Full Circle
The horror, the horror

IT'S HARD TO live up to the hype, especially when it's the kind of buzz that surrounded RJD2 when he released last year's Deadringer (Definitive Jux). All of the media acclaim was almost enough to send this contrarian running in the other direction, but a chance encounter with the blasted horns and rumbling bass of "The Horror" had me tracking down my own copy of the album late one night from (OK, I confess) Borders. Two things of note: (a) I wanted that track bad enough to pay full retail for the album, and (b) I was willing to endanger my indie retail-supporting cred just so I could get it as soon as possible. The phrases dramatic and cinematic get bandied about almost anytime there's an album that isn't just party cuts, but "The Horror," with its haunted siren synth, choice vocal samples, and call-to-action drums, is deserving of such praise and then some.

So I was more than a bit disappointed when RJD2's latest EP, The Horror, recently arrived. It features the exact same album version of the song that made me forgive Ohio for Pete Rose. Call me demanding, but if you put out an EP named for a track from an already available CD, I want it remixed, dammit! After all, this is the guy who killed it in 2001 with his remix of Cannibal Ox's "F-Word" (Def Jux). But, after I cooled down a bit, I popped the disc in and was quickly lost once again in the twisted, flip-side world of RJD2.

There's not a load of brand-new songs here, but the remixes of "Ghostwriter" and the instrumental version of "F.H.H." are alone worth the cover charge. "Ghostwriter" is chiefly an editing job, but with its scope and structural range tightened, the impact of its seemingly disparate yet perfectly mated elements is more pronounced. The feeling of release is palpable when the mournful guitar gives way to hard, desperately funky horns. As I was never a huge fan of Jakki's rhymes on "F.H.H.," an instrumental re-rub is most welcome, especially when RJ not only gives some more elbow room to the faint, fluttering flute and music-box harpsichord but also brings his crisp drums to the front, where they belong.

All of this juggling serves to underscore the emotion, perhaps RJD2's true instrument. Running through the drama of his productions is a distinct appreciation of camp, and "The Horror" in particular is as much about schlock as it is about shock. The EP comes with a second disc of video material including live footage from a San Francisco show at Betalounge and scenes from the making of "The Horror" video. Both behind the decks and on the shoot, RJD2 comes across as a guy having the time of his life, getting his kicks doing what he loves to do and hamming it up for the camera.

Though Deadringer got a lot of attention for its original samples and free-for-all approach to genre, RJD2 is hard to beat when it comes to the beats. One of The Horror's new tracks, "Bus Stop Bitties," is a prime example, with subtle drum-programming flair that might slip past an inattentive ear. It may at first appear to be a bit of a novelty cut, with its "cornbread, candied yams, soulfood" refrain, but the kick drum practically leaps out from the speakers, and the snares snap with a metallic edge at the end of each beat. Then the drum solo drops, everything stops, and one can only marvel at a producer at the top of his game.