RJD2 - The Third Hand

By Daniel Johnson
September 13, 2007

When The Third Hand dropped way back in March, about an eon and a half ago in culture years, much of the internet response ranged from mild dismissal to outright loathing. But most of the crucifixion was being done on a cross of context and his disciples, the ragged, outcast aficionados of experimental hip hop, were the ones driving in the nails. Krohn's hallowed reputation as one of the Def Jux label's most gifted and esoteric hip-hop producers was the real source of the controversy, as The Third Hand was certainly a blunt departure from that previous work. But blunt departures are the soul of innovation. And as The Third Hand demonstrates in ample measure, Krohn is nothing if not dripping innovation.

The Third Hand could be seen as a companion piece, or a more unassuming little brother, to Jamie Lidell's own abrupt style shift, Multiply. On that record, Lidell gave way to his inner soul freak and muzzled his tendency for IDM madness in favor of real instruments and real songs. It was retro, revivalist and retarded good. Like Lidell, Krohn finally had enough of production-as-artform. The man simply burned out on the lack of possibility in computer music's, well, limitless possibilities. But burn-out was always implicit in his sound; a contrariness in his productions based in skepticism of hip hop's conventions. The fact that he's moved on for more vital pastures should come as no surprise to anybody who has loved and followed him for his restless invention.

And if you could write, play and sing this good, would you hide your light under a bushel of electronics? Krohn's soul croon is unique and, for that reason, indispensable. "Just When" and "Evening Gospel" are sung in silk and given to well-placed harmony. His "flow" as an instrumentalist is next-level and on tracks like "Reality" and "Get It," the drumming and keyboard work are sickly and loose in a way that takes faking when working in "the grid." (Producers have been imitating the uneven cadence of live drummers for years now. Krohn is just cutting out the middle man.) And his writing is surprisingly fresh. "Have Mercy," "Work it Out" and "Sweet Piece" have a sun-kissed, progressive funk that sounds like '70s Stevie Wonder might have if Wonder had been a pro surfer.

Who knows? Maybe Krohn should have used a different alias for his genre shift on new label XL, since most of the outrage has come from those with no stomach for change. But that would only mean that the worst thing he's guilty of is misdirection. Not exactly the crime of the century. The Third Hand deserves a second chance.