DJ Rels is yet another moniker for the prolific and imaginative
Madlib (aka Otis Jackson, Jr.), although the notes off his 2004 debut album,
Theme for a Broken Soul, do credit work to a "
J. Relmond."
Madlib created
DJ Rels after having gone to London's Co-op Club and hearing the broken beat scene there (in fact, he is often compared to West Londoners
Seiji and
Bugz in the Attic). His first 12" single, "Diggin in Brownswood," came out in 2003 and was widely praised, including by his own Stones Throw label, which now acknowledges
DJ Rels to be an alter ego of
Madlib. ~ Marisa Brown