A New Outlet for Electro: RJD2

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WITHIN THE BUBBLING MELTING POT of Philadelphia stir the creative energies of one Ramble John Krohn — the electronic music producer known as RJD2. While not originally from Philly, Krohn has adopted its inner funk.

His flavorful hip-hop instrumentation, both streetwise and sincere, first caught the attention of influential hip-hop indie label Definitive Jux, helmed by El-P of the Brooklyn trio Company Flow. It was an instant stamp of approval that bore Krohn two full-length albums' worth of material.

Followed by an avalanche of remixes and production credits.

But the RJD2 brand has since shifted away from mere beat-centricity. Krohn's newest release, "The Third Hand," stakes new ground. He admits the change of direction attracted attention in ways not always to his favor — hip-hop heads are notoriously resolute, after all. "For some, it was an odd turn of events," Krohn says.

Despite the naysayers, the fundamental hip-hop beat is still the primary feature of Krohn's daring "experiment" with live instrumentation and straight-up songwriting (and singing!).

But there's more to his transformation than meets the vinyl. "I feel like it has made a massive difference in my live show," Krohn says. To prove it, he's taking his groove collective on the road to work in some new tunes, hitting the 9:30 Club on Thursday.

» 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW; with Happy Chichester, Thu., 8 p.m., $20; 800-955-5566. (U St.-Cardozo)M

Written by Express contributor Johnathan Rickman

Photo courtesy IZ3