Friday 11/06/04 RJD2, Pitman @ Northern Light, Leeds

Whoever thought that lining up genius producer RJD2 alongside the rapping coalminer MC Pitman was a good decision must have had a screw loose. Pitman’s brand of increasingly unfunny novelty hip-hop is truly abysmal. For the uninitiated, we’re talking about a guy whose set consists of well-known hip-hop tunes with new comedy lyrics along a coalmining theme. It’s a good joke for about a nanosecond, after which it’s just tragic. Thing is, hip-hop has always been funny, from Slick Rick onwards, without resorting to a lame fancy dress and swearing routine. All Pitman makes you wish for is to hear the original LL Cool J and Grandmaster Flash tunes he massacres, in all their undefiled glory.

RJD2 has more talent in his eyebrows than Pitman has in his entire body. On four decks and a sampler, Richard Krohn - to use the name his mother gave him - is a Tasmanian Devil-style blur, reassembling and restructuring tracks from his debut album, 'Deadringer', and it's recent follow-up, 'Since We Last Spoke'.

On record, RJ comes off as fluent but a little pedestrian, lacking the flair for drama of sampling maestro DJ Shadow. But live, he really comes into his own. It’s incredible to watch him throw the elements together to make cohesive tracks, whether it be be soul-flavoured vocal numbers, or fists-aloft stadium rockers. Here, he shows his real skill is in layering compatible loops in inspired combinations. Where other DJs simply line up the tempos, RJ finds sounds which not only fit together rhythmically, but melodically as well. He is especially adept at using vocal lines, which gives his music a human quality. Inevitably favourites such as 'Ghostwriter' and 'The Horror' pull the biggest cheers of the night, but the new material goes down a storm as well. RJD2’s approach is very musical, with slower interludes and quiet moments, and often the show feels more like a proper gig than a DJ performance; which is how it has been billed.

It seems a little out of place in this dance-oriented venue, and the crowd thins considerably by the end of the set. Those of us that stick it out are rewarded with a set of real depth and quality.