people on to music they wouldn't otherwise hear.

 

[shuri]

I think the best way to discover Dj Shadow is to buy the In Tune and On Time dvd that he released in 2004. The show is amazing and it comes with a bonus live recording of the whole show on cd. He covers his whole career during the show, along with his UNKLE tracks.

 

[Lambtron]

"True Confessions" from the Urban Renewal Project comp is about the best Rjd2 track ever, it's fucking incredible.

The Soul Position EP is way way better than 8 Million Stories.

 

[fart]

shadow's first album and prefuse's one word extinguisher are REALLY really good. not quite so into the rjd2...

aesop rock's first lp is also quite good, iirc

 

[Dilbert]

One more recommendation: Check out Lightweight Heavy by Fat Jon The Ample Soul Physician. It's a bit softer than Rjd2 or DJ Shadow, but if you like atmospheric, funky, instrumental hip-hop, you'll love it. I haven't seen anyone else pimping this guy, but he's one of my favorite recent finds. (Well, last year, but that's somewhat recent, right?)

 

[Cosmic Bus]

I was going to post something, but it'd just be identical to what Lambtron said. As usual, he speaks truth and nothing more.

RJ does some hawt remixes, too. His versions of Massive Attack's "Butterfly Caught," Nightmares On Wax, "70s, 80s" and El-P's "Lazerface's Warning" are certainly worth seeking out. I've also found myself buying pretty much any hip-hop disc that he helped produce, whether it's the entire album or just a couple of tracks. You're always guaranteed swanky beats, even if the vocals are weak.

In regards to DJ Shadow, Endtroducing as stated several times already, if definitely the way to go, although I wouldn't buy it now as it's getting the deluxe reissue treatment sometime in the fall. Private Press is also damn good, though not as many people seem to like it. And for what it's worth, the extended overhaul version of "Organ Donor" is way frickin' better than the original mix.

And jinx, there was some mix you had mentioned before that I can't recall the name of. It was, IIRC, Coldcut and maybe DJ Shadow... Could swear it had "Journey" in the title.

 

[Macam]

These threads are nothing but trouble!

 

[Dilbert]

And jinx, there was some mix you had mentioned before that I can't recall the name of. It was, IIRC, Coldcut and maybe DJ Shadow... Could swear it had "Journey" in the title.

Ah yes...Journeys By DJ: 70 Minutes Of Madness, mixed by Coldcut. It's THE best DJ mix of all time, as far as I'm concerned. It's a completely diverse mix that cuts across genres into a mindblowing whole. Any mix which can cram Junior Reid crooning "One Blood" over drum-and-bass mayhem, "The Bridge Is Over" by BDP, Jello Biafra ranting about politics, AND the original Dr. Who theme in 70 minutes is a force to be reckoned with.

 

[goodcow]

I thought this was going to be some R2D2 joke.

 

[Coin Return]

Picked up "Since We Last Spoke".

Fucking awesome album. Thanks GAF!!

 

[Cosmic Bus]

Ah yes...Journeys By DJ: 70 Minutes Of Madness, mixed by Coldcut. It's THE best DJ mix of all time, as far as I'm concerned.

Excellent. I'll be ordering that this week.

 

[Dilbert]

Excellent. I'll be ordering that this week.

Glad to make the recommendation. I'm still enjoying Bootmixed by DJ Matt Hite, so I definitely owe you some kind of reciprocity.

 

[Luscious LeftFoot]

Been meaning to check ouf RJD2 for a long while...

Thank you GAF, you've come through once again!

 

[Fixed2BeBroken]

MEGAHURTZ CREW!!!

yea RJD2 is dope.

He needs to work with more prolific emcees tho. It would be great.

Yall should also Check out Soul Position since he has stuff on that too with blueprint.

peace

 

[Cosmic Bus]

Glad to make the recommendation. I'm still enjoying Bootmixed by DJ Matt Hite, so I definitely owe you some kind of reciprocity.

Yeah, I still pop that mix in once in a while. Lately it's been Kid Kameleon's two "Shocking" mixes. The downside is that they're formatted as one long track, but they're so good that I usually go straight through with 'em.

 

[megateto]

Thanks to all for this HUGE input!

You've giving me some months worth of music to listen, and some hate from my coworkers, as I am usually the only one who cares to play some music and they aren't specially keen to my music.

I said I was a pop head just to make a faster post and not bother you with a list that is so long that is boring just to think about writing it up (Beatles, Oasis, Kraftwerk, Fat Boy Slim, Portishead, Massive Attack, Bowie, Cure, Paul Weller, Blur, Suede, Iron Maiden, Queen, Dire Straits, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, anything Brasil, balcanic brass music, Spanish pop, Spanish hiphop (you should all try and check "La Excepcion"), Spanish folk music, flamenco, some French rap (IAM, NTM), NIN, APC, Tool, garage music from the 60's, Van Morrison, Weezer, Hedningarna (spelling?), Depeche Mode, Stone Roses, Michael Jackson, Sloan, Air, Nirvana, Guns n' Roses, Beach Boys, 70's disco and lots more I can´t think about now)... Guess that, as we say in Spain, I am open eared, but gaf, as other have said, is great for music recomendations (and films, I must add). And that huge list has lately been fed by GAF.

Thanks/gracias!

 

[Lambtron]

I'm generally not into DJ mixes and the like, but that 70 Minutes of Madness sounds pretty hot... I may have to give that a spin here in the near future. HMMMM!

Hota: To be completely honest, I'd assumed you'd have posted what I posted already, and I would've just dittoed what you'd have to say. I can't front, it's all your fault I like Rj.