Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972 in
San Jose,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ and record producer. His debut studio album, ''
Endtroducing.....,'' was released in 1996.
He uses layered production with numerous samples, often from obscure sources, to create new compositions and whose music was described in
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
as having "revolutionized hip-hop".
Biography
Early years (1989–1995)
DJ Shadow was experimenting with a four-track recorder while in high school in
Davis, California
Davis is the most populous city in Yolo County, California, United States. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 66,850 in 2020, not including the on-campus population of the University of ...
, and began his music career as a disc jockey for the
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...
, campus radio station
KDVS. During this period, he explored the experimental hip-hop style associated with the London-based
Mo' Wax
Mo' Wax was a British record label founded by James Lavelle in 1992. The label was not co-founded by Tim Goldsworthy, as is often reported. Steve Finan became co-owner shortly after.
Mo' Wax came to recognition for being at the forefront of t ...
record label. His early singles, including "In/Flux" and "Lost and Found (S.F.L.)", were genre-bending, merging elements of
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
,
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
,
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
,
ambient,
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
,
soul
The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
, and used-bin found records. Andy Pemberton, a music journalist writing for ''
Mixmag
''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights.
History
The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was printe ...
'', described the single "In/Flux" as "
trip hop
Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...
", a term that had already been attached to Bristol, England-based groups
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert Del Naja, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Daddy G, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Tricky (musician), Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew Vowles, Andrew "Mushroom" ...
and
Portishead and the Bristol scene in general in June 1994.
He has cited
Kurtis Mantronik
Kurtis el Khaleel (born Graham Curtis el Khaleel, September 4, 1965), known by the stage name Kurtis Mantronik, is a Jamaican-born hip hop and electronic musician, DJ, remixer, and producer. He was the leader, DJ, and keyboardist of the influent ...
,
Steinski
Double Dee and Steinski is a duo of hip hop producers, composed of Doug "Double Dee" DiFranco and Steven "Steinski" Stein. They achieved notoriety in the early 1980s for a series of underground hip-hop sample-based collages known as the "Less ...
, and
Prince Paul as influences on his sample-based sound, further claiming that "lyrics ... were confining, too specific".
His music rarely features more than short clips of voices or vocal work.
During 1991–1992, DJ Shadow remixes were released on
Hollywood BASIC, a short-lived rap/hip-hop subsidiary label of Hollywood Records. Notable amongst these is a 1992 compilation release titled "BASIC Beats Sampler", which features a remix of "The Real Deal", a song by
Lifers Group, as well as a 12-plus-minute "Mega Mix" of the rest of the album, including tracks by west-coast underground hip-hop act,
Raw Fusion and east-coast acts,
Organized Konfusion and Zimbabwe Legit. Also in 1992, Shadow contributed
scratching
Scratching, sometimes referred to as scrubbing, is a DJ and Turntablism, turntablist technique of moving a vinyl record back and forth on a phonograph, turntable to produce percussive or rhythmic sounds. A crossfader on a DJ mixer may be used to ...
and production work to ''
Sleeping with the Enemy'', the second release by rapper
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.
Early in 1993, Shadow was a part of the creation of the
Solesides underground hip-hop label, in conjunction with
Blackalicious
Blackalicious was an American hip-hop duo from Sacramento, California, made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel. They are noted for Gift of Gab's often tongue-twisting, multisyllabic, complex rhymes and Chief Xcel's soulful pr ...
and
Lyrics Born
Tsutomu William "Tom" Shimura (born September 2, 1972), better known by his stage name Lyrics Born (formerly Asia Born), is a Japanese-American rapper, singer, and producer. He is one half of the duo Latyrx with Lateef the Truthspeaker.
Early ...
(whose stage name at the time was Asia Born). The first 12" release on this new imprint was titled "Entropy", with the A-side containing the Asia Born track "Send Them" and a dub rendition of the DJ Shadow track "Count and Estimate", and the entire B-side consisting of the 17-plus-minute title track. Rapper
Gift of Gab is featured in the version of "Count and Estimate" that appears in Entropy. Shadow continued to participate in releases on the Solesides label for years to come, until the label was disbanded in favor of
Quannum Projects.
Also in 1993, Mo' Wax's
James Lavelle contacted Shadow about releasing "In/Flux" on the fledgling imprint. The association with Mo' Wax was a productive one; his tracks "In/Flux" and "Lost and Found" made their way onto some releases over the next few years. Shadow also worked with
DJ Krush
, better known by his stage name DJ Krush, is a Japanese record producer and DJ. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental production which incorporates sound elements from nature, and extensive use of jazz and soul samples.
Early life
Ishi ...
during this period. On a 1995 visit to the Mo' Wax Studios in London, England, Shadow was recruited to perform scratches on a Lavelle and
Tim Goldsworthy
Tim Goldsworthy is a British record producer, DJ and recording artist.
Career
Originally a musician/producer for Unkle with James Lavelle, he later worked with James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and was formerly joint owner of DFA Records. Go ...
mix of the Massive Attack song "
Karmacoma".
''Endtroducing.....'', UNKLE and ''Scratch'' (1996–2001)
Shadow's first full-length work, ''
Endtroducing.....'', was released in late 1996 to critical acclaim. ''Endtroducing'' would go on to make
Guinness' ''
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
'' book for "First Completely Sampled Album" in 2001. The only pieces of equipment Shadow used to produce the album were the
AKAI MPC60
The Akai MPC (originally MIDI Production Center, now Music Production Center) is a series of music workstations produced by Akai from 1988 onwards. MPCs combine sampling and sequencing functions, allowing users to record portions of sound, modi ...
12-bit sampling drum machine, a pair of turntables and a borrowed-by-visiting
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...
setup from an early adopter of the technology,
Dan "The Automator" Nakamura.
In November 2006, ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine named it one of its "All-Time" 100 best albums. In November 2014, automobile maker
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...
used a sample "Building Steam with a Grain of Salt" in a Chevy commercial.
In 1998 Shadow released ''
Preemptive Strike'', a compilation of 1993–1997
singles released on Mo' Wax. Later that year, he produced ''
Psyence Fiction'', the debut album by
UNKLE
Unkle (often stylised as U.N.K.L.E. or UNKLE, occasionally known as UNKLE Sounds) is a British musical outfit founded in 1992 by James Lavelle. Originally categorised as trip hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a ...
, a long-time Mo' Wax production team that featured guest appearances including
Thom Yorke
Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician who is the vocalist and main songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. He plays guitar, bass, keyboards and other instruments, and is noted for his falsetto. ''Rolling Stone'' desc ...
(
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
),
Richard Ashcroft
Richard Paul Ashcroft (born 11 September 1971) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He formed the alternative rock band the Verve in 1990 and served as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist throughout the band's lifetime. Ashcroft was ...
(
The Verve
The Verve were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Wigan in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones (musician), Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboard player Sim ...
),
Mike D (
Beastie Boys
The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...
),
Kool G. Rap, and
Jason Newsted
Jason Curtis Newsted (born March 4, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the bassist of heavy metal band Metallica from 1986 to 2001. He performed with thrash metal band Flotsam and Jetsam for the first five years of his career before ...
(
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
).
Around 2000 he produced the score for the documentary ''
Dark Days'' filmed by British director
Marc Singer. This film is about a community of transients who live underground in a subway tunnel. It has six award wins in various competitions. Shadow also starred in the 2001 movie ''
Scratch'', produced by
Doug Pray
Doug Pray is an American documentary film director, producer, editor, and cinematographer who often explores subcultures in his films.
In January, 2024, Turner Classic Movies , Turner Classic Movies (TCM) released a 6-part series, ''“The Power ...
, alongside
Z-Trip
Zach Sciacca (born July 22, 1971), better known as DJ Z-Trip, is an American DJ and producer. He is a pioneer of the mashup movement.
He was the 2009 recipient of the "America's Best DJ Award". As a producer he has worked with artists across ...
,
Grand Wizard Theodore,
Mix Master Mike and
DJ Qbert
Richard Quitevis (born October 7, 1969) known by his stage name DJ Qbert or Qbert, is a Filipino American turntablist and composer who has heavily influenced the History of DJing. He was awarded America's Best DJ in 2010, was DMC USA Champio ...
. He makes multiple appearances during the turntable and
digging sections of the movie.
''The Private Press'' and ''Live! In Tune and on Time'' (2002–2005)
Nearly six years after his debut production album, his second album, ''
The Private Press
''The Private Press'' is the second studio album by American hip hop producer DJ Shadow, released by MCA Records on June 4, 2002. It peaked at number 44 on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 chart.
Critical reception
At Metacritic, which assi ...
'', was released in June 2002. A video for his track "
Six Days" was also released in 2002, directed by
Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure o ...
.
A remix of "Six Days" was also produced and released on
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift soundtrack, featuring
Mos Def
Yasiin Bey ( ; born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A prominent figure in conscious hip hop, he is recognized for his use of wordplay and commentary on social an ...
.
In protest at the 2003
invasion of Iraq
An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression.
Generally, invasions have objectives ...
, DJ Shadow collaborated with
Zack de la Rocha
Zacharias Manuel de la Rocha (born January 12, 1970) is an American musician, rapper, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Rage Against the Machine. Through both Rage Against ...
on the track "March of Death". The song was released online for free.
In 2004, Shadow's first feature-length DVD, ''
Live! In Tune and on Time'', was released. It features a live performance in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
that combines tracks and samples from past albums as well as his work with
UNKLE
Unkle (often stylised as U.N.K.L.E. or UNKLE, occasionally known as UNKLE Sounds) is a British musical outfit founded in 1992 by James Lavelle. Originally categorised as trip hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a ...
and
Quannum, and emphasizes visuals, with the help of Bay Area projection artist Ben Stokes.
''The Outsider'' and ''Diminishing Returns'' (2006–2009)
In 2006, he signed a deal with
Universal Records
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
, on which would be released ''
The Outsider'', on September 18.
A special edition CD box set was also released containing ''The Outsider'', the album on CD and a DVD entitled Tour Visuals. This album, which prominently featured several artists from the local
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...
hyphy hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
movement, got a mixed welcome among Shadow's fans.
Responding to criticisms, the DJ/producer explained on his blog why he made no apologies: "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."
Throughout 2007 and 2008, DJ Shadow toured with fellow DJ
Cut Chemist
Lucas MacFadden (born October 4, 1972), better known as Cut Chemist, is an American DJ and record producer. He is a former member of Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli. He has collaborated with DJ Shadow on a number of projects.
Early life
Cut Chemist gr ...
in support of their ''
The Hard Sell'' mixtape, released in January 2007 and recorded during the rehearsals of a June 2007 show.
The duo had already produced several mixtapes in the past, most notably ''
Brainfreeze'' and ''
Product Placement
Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of t ...
'', mixing jazz, funk, and soul.
They were joined by Kid Koala, and the rehearsals of this tour spawned ''
The Hard Sell (Encore)'', a "refined" version of the duo's set.
''Diminishing Returns'' was a 2-hour
DJ mix
A DJ mix or DJ mixset is a sequence of musical tracks typically beatmixing, mixed together by a Disc jockey, DJ to appear as one continuous track. DJ mixes are usually performed using a DJ mixer and multiple sounds sources, such as Phonograph, tur ...
originally broadcast as an episode of the ''
Essential Mix
The ''Essential Mix'' is a weekly radio show on BBC Radio 1 currently broadcast between 0:00 and 2:00 a.m. UK time on Saturday morning. Originally broadcast on 30 October 1993, the ''Essential Mix'' features contemporary DJs and music pr ...
'' on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
on March 29, 2003. It was released in 2003 on CD in a pressing limited to 1000 copies on the Reconstruction Productions label. On April 1, 2009, DJ Shadow announced on his
Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
page that he was working on a ''Diminishing Returns'' re-release. Reconstruction Productions reissued the album in 2009 with a sticker stating "official, last chance limited edition, re-release".
''The Less You Know, the Better'' (2010–2013)
In September 2010, DJ Shadow released a single with two tracks called "Def Surrounds Us" and "I've Been Trying" and taken from the new album as a preview. While on the 2010 "Shadowsphere" tour new songs began to emerge, although he stated that a new album was not yet ready and that he would continue working toward having it ready in time for his 2011 tour.
On May 10, 2011, Shadow released an EP called ''I Gotta Rokk'' featuring remixed tracks from the forthcoming album, titled ''
The Less You Know, the Better''.
A second single "I'm Excited" was also released, featuring
Afrikan Boy, on July 7, 2011. However the single was pulled because of copyright infringement. The infringement also delayed the album's release. Another song from the album, titled "Warning Call", featuring
Tom Vek, was released on September 7, 2011.
The artwork for this album, the associated singles and promotional material was done by Tony Papesh, an artist from San Francisco, California. The album was mixed by
Jim Abbiss.
Liquid Amber (2014–2015)
On August 12, 2014, Shadow launched his new record label imprint Liquid Amber, releasing ''
The Liquid Amber EP'' for streaming in accompaniment. Other acts signed to Liquid Amber include Bleep Bloop, Noer the Boy, Mophono, and Ruckazoid.
In April 2015, a group called Nite School Klik released a single called "Posse" on Liquid Amber. In May 2015, Shadow revealed to ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' that the group was in fact himself and
trap producer G Jones working together. The first self-titled EP by Nite School Klik was released on June 9, 2015.
''The Mountain Will Fall'' and ''The Mountain Has Fallen'' (2016–2018)
In April 2016 Shadow announced a new album entitled ''
The Mountain Will Fall'', which was released on June 24 via
Mass Appeal Records. A music video for the album's lead single, "
Nobody Speak", featuring rap duo
Run the Jewels
Run the Jewels, also known by the initials RTJ, is an American hip-hop Supergroup (music), superduo, composed of Brooklyn-based rapper and producer El-P and Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike. They released their critically acclaimed Run the Jewe ...
, was released on August 24, 2016.
In collaboration with a Los Angeles record store, Shadow held on September 10 and 11, 2016, the "First Annual DJ Shadow Storage Sale", selling duplicates in his collection, and limited editions of his "The Sideshow" track. It has been an annual event since then and ran until 2019.
On April 20, 2017, a new collaboration between Shadow and
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air (S ...
named "Systematic" premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show. The song was revealed to be part of HBO's
''Silicon Valley'' soundtrack. Later that year, in June, Shadow released the EP ''The Mountain Has Fallen'', featuring "Systematic" and "Horror Show", a new single featuring
Danny Brown
Daniel Dewan Sewell (born March 16, 1981), better known as Danny Brown, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He was described by MTV in 2011 as "one of rap's most unique figures in recent memory".
After amassing ...
. 2018 saw the release of ''Live in Manchester: The Mountain Has Fallen'', a nine-track live album recorded at Manchester's
Albert Hall on October 5, 2017, as Shadow was touring in support of his previous album and EP.
''Our Pathetic Age'' (2019)
He later announced a double album entitled ''
Our Pathetic Age'' that was released November 15, 2019. This two-part release includes an instrumental section and a vocal suite, featuring returning collaborators
Run the Jewels
Run the Jewels, also known by the initials RTJ, is an American hip-hop Supergroup (music), superduo, composed of Brooklyn-based rapper and producer El-P and Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike. They released their critically acclaimed Run the Jewe ...
and
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air (S ...
, and artists such as
Ghostface Killah
Dennis David Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang ...
,
De La Soul
De La Soul ( ) is an American hip hop music, hip hop group formed in the village of Amityville on Long Island, New York (state), New York in 1988. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, eccentric lyrics, and contributions to the evoluti ...
, and
Raekwon
Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon ( ), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success following the release of the ...
.
Shadow was approached by
Deftones
Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by frontman Chino Moreno, lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter and drummer Abe Cunningham, with bassist Chi Cheng and keyboardist and tu ...
to contribute to their ''
White Pony'' 20th anniversary re-issue remix project, ''Black Stallion''. Singer
Chino Moreno explained that they originally wanted him to remix the whole album, citing him as an inspiration at the time they recorded it.
He ended up remixing "
Digital Bath",
alongside other confirmed producers such as
Trevor Jackson and
Clams Casino.
In January 2022,
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (KGLW) are an Australian rock band formed in 2010 in Melbourne, Victoria. The band's current lineup consists of Stu Mackenzie (vocals, guitar), Ambrose Kenny-Smith (vocals, harmonica, keyboards), Cook Craig ( ...
released a remix album titled ''Butterfly 3001''. Shadow's "re-write" of "Black Hot Soup" was the first track on the album.
''Action Adventure'' (2023)
In January 2023 DJ Shadow's seventh studio album
Action Adventure was announced. Released in October 2023 the album was critically generally well received according to Metacritic. With no collaborations with other artists, the album marks a break from the previous two collaboration-heavy albums.
Studio and equipment
The book ''
Behind the Beat'' documents Shadow's home studio (named "Reconstruction") through photos and a brief description (as of 2005).
It is "nestled within a leafy San Francisco suburb"
and Shadow apparently moved to the area "to be closer to the local record store".
He has a personal collection of more than 60,000 records, and "Shadow only keeps a small selection of vinyl at home with the rest occupying storage units around town".
His equipment as of 2005, according to ''Behind the Beat'', consists of two
Akai MPC
The Akai MPC (originally MIDI Production Center, now Music Production Center) is a series of Music workstation#Third generation music workstations, music workstations produced by Akai from 1988 onwards. MPCs combine Sampler (musical instrument), ...
3000s and a
Korg Triton.
His album ''
Endtroducing'' was "created on an
AKAI MPC60
The Akai MPC (originally MIDI Production Center, now Music Production Center) is a series of music workstations produced by Akai from 1988 onwards. MPCs combine sampling and sequencing functions, allowing users to record portions of sound, modi ...
and an
ADAT
Alesis Digital Audio Tape, commonly referred to as ADAT, is a magnetic tape format used for the Sound recording and reproduction, recording of eight digital audio tracks onto the same S-VHS tape used by consumer VCRs, and the basis of a serie ...
".
Sampling
DJ Shadow's work involves manipulating samples, taking rare and seldom-heard pieces of music and reworking them into parts and phrases for his songs. Many of his tracks feature dozens of samples from a wide array of styles and influences, including rock, soul, funk, experimental, electronic and jazz. Shadow sampled American composer
David Axelrod on his collaboration with
DJ Krush
, better known by his stage name DJ Krush, is a Japanese record producer and DJ. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental production which incorporates sound elements from nature, and extensive use of jazz and soul samples.
Early life
Ishi ...
, "Duality", sampling Axelrod's "The Warnings" (Part 1). The piano in "
Midnight in a Perfect World
"Midnight in a Perfect World" is a song by American DJ and music producer DJ Shadow. It was released as the lead single from his debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'', on September 2, 1996. The song peaked at number 52 on the Scottish Singles ...
" from 1996's ''
Endtroducing'' was originally recorded for
Pekka Pohjola's "Sekoilu seestyy".
Although Shadow currently uses fewer samples than on his earlier albums, several examples feature on his 2006 album ''
The Outsider''. His collaboration with
David Banner, "Seein' Thangs", features a
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
and vocals from Cecilia's "Crimson Red" and "Outsider Intro" includes an excerpt from
Ron Geesin's "Concrete Line Up" from the 1973 album, ''As He Stands''.
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Endtroducing.....''(1996)
*''
The Private Press
''The Private Press'' is the second studio album by American hip hop producer DJ Shadow, released by MCA Records on June 4, 2002. It peaked at number 44 on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 chart.
Critical reception
At Metacritic, which assi ...
'' (2002)
*''
The Outsider'' (2006)
*''
The Less You Know, the Better'' (2011)
*''
The Mountain Will Fall'' (2016)
*''
Our Pathetic Age'' (2019)
*''
Action Adventure'' (2023)
References
Sources
*
*
External links
*
Quannum ProjectsSolesidesDJ Shadow on VolumeetDJ Shadow on Soundcloud*
DJ Shadow sampleson
WhoSampled
WhoSampled is a website and app database of information about sampled music or sample-based music, interpolations, cover songs and remixes. As of April 2025, the website features 1,155,375 songs and 355,929 artists in its catalog.
History ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shadow, DJ
1972 births
Living people
American electronic musicians
American hip-hop DJs
MCA Records artists
Universal Records artists
Verve Records artists
Hip-hop record producers
People from Davis, California
Musicians from San Jose, California
Quannum Projects artists
American trip hop musicians
Record collectors
Universal Motown Records artists
Peacefrog Records artists
Davis Senior High School (California) alumni