The Third Hand

For 'The Third Hand', RJD2 seemingly abandons all the notions and titles that have been placed upon him. Underground hip-hop super-producer to many, virtuoso samplebased instrumental wizard to some, RJD2 embodies all of these things on "The Third Hand" but goes further. Recorded, performed, arranged, and produced entirely by himself in his basementstudio, RJD2 commands his trusty MPC 2000XL sampler/sequencer alongside a pantheon of analog synths, electric pianos and guitars, not to mention his own voice. Most notably, live instruments come in to play. The result is a cohesive pop album in the most classic sense , a sound more akin to Phoenix than, say, Prefuse 73. In essence, this is RJD2's entrance into the pantheon of enigmatic songwriter/producers (see Jon Brion, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder) capable of creating a record of rich songwriting, complex arrangements, and clever production.