Country : United States Label : RJ’s Electrical Connections Genres and styles : Downtempo / Funk / Hip Hop Year : 2020

The Fun Ones

· by Rupert Bottenberg

Ramble Jon Krohn was already a hero to those in the know, for his daredevil displays of turntablism and his dope discs on Def Jux, when “A Beautiful Mine” off 2006’s Magnificent City became the theme for Mad Men. He came off as a bit of a beat-building James Bond – suave, elegant, a bit perverse, with sharp wit, a sturdy right hook, and various clever tricks concealed in his shoe heel.

Having earned his merit badges, RJD2 has only so much to prove, and he doesn’t try to prove much on his latest album. Following 2016’s intense Dame Fortune, and the strange synth-tone detour of Tendrils (as The Insane Warrior), his latest is about little more than having a good time, as the title suggests. Let’s call it his Casual Friday album, blended with a bit of Throwback Thursday.

A key sound element here is chunks of phone chats with contemporaries like Phonte, Mr. Lif, and Kid Koala, and a key theme is maintaining the flame of hip hop’s golden age, with the soul, funk, and disco that fed it. The excellent “A Genuine Gentleman”, reuniting RJD2 with veteran MC Aceyalone, demonstrates this decisively.

Some of the games at RJD2’s little get-together kinda suck, like the vexing “20 Grand Hotel” (I’m sorry, is that slap bass supposed to funny?). And of course, his idea of fun includes detours in the dark and dastardly – “High Street Will Never Die” offers no assurance that someone might not get got on that stretch of asphalt, and “My Very Own Burglar Neighbor” has a delightfully spooky streak as well.

What the listener will likely keep coming back to, though, is the big, blatant, basic-model bumpers, especially the convincing opener “No Helmet Up Indianola” and the very generous “Flocking To The Nearest Machine” – easily the most fun of these Fun Ones.

Latest 360 Content

MIKE & Tony Seltzer – Pinball II

MIKE & Tony Seltzer – Pinball II

TVOD – Party Time

TVOD – Party Time

Mystical Ceilings & Sonic Architects: Night Two at Exposé Noir with Helena Hauff, Wata Igarashi & Polygonia

Mystical Ceilings & Sonic Architects: Night Two at Exposé Noir with Helena Hauff, Wata Igarashi & Polygonia

Francis Choinière and his OPCM celebrate 10 years with Mahler

Francis Choinière and his OPCM celebrate 10 years with Mahler

The Space is a Headliner: The Story of Exposé Noir

The Space is a Headliner: The Story of Exposé Noir

Velvet Fog & Hard Techno: A Night at Exposé Noir with Yazzus, Tiga & DJ Tool

Velvet Fog & Hard Techno: A Night at Exposé Noir with Yazzus, Tiga & DJ Tool

Piknic 1: A magic formula

Piknic 1: A magic formula

Let’s Yiddish’n’roll with Kallisto!

Let’s Yiddish’n’roll with Kallisto!

Mclusky – the world is still here and so are we

Mclusky – the world is still here and so are we

Triathalon – Funeral Music

Triathalon – Funeral Music

Pro Musica | Sergey et Lusine Khachatryan, l’Arménie classique et… tout l’univers classique

Pro Musica | Sergey et Lusine Khachatryan, l’Arménie classique et… tout l’univers classique

OSM | Half Moon Run’s Masterful Return to The Symphonic… Home

OSM | Half Moon Run’s Masterful Return to The Symphonic… Home

Nadia Labrie – Flûte Passion : Bolling Suite no 2 for flute and Jazz piano trio

Nadia Labrie – Flûte Passion : Bolling Suite no 2 for flute and Jazz piano trio

Maria Gajraj : not your average organist and organ music. And that’s a wonderful thing!

Maria Gajraj : not your average organist and organ music. And that’s a wonderful thing!

Maria Gajraj – Exhale

Maria Gajraj – Exhale

Chanson québécoise franco | Louis-Dominique Lévesque Remembers

Chanson québécoise franco | Louis-Dominique Lévesque Remembers

Stereo Africa Festival – Between Masterclass and Unplugged Sessions

Stereo Africa Festival – Between Masterclass and Unplugged Sessions

FIMAV | Érick D’Orion, Sound Installation Explorer

FIMAV | Érick D’Orion, Sound Installation Explorer

Enchanting choral Croatia at the Centre des musiciens du monde

Enchanting choral Croatia at the Centre des musiciens du monde

23rd Piknic Electronik: All About The May Program!

23rd Piknic Electronik: All About The May Program!

Perfume Genius – Glory

Perfume Genius – Glory

Viviane Audet – Le piano et le torrent

Viviane Audet – Le piano et le torrent

Tigran Hamasyan – The Bird of A Thousand Voices

Tigran Hamasyan – The Bird of A Thousand Voices

Oklou – Choke Enough

Oklou – Choke Enough

Subscribe to our newsletter