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RJD2 in the household

Posted Jan 8, 2010 by Clarisa Gerlach

Updated Jan 8, 2010 at 05:50 PM

RJD2 may not be a household name, but the DJ-producer’s music has made it into plenty of households.

His work has been featured in commercials for Saturn and Heineken, and he’s responsible for the theme music for AMC’s “Mad Men” series.

Film soundtracks would seem like a natural progression for the musician born Ramble John Krohn, who releases his latest album, “The Colossus,” on Jan. 19. 

The opening track, “Let There Be Home,” even sounds like the theme to a ‘70s action flick.

“Everybody says that,” the Philadelphia-based DJ/producer says by telephone from his old stomping grounds of Columbus, Ohio.

The film offers haven’t come flooding in, though, which he says is due to his lack of “that cutthroat L.A. mentality.”

He may not be ruthless, but he’s got business sense, enough to realize releasing his new album on his own label was a better option than working with a label again.

His 2007 album, “The Third Hand,” saw him move to XL after a pair of albums on influential hip-hop label Definitive Jux. The experience all but guaranteed “The Colossus” would be self-released.

“I was surprised at how little XL brought to the table,” he says. “I hired the publicists and made one of the videos for peanuts.

“This isn’t rocket science,” he continues. “Picking singles, setting up tours, publicity, blah blah blah – there’s nothing about rolling out an album that’s going to be a mystery to me.”

It may just be that RJD2 doesn’t want to entrust his latest to anyone else. He’s justifiably proud of “the Colossus.”

“I felt a little bit like crying” when the record was complete, he says.

“I really think this is the best record I’ve made, technical accomplishment-wise and song-wise,” he says. “It covers much more ground from sample-based things to full-on live things, and a lot of territory in between.”

RJD2 performs Thursday, Jan. 14 at Crowbar, 1812 17th St. N. in Tampa. Show time is 9 p.m. For more information, call (813) 241-8600.