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Rjd2's music is a collage of cut-and-paste hip-hop that combines disparate elements to make for soulful, moody portraits of the world. Born in Eugene, OR, on May 27, 1976, he moved to Columbus, OH, a few years later and was raised there. He first busted out onto the hip-hop scene in 1998 -- a time when producers were emerging from the shadows to seize the spotlight -- as the DJ/producer for the Columbus-based group Megahertz. MHz had two 12" singles released on Bobbito Garcia's Fondle 'Em Records and the group was mentioned in Vibe Magazine's "History of Hip Hop."

In 2000, Rjd2 produced Copywrite's debut single, "Holier Than Thou," on Rawkus Records. In the spring of 2001, he made his first formal appearance as a solo artist on the Def Jux Presents... compilation, proving he could hold his own alongside such luminaries as Company Flow, El-P, Cannibal Ox, and Aesop Rock. Rjd2's debut album, Dead Ringer, followed on Def Jux in 2002. One of the best underground hip-hop releases of the year, it melded dirty samples and a classic approach to song structure for an end result that gave DJ Shadow, DJ Spooky, and Moby a run for their money. Aside from his top-billed recordings, he also provided productions for Cage's Hell's Winter and Aceyalone's Magnificent City (the latter also earned an instrumentals album, Magnificent City Instrumentals). Rjd2 returned in 2004 with Since We Last Spoke, which blended hip-hop with elements of pop. He then moved to XL to fully indulge his passion for pop, releasing The Third Hand in early 2007. Charles Spano, All Music Guide

Yeahdef will be dj'ing.

This debut by FatCat's latest Scottish discovery, We Were Promised Jetpacks, is exactly what you'd expect from the label that gave us the Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit: an anthemic collection of heavily accented singing, insistent rhythms, and intense sincerity. But just because it's not surprising doesn't mean it's not appealing. With songs that marry tough riffs to tender glockenspiels and find a balance between muscular, masculine drumming and singer Adam Thompson’s vulnerable, striving warble, there is much to like within These Four Walls.

Discovered by the label thanks to Frightened Rabbit's MySpace page, We Were Promised Jetpacks are destined for comparison to that band of brothers. It's not just that their accents sound the same-- though, Americans take note, the Jetpacks are from Edinburgh and the Rabbits from Glasgow. Both bands traffic in rousing, emotive guitar pop driven by thundering drumming, though Frightened Rabbit come at it from an acoustic angle and are obsessed with the heaviness of the kick drum, while WWPJ come from a post-punk place where every 4/4 rhythm is punctuated with cymbal 16th notes. And Scotland must really be chilly because both bands are preoccupied with maintaining heat. FR, on their last album, admitted that "it takes more than fucking someone to keep yourself warm," a theme that appeared on more than just the track called "Keep Yourself Warm". While, coincidentally, WWPJ's best song is "Keeping Warm", a more-than-eight-minute track that spends half of its run time as an instrumental-- spackling glockenspiels, guitars, and what sounds like a saxophone over its increasingly galloping rhythm-- and the other lamenting the loneliness of life.

Perhaps there is something about a thick Scottish accent that allows us to indulge in grandiose emotional sentiments. If an American band gave us a track like "It's Thunder and It's Lightening", with its earnestly soaring melody that explodes out from an insistent strum, it would come off as gratingly emo. But swaddled in glottal stops and guttural consonants, the dramatic changes in dynamic feel earned and the sensitive lyrics feel roguishly honest. Maybe that's also due to the hugeness of WWPJ's drum sound-- maybe it's easier to be sincere without sounding like a pussy when backed by such rumbling, macho percussion? Though "Quiet Little Voices" feels a bit like Bloc Party with a brogue, thanks to the clinical skitter of its cymbal-heavy attack, "Short Bursts", which sounds like it was recorded in an echo-y cave, is fast and messy with all of its other elements racing to keep up with its tribal pounding.

Because the intensity of their rhythmic assault can become tiring, We Were Promised Jetpacks smartly break things up with songs such as the spacey, drumless instrumental interlude "A Half-Built House" and the hushed, finger-picked album closer "An Almighty Thud" (though some of the more introspective tracks, like "This Is My House, This Is My Home", are a little too soppily "Grey's Anatomy"-ready). But their best songs are still the barnburners.

While they can teeter on the verge of being too angsty or overindulgent-- a fault not aided by Thompson's penchant for repeating one dramatic line over and over again-- We Were Promised Jetpacks were built for speed. And thanks to the taut grooves of a tight rhythm section, they sound better the faster they play. They don't have the lyrical complexity of the bands that they will be compared to (from a young U2 to the aforementioned Frightened Rabbit), but they do have the energy and that's a promising place to start.

— Rebecca Raber, July 6, 2009

P.O.S was born in Minneapolis as Stefon Alexander, where everybody still calls him Stef. As a little kid, he developed a fascination with an older cousin’s bass guitar. Stef was allowed to take it home and he banged on it happily for years before realizing that it was intended to be played through an amp. “I just thought it was supposed to be a quiet instrument.” As a teenager, he fell hard for punk rock. Minor Threat, At the Drive-In, Refused, Kid Dynamite. He played in a series of hardcore bands, sometimes as a drummer, sometimes on guitar and vocals. From the start, he preferred basement shows to club gigs. Simultaneously, he pursued hip hop, rapping in the hallways and after school with classmates who would eventually found Doomtree Records. P.O.S released his first rap record, Ipecac Neat, on Doomtree in 2003. After signing with Rhymesayers shortly after, it was quickly released and widely distributed on Rhymesayers Entertainment. The album earned P.O.S a dedicated following of critics and underground fans. Two years later they devoured his melodic sophomore release Audition, which featured collaborations with heavyweights like Slug from Atmosphere; Craig Finn of The Hold Steady; and Greg Attonito of The Bouncing Souls. On the verge of his third release, with his trajectory unchecked, P.O.S still doesn’t take himself too seriously. He doesn’t sweat the musical trends. He locks himself in his bedroom studio until the early hours of the morning, emerges with a song, and couldn’t care less how someone else would have gone about it.

10 National Bands. 10 Bucks. 2 Stages. All Ages.

More announcements forthcoming!!

Here's the Facebook Event.

Prior to 2006, the group had released several low-key indie singles (the earliest of which were collated on a Japanese-only EP called Rare UK Bird in 1999) and two full-length studio albums: Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi (on the local DIY label Andmoresound Records – 2001); and Underachievers Please Try Harder (through Spanish independent Elefant Records – 2003).

A key supporter of the group throughout this time was the late, legendary DJ John Peel who gave them frequent plays and sessions (they were to do five Peel Sessions in total). The band gigged intermittently and over time, they were able to build up a dedicated, cult following throughout UK and Europe. Their Madrid-based label sub-licensed Underachievers… to the respected US independent label Merge Records. Camera Obscura toured North America for the first time in the summer of 2004. Progress was to prove steady but despite discerning fans continuing to discover them in higher numbers, the prospect of the band becoming a full-time concern still remained tantalisingly elusive.

In the summer of 2005, Camera Obscura asked the Swedish producer Jari Haapalainen (Ed Harcourt, Peter, Bjorn & John, The Concretes) to work on their next album, Let’s Get Out Of This Country (Elefant / Merge - 2006). Pre-production sessions for the new album began in September 2005 and Jari turned out to be an inspired choice; fully realising not just the potential of Tracyanne Campbell’s songs and remarkable voice, but also the ensemble musicianship of the group as a whole.

The finished album was and is a strong, confident artistic statement, boasting a more powerful, cohesive sound than any previous Camera Obscura offerings. Brilliantly produced and beautifully arranged, it featured entrancing, immediate pop/rock songs such as the lead single 'Lloyd I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken' alongside more downbeat yet melodic offerings 'Dory Previn' and 'Country Mile'.

Reaction from fans and media was enthusiastic: "You might not find heartache as enchanting as this anywhere else," stated All Music Guide. ‘Lloyd…’, proved the perfect step-off as well, scoring Single of the Week in The Guardian and repeated plays on high profile radio shows (Jonathan Ross and Dermot O’ Leary on Radio 2; Record of the Week on Lauren Laverne’s XFM London show; an A-listing at BBC 6music). Three more singles followed from the album – 'Let’s Get Out Of This Country', 'If Looks Could Kill' and 'Tears For Affairs' – with all being supported by extensive touring both and home and abroad (three separate visits to the US alone) and further great press (including a glowing Rising feature in MOJO).

More record labels were attracted. In 2009, Camera Obscura signed a worldwide deal with feted indie 4AD, in a move that some fans felt a perfect match:
"It almost feels old fashioned to have a favourite band, but guess what, Camera Obscura are unashamedly mine and have been for the past five years. Now they find themselves on 4AD, one time home to my previous favourites The Cocteau Twins. The styles are very different but once more there are achingly beautiful tunes from an incomparable Scottish female voice emanating from the coolest label." -Scottish international footballer, Pat Nevin (yes - Pat Nevin)

After his successful touches on the last album, they returned to Sweden to work once more with producer Jari Haapalainen. My Maudlin Career, to be released on April 20th 2009 showcases Jari's wonderful understanding with the band. Songs such as 'French Navy', 'Honey In The Sun', 'Swans' and 'Away With Murder' typify another strong body of work that’s sure to delight, ensuring the band to continue their upward trajectory.

Speaking about My Maudlin Career, lead singer Tracyanne Campbell commented:
"Some people who have heard it say it's intense and quite dark. I suppose it is in a way. We were even more open and brave when making it than we were with the last record. I've never been so brutal when its come to writing lyrics. I wouldn't even call them lyrics. Just documentation of what was going on with me for a while. I truly believe it's the best we've done so far."

The critics seemed to agree with her; “Make no mistake, this is a remarkably beautiful record. (It) exists to reward those both mad, and sad, in love” NME (9/10), "The band’s finest work, My Maudlin Career continues the pop rush we’ve come to expect from Camera Obscura but also develops the band’s sound and identity in significant ways." Popmatters, "(It) feels as if it could have been released any time in the last 50-odd years, but the inspired arrangements - and, of course, Campbell's indelible voice - make it sound fresh, too." Pitchfork (8.3/10), “This feels like a breakthrough.” Observer Music Monthly (4/5). It was also to become the first album of theirs to chart, breaking both the Top 40 (at 32) in the UK and the Billboard Hot 100 in the US (at 87), confirming their status as an essential band.

Camera Obscura returned to the road in March 2009 with intimate shows in London, New York and at the South By Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas and around the release of My Maudlin Career undertook a large UK tour with triumphant shows at both London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire and The Barrowlands Ballroom in their hometown. They head to the US, Canada and Mexico for five weeks at the end of May 2009.