DJ Shadow | |
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 Joshua Davis in October 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Joshua Paul Davis (1972-06-29)June 29, 1972 (age 53) San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Origin | Davis, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1989–present[citation needed] |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | Unkle |
| Website | www |
| Signature | |
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Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972),[1][2] better known by his stage nameDJ Shadow, is an American DJ and record producer. His debut studio album,Endtroducing....., was released in 1996.He uses layered production with numerous samples.
He was also formerly of the bandUnkle (1996–1999).
DJ Shadow was experimenting with a four-track recorder while in high school inDavis, California, and began his music career as a disc jockey for theUniversity of California, Davis, campus radio stationKDVS.[3][4] During this period, he explored the experimental hip-hop style associated with the London-basedMo' Wax record label.[citation needed] His early singles, including "In/Flux" and "Lost and Found (S.F.L.)", were genre-bending, merging elements offunk,rock,hip hop,ambient,jazz,soul, and used-bin found records. Andy Pemberton, a music journalist writing forMixmag, described the single "In/Flux" as "trip hop", a term that had already been attached to Bristol, England-based groupsMassive Attack andPortishead and the Bristol scene in general in June 1994.[5] He has citedKurtis Mantronik,Steinski, andPrince Paul as influences on his sample-based sound, further claiming that "lyrics ... were confining, too specific".[6] His music rarely features more than short clips of voices or vocal work.
During 1991–1992, DJ Shadow remixes were released onHollywood BASIC, a short-lived rap/hip-hop subsidiary label of Hollywood Records. Notable amongst these is a 1992 compilation release titled "BASIC Beats Sampler",[7] which features a remix of "The Real Deal", a song byLifers 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 contributedscratching and production work toSleeping with the Enemy, the second release by rapperParis.
Early in 1993, Shadow was a part of the creation of theSolesides underground hip-hop label, in conjunction withBlackalicious andLyrics Born (whose stage name at the time was Asia Born). The first 12" release on this new imprint was titled "Entropy",[8] 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. RapperGift 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 ofQuannum Projects.
Also in 1993, Mo' Wax'sJames 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 withDJ Krush during this period. On a 1995 visit to the Mo' Wax Studios in London, England, Shadow was recruited to perform scratches on a Lavelle andTim Goldsworthy mix of the Massive Attack song "Karmacoma".[9]
Shadow's first full-length work,Endtroducing....., was released in late 1996 to critical acclaim.Endtroducing would go on to makeGuinness'Guinness World Records book for "First Completely Sampled Album" in 2001.[10] The only pieces of equipment Shadow used to produce the album were theAKAI MPC60 II 12-bit sampling drum machine, a pair of turntables and a borrowed-by-visitingPro Tools setup from an early adopter of the technology,Dan "The Automator" Nakamura.[11] In November 2006,Time magazine named it one of its "All-Time" 100 best albums.[12] In November 2014, automobile makerChevrolet used a sample "Building Steam with a Grain of Salt" in a Chevy commercial.[13]
In 1998 Shadow releasedPreemptive Strike, a compilation of 1993–1997singles released on Mo' Wax. Later that year, he producedPsyence Fiction, the debut album byUNKLE, a long-time Mo' Wax production team that featured guest appearances includingThom Yorke (Radiohead),Richard Ashcroft (The Verve),Mike D (Beastie Boys),Kool G. Rap, andJason Newsted (Metallica).[14]
Around 2000 he produced the score for the documentaryDark Days filmed by British directorMarc Singer. This film is about a community of transients who live underground in a subway tunnel.[15] It has six award wins in various competitions.[16] Shadow also starred in the 2001 movieScratch, produced byDoug Pray, alongsideZ-Trip,Grand Wizard Theodore,Mix Master Mike andDJ Qbert.[17] He makes multiple appearances during the turntable anddigging sections of the movie.
Nearly six years after his debut production album, his second album,The Private Press, was released in June 2002. A video for his track "Six Days" was also released in 2002, directed byWong Kar-wai.
A remix of "Six Days" was also produced and released onThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift soundtrack, featuringMos Def.
In protest at the 2003invasion of Iraq, DJ Shadow collaborated withZack de la Rocha on the track "March of Death". The song was released online for free.[18]
In 2004, Shadow's first feature-length DVD,Live! In Tune and on Time, was released. It features a live performance inLondon that combines tracks and samples from past albums as well as his work withUNKLE andQuannum, and emphasizes visuals, with the help of Bay Area projection artist Ben Stokes.[19]
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In 2006, he signed a deal withUniversal Records,[20] on which would be releasedThe Outsider, on September 18.[21] A special edition CD box set was also released containingThe Outsider, the album on CD and a DVD entitled Tour Visuals.[22] This album, which prominently featured several artists from the localSan Francisco Bay Areahyphyhip hop movement, got a mixed welcome among Shadow's fans.[21] Responding to criticisms, the DJ/producer explained on his blog why he made no apologies: "RepeatEndtroducing 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."[23][24]
Throughout 2007 and 2008, DJ Shadow toured with fellow DJCut Chemist in support of theirThe Hard Sell mixtape, released in January 2007 and recorded during the rehearsals of a June 2007 show.[25] The duo had already produced several mixtapes in the past, most notablyBrainfreeze andProduct Placement, mixing jazz, funk, and soul.[26] They were joined by Kid Koala,[27] and the rehearsals of this tour spawnedThe Hard Sell (Encore), a "refined" version of the duo's set.[28]
Diminishing Returns was a 2-hourDJ mix originally broadcast as an episode of theEssential Mix onBBC Radio 1 on March 29, 2003. It was released in 2003 on CD in a pressing limited to 1000 copies on the Reconstruction Productions label.[29] On April 1, 2009, DJ Shadow announced on hisFacebook page that he was working on aDiminishing Returns re-release.[citation needed] Reconstruction Productions reissued the album in 2009 with a sticker stating "official, last chance limited edition, re-release".[30]
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.[31] 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.[32]
On May 10, 2011, Shadow released an EP calledI Gotta Rokk featuring remixed tracks from the forthcoming album, titledThe Less You Know, the Better.[33] A second single "I'm Excited" was also released, featuringAfrikan Boy, on July 7, 2011.[34] However the single was pulled because of copyright infringement.[35] The infringement also delayed the album's release. Another song from the album, titled "Warning Call", featuringTom 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.[36] The album was mixed byJim Abbiss.
On August 12, 2014, Shadow launched his new record label imprint Liquid Amber, releasingThe Liquid Amber EP for streaming in accompaniment.[37] Other acts signed to Liquid Amber include Bleep Bloop,[38] Noer the Boy,[39] Mophono,[40] and Ruckazoid.[41]
In April 2015, a group called Nite School Klik released a single called "Posse" on Liquid Amber. In May 2015, Shadow revealed toBillboard that the group was in fact himself andtrap producer G Jones working together.[42] The first self-titled EP by Nite School Klik was released on June 9, 2015.
In April 2016 Shadow announced a new album entitledThe Mountain Will Fall, which was released on June 24 viaMass Appeal Records.[43] A music video for the album's lead single, "Nobody Speak", featuring rap duoRun the Jewels, was released on August 24, 2016.[44]
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.[45] It has been an annual event since then and ran until 2019.[46]
On April 20, 2017, a new collaboration between Shadow andNas named "Systematic" premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show. The song was revealed to be part of HBO'sSilicon Valley soundtrack.[47] Later that year, in June, Shadow released the EPThe Mountain Has Fallen, featuring "Systematic" and "Horror Show", a new single featuringDanny Brown.[48] 2018 saw the release ofLive in Manchester: The Mountain Has Fallen, a nine-track live album recorded at Manchester'sAlbert Hall on October 5, 2017, as Shadow was touring in support of his previous album and EP.[49]
He later announced a double album entitledOur Pathetic Age that was released November 15, 2019.[50] This two-part release includes an instrumental section and a vocal suite, featuring returning collaboratorsRun the Jewels andNas, and artists such asGhostface Killah,De La Soul, andRaekwon.[51]
Shadow was approached byDeftones to contribute to theirWhite Pony 20th anniversary re-issue remix project,Black Stallion. SingerChino Moreno explained that they originally wanted him to remix the whole album,[52][53] citing him as an inspiration at the time they recorded it.[54] He ended up remixing "Digital Bath",[54] alongside other confirmed producers such asTrevor Jackson andClams Casino.[55]
In January 2022,King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard released a remix album titledButterfly 3001. Shadow's "re-write" of "Black Hot Soup" was the first track on the album.[56]
In January 2023[57] DJ Shadow's seventh studio albumAction Adventure was announced. Released in October 2023 the album was critically generally well received according to Metacritic.[58] With no collaborations with other artists, the album marked a break from the previous two collaboration-heavy albums.
The bookBehind the Beat documents Shadow's home studio (named "Reconstruction") through photos and a brief description (as of 2005).[59] It is "nestled within a leafy San Francisco suburb"[59] and Shadow apparently moved to the area "to be closer to the local record store".[59] He has a personal collection of more than 60,000 records,[60] and "Shadow only keeps a small selection of vinyl at home with the rest occupying storage units around town".[59] His equipment as of 2005, according toBehind the Beat, consists of twoAkai MPC 3000s and aKorg Triton.[59] His albumEndtroducing was "created on anAKAI MPC60 II and anADAT".[59]
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 composerDavid Axelrod on his collaboration withDJ Krush, "Duality", sampling Axelrod's "The Warnings" (Part 1). The piano in "Midnight in a Perfect World" from 1996'sEndtroducing was originally recorded forPekka Pohjola's "Sekoilu seestyy".[11] Although Shadow currently[when?] uses fewer samples than on his earlier albums, several examples feature on his 2006 albumThe Outsider. His collaboration withDavid Banner, "Seein' Thangs", features asynthesizer and vocals from Cecilia's "Crimson Red" and "Outsider Intro" includes an excerpt fromRon Geesin's "Concrete Line Up" from the 1973 album,As He Stands.[61]
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)Our initial idea was we're going to get the masters of the 'White Pony' record and we're going to put some money in a briefcase and the masters in a briefcase. And we were going to go to DJ Shadow's house and were just going to hand it off to him and say like, 'Here man, remix this record.' And we wanted to call it the 'Black Stallion'.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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