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When you break it all down, there are really just two sides to the hip-hop coin. It's a given that the rapper gets the glory -- he's the guy with the big mouth.

But there's another force at work inside a hip-hop track -- and no, it's not those guys standing around looking tough in the videos. The vital jobs of getting heads nodding, rumps shaking and speakerboxes rattling fall to the mysterious character known as the DJ, or producer. Few of these guys become stars in their own right. But make no mistake, these guys make the music, and everybody in the business knows their names.

In underground hip-hop, R.J. Krohn, aka RJD2, is a household name. He's produced Mos Def, Cannibal Ox, Diverse, even rock bands such as Elbow and the Polyphonic Spree. Radiohead and the Strokes are fans. Not bad for a kid from central Ohio, whose love of old soul records got him started down this road.

"I was a record collector," says Krohn, on the phone from his home in Columbus. "A friend of mine was selling these records and turntables together. I just wanted the records, but I got the whole thing. I was just going to sell the turntables. But after I had them in my house for awhile, I started messing around, and I got into it."

Now he's one of the top turntablists in the world. But what he's best-known for isn't production or super-fast mixing and scratching -- it's the instrumental hip-hop "headphone" album. He'll be performing cuts from his new record "Since We Last Spoke" on Monday night at Mr. Small's Theatre.

It's more than just beats -- it's the complex compositions and soundscapes arranged around them. Only DJ Shadow comes close for sheer imagination, rhythmic dexterity and mastery of mood.

Khron's first record, "Deadringer," was a soulful soundtrack for a film noir tryst gone bad. "Since We Last Spoke" is more diverse in its moods, and even harder to pin down musically.

"I definitely didn't want it to sound the same, which is part of the reason why I didn't have any emcees (rappers) on it," Krohn says. "I was trying to make a record where every single track has its own feel. I tried to get into the head of the producer of a Cars record in 1981, or an R&B record from 1972. I pick the things apart that I like and try to re-create them."

Sampling involves taking small pieces of old records -- say, a horn loop, a background chorus, or a drum break -- and making something new out of them. RJD2 is one of the most creative samplers on the planet. But his tracks usually sound more retro than futuristic.

"I'll do a bunch of sketches," Krohn says. "Then I'll take those sketches and choose the one that has the best feel -- start with the best raw materials, and see how far I can go with the good portions. I'll just go through records, and I'll find a feel. ... If I'm not going to sample it, I'll say, 'This is cool,' and I'll shoot for (re-creating) that feel."

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