Sounds of the Skatepark Vol. 5: Locking In

The term ‘locking in’ has become a bit of a buzzword lately, but it’s been a common mantra at the skatepark for ages. Along with ‘locking in,’ I’ve also heard, ‘finding your flow, get focused, zoning in,’ which are all variations on the same idea: achieving a state of harmony between your mind and body. What that looks like depends on the person, but what everyone can agree on is the importance of trying to find that balance between focus and relaxation, and not letting the stress of life translate into stress on the board.

I met Jeremy and his black, flat-coated retriever Lita at an empty Shockus park in Ocean Beach last Monday afternoon. While Lita ran circles around the park chasing any squirrels brave enough to still be out, Jeremy was practicing his drop-ins on the tallest side of the bowl. With both earbuds in, the loud smack of his front wheels hitting the concrete marked the beginning of a cycle of dropping into the bowl, skating up the opposite wall, and rolling back to his spot, all in one fluid motion.

Watching him was hypnotizing, and when I noticed his headphones I had to find out what was keeping him focused. “Hey man, what are you listening to?” I asked. “RJD2,” he replied. “Keeps me locked in.” Jeremy discovered RJD2 through watching snowboarding videos. “I like the beat and rhythms. I know rhythm is everything with skating, snowboarding, even golf.” In addition to rhythm, Jeremy said he likes RJD2 for his use of classic beats and low-key instrumentation, “It’s my learning music because it’s very chill and not in your face. I’ll listen to this when I’m learning something new or refining something.”

RJD2 is the stage name of Ramble Jon Krohn, a producer and DJ from Columbus, Ohio. His debut album, “Deadringer” was released in 2002 to wide acclaim and launched him to the forefront of the underground hip hop scene. He followed that up with “Since We Last Spoke” in 2004, but not before collaborating with some of the biggest underground players of the period, crafting remixes for Mos Def and Massive Attack, and even producing a track for MF Doom’s 2003 album, “Vaudeville Villain.”     

RJD2’s sound falls in line with other notable instrumental DJ’s of the early 2000s, notably Moby, Fatboy Slim and J.Rawls. This Y2K-flavored style of beat-making derives its sampling from the same bank as notable new-school era producers like RZA, Q-Tip and Dr. Dre. The sound combines hi-hat-heavy 808s with R&B, funk, jazz and audio clips from those 1950s Hollywood movies where everyone speaks in phony transatlantic accents.  

RJD2’s debut, “Deadringer,” feels like the soundtrack to a horror movie, with eerie, about-to-get-stabbed-in-the-shower synths flowing into long stretches of instrumental hip hop. The sequel,“Since We Last Spoke,” gets weirder, implementing live instruments alongside samples, to produce what I imagine AI trying to generate a Bryan Adams song would sound like. It’s eerie and familiar, but something is distorted, in a good way.

Part of what gives his music that mesmerizing, sink-into-your-flow-state sound is his use of audio texture. The beats are meticulous, but subtly layered with spatial variety that makes the music feel wholly encompassing. What sounds like a long, repetitive loop is garnished by disc scratching, funky guitar licks, dashes of echo and reversed piano pads which emulate the sound of wind rushing past your ears. 

RJD2 continued to experiment with sampling and percussion across the 2010’s, releasing his most recent project, “Visions Out Of Limelight,” in 2024. Despite changing up his sound from album to album and leaning into more experimental avenues of instrumental hip hop, there’s still that same focus on percussion, rhythm and texture across his projects. It sounds as if, creatively, he’s doing whatever he wants, and at this point in his career, he sounds locked in.