★★★★★
Upon the very first listen, it appears that RJD2 didn't stray too far from his norm. And although some demand a continuous evolution from each artist, I personally welcome a unique yet intricately perfected sound. On each subsequent listen to More Is Than Isn't, I feel that RJ did precisely just that - tweaked individual elements to improve on his particular aesthetic, while taking the entire production an entire notch up...
- www.popmatters.com
2013-10-16
★★★★★
Tweet More Old School Than New While in retrospect turntablism was doomed to fail as a sustainable genre--there's a "sound," then there's mere focus on one instrument--it didn't help that some of the world's best cutters untethered themselves from the skills that paid their bills for the purpose of artistic growth...
- www.mxdwn.com
2013-10-16
★★★★★
To be a star DJ these days means to lord over massive dancehalls pulsing to EDM and molly. There was a time, however, when prolific samplers included DJ Shadow, RJD2 and J Dilla instead of, you know...David Guetta. Of those three, at least, RJD2--born Ramble John Krohn--most fully embraced his jazz and soul roots, pairing deep grainy beats with samples that presaged hits like Kanye West and Jay Z's "Otis." More Is Than Isn't is similarly satisfying, hearty music that gets back to RJD2's roots...
- filtermagazine.com
2013-10-12
★★★★★
More Is Than Isn't , the fifth proper full-length from Philly beatsmith RJD2 , opens and closes with the echoes of distant bird chips. A consummate crate-digger and sample hunter, RJ lines the path in between nu-disco, dusty soul, rock 'n' roll, spiraling organ runs, and brash hip-hop. As the title suggests, its 16 tracks are a cacophony of aesthetics pulled from the producer's myriad inspirations...
- consequenceofsound.net
2013-10-11
★★★★★
Track List:
1. Suite 1
2. Temperamental
3. Behold, Numbers!
4. Her Majesty's Socialist Request
5. A Lot of Night Ahead of You
6. Bathwater
7. Milk Tooth
8. Suite 2
9. Winter Isn't Coming
10. See You Leave
11. Got There, Sugar?
12. Love and Go
13. Descended from Myth
14. Dirty Hands
15. It All Came to Me in a Dream
16. Suite 3
Banner Photo by Ben Mistak
Further the conversation with your thoughts and comments...
- www.kcrw.com
2013-10-07
★★★★★
A little more than a decade after Deadringer came out, there's enough music--and enough attempts at reconfiguring his style--to help you construct a picture of how all over the map RJD2's career has been. Whether it's a clear picture is another thing entirely; his shift from underground rap production next big thing to muddled indie-pop singer-songwriter to studio-bound funkateer has done a lot to confuse any set-in-stone ideas of what the RJD2 sound was or is supposed to be...
- pitchfork.com
2013-10-07
★★★★★
After a decade experimenting with different styles and genres, producer RJD2 returns to the format of his 2002 debut. Like his classic , is focused primarily on instrumental hip-hop, along with a few vocal tracks featuring rappers and/or singers. The album opens with the piano-and-strings jazz of "Suite 1," while "Suite 2" and "Suite 3" bring that mellower vibe back at later points, as do uninspired instrumental "A Lot of Night Ahead of You" and the first third of experimental jazz instrumental...
- exclaim.ca
2013-10-08
★★★★★
For better or worse, RJD2 is an artist obsessed with forward movement. After gaining critical praise for his tempered, sample-heavy debut, , the Ohio producer released a triumvirate of records that saw him moving into hard beat box funk, awkward singer-songwriter groove and revisionist R&B.; Returning to the production style that defined his first two releases, brings together a handful of guest vocalists and rappers to round out a collection of 16 golden age electro tunes...
- exclaim.ca
2013-10-05
★★★★★
There's a reason for this, a giveaway EP featuring remixes of a single song from RJD2's 2010 LP The Colossus, to exist; the reason just isn't very obvious, that's all. It's certainly not because "The Glow" was a standout on the record; there were no standouts on that just-making-the-grade effort. Doesn't help, either, that the song is disjointed and fails to find a pocketed groove that'll stick...
- pitchfork.com
2011-02-01