Considered a prominent figure in the development of
instrumental hip-hop,
DJ Shadow (real name Josh Davis) has proven himself with groundbreaking, genre-defining solo output on such respected labels as
Solesides and
Mo' Wax.
Although Shadow's earlier works, especially 'Endtroducing.....', are known for their innovation in genres such as
hip-hop,
ambient, and
trip-hop, his latest album, The Outsider, had several tracks dedicated to
Hyphy. This decision has been controversial, leaving many fans feeling alienated. DJ Shadow addressed this point in an
August, 2006 interview, in which stated, "Repeat Endtroducing over and over again? That was never, ever in the game plan. Fuck that. So I think it's time for certain fans to decide if they are fans of the album, or the artist."
DJ Shadow spent his teenage years in Davis, California and was a
dj at the community radio station
KDVS. During his time as a radio disc jockey, DJ Shadow was significant in developing the
experimental instrumental
hip-hop style associated with the California-based
solesides record label. His early singles for the label, including
In/Flux and
Lost and Found (S.F.L.), were genre-bending works of art merging elements of
funk,
rock,
hip-hop,
ambient,
jazz,
soul, and used-bin found records. DJ Shadow is often cited as a leading creator of
trip-hop, though this is a label he strongly contests.
Although he previously released a couple of original works (during 1991-1992 for
Hollywood Records) by the time Mo' Wax's
James Lavelle contacted him about releasing
In/Flux on the fledgling imprint, it wasn't until his distribution association with
mo' wax that his sound began to mature and cohere.
Shadow's first full-length work,
Endtroducing....., was released in late 1996 to immense critical acclaim. Following the success of this album, he acted as a shadow producer for
Rage Against the Machine for their album,
Evil Empire. It is said he influenced the solo on their song "Bulls On Parade". Endtroducing... made the Guinness World Records book for "First Completely Sampled Album" in 2001.
Preemptive Strike, a compilation of early singles, followed in early 1998. Later that year, Shadow produced tracks for
Psyence Fiction, the debut album by
U.N.K.L.E., a long-time Mo' Wax production team that gained superstar guests including
Thom Yorke (of
Radiohead),
Richard Ashcroft (of
The Verve),
Mike D (of
The Beastie Boys) and others. His next project came in 1999, with the transformation of Solesides into a new label, Quannum Projects. Nearly six years after his debut production album, his second album,
The Private Press, was released in June 2002. In the same year, the movie "Scratch" (2001, Doug Pray) was released to DVD with DJ Shadow appearing several times throughout the movie.
The documentary films "Dark Days" and "Wisconsin Death Trip" feature music of DJ Shadow while "Scratch" features an interview and more music.
DJ Shadow has also collaborated with fellow artist
Cut Chemist. Together they have made two CDs entitled
Brainfreeze and
Product Placement. These albums fuse jazz, funk, and soul in the framework of a cohesive concept. The second of these (Product Placement) followed a very similar pattern to the first, but using remixes/other versions of the songs in roughly the same order.
In the year 2004, Shadow released his feature length DVD, In Tune and On Time. The DVD features a live performance in London, emphasizing intricate visuals.
In 2005, Shadow released a Deluxe Edition of his first album, Endtroducing.... and a new album, titled "
The Outsider" in 2006.
Also in 2005,
Brian Udelhofen began work on the
Shadow Percussion Project, an attempt to adapt some of the tracks from Endtroducing... for a live performance group. The result was largely successful and well-received by DJ Shadow himself.
In 2007 DJ Shadow was contacted by the Hollywood Bowl to do a show featuring
Freeze with
Cut Chemist. However, not wanting to repeat old material DJ Shadow and
Cut Chemist came up with a whole new routine entitled
The Hard Sell. In 2007 and 2008 they went on
The Hard Sell tour and were accompanied on stage by two large video screens with visuals created for the tour.
Discography
Solo Albums
* 1996 -
Endtroducing.....
* 1998 -
Preemptive Strike
* 2000 -
Dark Days
* 2002 -
The Private Press
* 2003 - The Private Repress (Japanese Remix Album)
* 2004 -
In Tune and On Time
* 2005 - Endtroducing... (2xCD Deluxe Edition)
* 2006 -
The Outsider
* 2007 - The 4-Track Era Vol.1 Best of the KMEL Mixes
* 2007 - The 4-Track Era Vol.2 Best of the Remixes and Megamixes (1990-1992)
with
Q Bert
* 1997 - Camel Bobsled Race (Q-Bert Mega Mix) CD-EP
with
UNKLE
* 1998 - Psyence Fiction
with
Cut Chemist
* 1999 - Brainfreeze
* 2001 - Product Placement
* 2004 - Product Placement on Tour
* 2005 - Freeze
* 2008 - The Hard Sell
with
Dan The Automator
* 1998 - Bombay the Hard Way: Guns, Cars and Sitars
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