RJD2, strfkr, Tokimonsta, Giraffage, Le Youth

10 years! My god, that is a LIFETIME! I cant believe I have been making records on a national level for 10 years. In 1999, I was just making these little beats in my bedroom for release on an independent label. Fast forward to 2009, and I'm….making these little beats in my bedroom for release on an independent label. Ok, to be fair, some things have changed; a bigger studio, I OWN the studio, I OWN the independent label, and instead of driving 10 blocks to a gig in m hometown, I fly 10 hours to a gig in another country. But when it all comes down to its most base level, the goal is still the same: to make a piece of music that is going to hopefully rearrange your brain, or at least provide some relief from real life for a moment or two. So let's take a look at what's happened over the course of those 10 years….

Things all started in Columbus, OH with Fondle 'em records and a rap group I was in called the MHz. We did a few 12" singles in the late 90's on (the now defunct) Fondle 'em, which lead to one of the members, Copywrite, doing a record on (the now defunct) Eastern Conference, which I produced some of. Those early singles also brought me to the attention of Definitive Jux, with whom I signed to(after having my demo turned down by virtually EVERY label in the US and UK that did anything remotely instrumental or weird in hiphop!). After a few singles and songs came out in 2001 under "rjd2", 2002 saw the release of "Dead Ringer", my first solo album. That year became the first in a series of whirlwinds that seem to change shape annually, but never slow down. I toured the world for the first time-Europe/Japan/the US several times, licensed music to an auto company of yesteryear called Saturn, spent time opening for DJ Shadow, and moved to Philadelphia. The following year of 2003 saw the release of "The Horror EP", remixes for Massive Attack, Mos Def, Polyphonic Spree(among MANY others), more touring, and the release of the first Soul Position album, "8 Million Stories". While traveling the states in support of the Soul Position album, I had my MPC plugged into the cigarette lighter of a rented minivan, feverishly slaving away. These tracks I made during drives across the US would become the 2004 album "Since We Last Spoke". By then, "Dead Ringer" had surpassed 75,000 copies worldwide, and had gotten a fair amount of attention, including folks like David Lynch and Mark Ecko, among others.

With the 2004 release of "Since We Last Spoke", I hit the road for my first headlining tour ever. Armed with 4 turntables, an mpc and a video rig, I made my way across the US and Europe for the third year in a row. The production work for other artists also continued for both rappers and singers(Diverse, Tweet, Fallout Boy,Cage, etc). But unbeknownst to the rest of the world, this year was critical in the path that lead me to where I am now: I made the decision to not resign with Definitive Jux. It was really my first move outside of a comfort zone, and into uncharted territory. It was also the start of realizing a vision of being my own boss, both creatively AND business-wise. 2004 was also the beginning of my love affair with "vintage" synthesizers and restoring them; this would lead to things later…

The next few years saw the release of many side projects: a 2nd Soul Position LP-"Things Go Better With RJ and Al", a collaboration with Aceyalone-"Magnificent City", the scoring of my first video game-"Mark Ecko's Getting Up", and the usual remixes and production work for other artists. I also contributed to the cookbook "I Like Food, Food Tastes Good", a cookbook of musicians' recipes. Still waiting for a Vol. 2 so I can include my homemade apple/walnut/raisin pie. Of course, I toured to support the records this year as well(I have traversed the continental US at least once a year since 2001-watch out for my comprehensive guide to espresso in America). But throughout this period of 2005-2006, I was working on some recordings that would mark the furthest reaches of anything I had done to date….

These recordings became 2007's "The Third Hand", a record that was done with a specific methodology in mind: get as far as I could using strictly my own resources. This meant using the MPC sampler, as I always had for my solo records, but primarily for the drums. But save for a few small passages, all of the instrumentation was performed by myself in a studio I had spent years building up to mimic the types of keyboards/guitars/amps/synths/etc that would have appeared on the types of records I COULD have been sampling. And in keeping with the intent of weaning myself off of the samples I had relied on for so long, I took on the duties of vocalist as well. My take on "sample based music" had always been to try and make things that felt like pop records, in the sense that they had a vocal element, but had the urgency and immediacy of funk or hip-hop records. To boot, I arrived at the decision to do the record on XL recordings, as I felt they believed in the record the most. Thus, 2007 was a year that many saw as one of departures, but to me was more another stop in what is hopefully a long journey. I decided at a point that I'd rather look back on a varied catalog that was interesting and challenging, than one of multiple attempts at the same vibe, with varying degrees of success. Furthermore, I just cant get excited about doing the same thing over and over. And if I cant get excited about the music im making, how can I expect someone else to?

Which brings us to now. After two years of touring as a headliner in support of "The Third Hand" with a full band, as well as winning my first award, ASCAP'S best TV Theme for my recording the Mad Men theme-its time for my 4th solo album, "The Colossus". As "The Third Hand" was my first TRULY solo album, with NO guest performances whatsoever, I decided to do the opposite of sorts this time: an album that is as collaborative as possible; an "overview" of all the different types of working approaches ive used over the years; some strictly sample-based material, some live; some guest vocalists, a few songs I sing,; both instrumental and vocal. As this was all tracked at the same time, I think it has a cohesive feel to it. Featuring Phonte Coleman(Little Brother, Foreign Exchange), Kenna(Star Trak, VA Beach), Aaron Livingston(The Roots' "Guns Are Drawn"), Columbus mc's The Catalyst, Illogic, and NP, and a slew of instrumentalists, I think I can safely say this is the most sonically lush and varied record I've ever done.

The last piece of the puzzle is that this record marks the first album I will release on my own label, RJ's Electrical Connections. In addition to re-acquiring the master recordings to ALL of my Definitive Jux catalog, and re-releasing them, this marks a massive step towards being completely working on my own terms, artistically and business-wise. Cheers-here's to many more to hopefully come.


In recent years, STRFKR has transformed from solely representing the work of principal songwriter Josh Hodges into a trio rounded out by bassist Shawn Glassford and drummer Keil Corcoran.

After the release of their 3rd proper album, Miracle Mile, in 2013, the band rose to new heights, with highlights including: debuting on the Billboard Top 200 for the first time, making their network television debut and playing Coachella Music Festival in 2014. As well, their single "While I'm Alive" was featured in the hit movie The Fault In Our Stars and was also included on the film's soundtrack.

The past two years have also seen STRFKR's live show grow to become one of the most talked about live performances of any band on the road -- a non-stop dance party that features costume changes, streamer guns, astronauts, aliens, and sumo wrestlers in addition to a giant inflatable raft that the band and their dancers ride through their sweat drenched crowds.


Los Angeles native, TOKiMONSTA (Jennifer Lee) is known for her unique take on electronic,hip hop, and dance music. Her classical upbringing and eclectic taste in music has allowed her to create vast textural soundscapes—a reverberation that fuses vintage sensibilities with progressive inclinations. Since 2010, she has released 2 full albums, 2 EPs, 2 vinyl only singles through Ultra Records (US), Sony (Korea), Brainfeeder/Ninja Tune (US/UK), Art Union (Japan), Black Acre (UK), Ramp (UK), and All City (Ireland).
Her music has been recognized by the very best in tastemaker and mainstream media. TOKiMONSTA has been featured on various worldwide radio programs such as: BBC Radio1 (UK), NPR (USA), BBC World Service (UK), J Wave (JP), Studio Brussels (BE), Radio Nova (FR), KCRW (LA) to name a few. Subsequently, DJ Mag, Pitchfork, The Guardian, XLR8R, Paper, LA Times, Dazed and Confused, SPIN, Wax Poetics, MTV, VIBE, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Sound and Recording and more have covered her. She has been ranked by LA weekly as LA's best female DJ (noting her versatility as a producer). Additionally, Resident Adviser featured her for their "Breaking Through" series, which focuses on the next break through artist. Not only has she caught ears of many as a different dimension of Los Angeles-based music, TOKiMONSTA is notably the first female to join Flying Lotus' crew/label BRAINFEEDER, which is on the forefront of LA music scene.

Recognition of her music has given her the opportunity to tour the world. In a never-ending effort to stay on top of technological and musical advances, she uses cutting edge technology with pieces of musical and multimedia gear. She participated in the prestigious Red Bull Music Academy in London in 2010. In the summer of 2012, she was apart of the Full Flex Express tour, the first electronic music themed train tour that traveled across Canada with Skrillex, Diplo, Pretty Lights, and Grimes. She performed on the very first SS Coachella–Golden Voices' first ocean cruise festival. Some notable past performances were at Coachella, Sonar Barcelona, DEMF, WMC, Electric Zoo, SXSW, Camp Bisco, Decibel Festival. 2014 will include festival plays at Sonar Barcelona (2nd time), Glastonbury, Roskilde, Sasquatch, with more to be announced.


San Francisco producer Charlie Yin has made quite a name for himself turning bedroom beats into dance floor staples as Giraffage. His beloved R&B remixes and vibe-laden solo tracks have won early praise from Pitchfork, The Fader, XLR8R and other tastemakers, all while he seals the deal live with lush, bass-driven performances at Low End Theory, Boiler Room and gigs around the globe.

Giraffage is poised for even bigger things with an expansive new EP out later this year on Fool's Gold, and he'll be showcasing these brand-new tracks and more on Porter Robinson's "Worlds" tour of North America.


90s sounds refracted through a thoroughly modern aesthetic. Tracks that are serious about moving a dance floor full of people without coming on too strong. Breezy California vibes touched by a twist of European flair and an air of mystery. This is what Le Youth is about.

Wes James is the slightly enigmatic Angeleno behind Le Youth, a producer without a past whose music is steeped in it. His signature sound is a blend of Clinton-era R&B and the house music that was lighting up dancefloors and radio stations around the globe during the same period, and the leisurely grooves, airy synthesizers, and pop hooks of a song like his debut single "C O O L" can easily pull a listener back to the pre-millennial, pre-Internet days when dance music offered a transcendentally blissful brand of hedonism that's considerably harder to find on today's aggro-edged EDM landscape.

Viewers of the new video for "C O O L" (directed by Renata Raksha) who know their 90s music will likely pick up on the influence of a number of cultural touchstones from the time: chart-topping crossover club acts like Technotronic and Black Box, house divas like Robin S. and CeCe Peniston, and R&B icons like Aaliyah and Ginuwine, as well as a visual sensibility that evokes Herb Ritts in his role as video director to the decade's biggest pop superstars. It's got retro style while maintaining completely contemporary feel that's free from gimmicks and offers stylishly relaxed relief from the ongoing onslaught of dayglo-tinged dubstep.

Le Youth's already attracted the attention of tastemaking dance music bloggers and tastemakers, and his music has already topped the charts of one of dance music's most exclusive barometers, Hype Machine. His next move? Nothing less than defining the sound of summer 2013.