URB » DJ Shadow

Hear DJ Shadow’s “Infamous South Beach Set”

URB.com — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 14:05:08 +0000

The end of 2012 was a weird one for DJ Shadow. Steadily doing his thing, which included the All Basses Covered DJ tour following the release of his career-spanning box set, the turntablist was tossed into the spotlight in December when his set at South Beach club Mansion was cut short for allegedly being “too futuristic.” The venue issued an apology that implied some heads will roll, but the incident reminded folks across the electronic music spectrum that the differences between the mainstream and underground are as stark as ever.

To start off 2013, Shadow is rolling with the notoriety, uploading a 90 minute set showcasing the sounds that got him removed from the decks in Miami. According to team Shadow, the story behind the mix is as follows:

Beginning in the Summer of 2012 with his Low End Theory guest spots, DJ Shadow’s “All Basses Covered” set has morphed and evolved to incorporate as many different contemporary genres of urban and electronic music as possible. From hardcore rap to footwork and juke and beyond, Shadow has combed the web to curate seamless and dexterous blends of the most progressive sounds bubbling up from the underground. ‘Too hard?’ ‘Too future?’ Or just too raw? As always, DJ Shadow has provoked crucial flashpoints of discussion about the discipline of DJ’ing that have defined our turbulent times.

Inspired, aggressive and…turbulent, the mix is already in the running for our best of 2013 list.

DJ Shadow Receive Apology From Club That Kicked Him Off The Decks

URB.com — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 19:16:25 +0000

There apparently is a little bit of justice in the world. Last weekend, DJ Shadow‘s set was cut short at Miami nightclub Mansion, for being “too futuristic.” The internet obviously blew up with fans worldwide defending the legendary DJ who was performing as part of his All Bases Covered Tour. Today, Mansion issued a public apology to DJ Shadow:

“We offer our most sincere apologies to DJ Shadow and his fans for his set being cut short at Mansion this past weekend. This error should not have happened and will not happen again, especially as we pride ourselves on creating an environment that cultivates and respects innovators such as DJ Shadow. We have learned a lot from this error and made changes within our organization to ensure that Mansion’s vision, and the vision of our guests, will never be compromised again.” -Mansion Nightclub, Miami

Top 12 Acts Of 2012 :: URB Readers Poll Winners

URB.com — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 21:22:11 +0000

The votes have been tallied and once again URB readers have made their voices heard. And how did 2012 flesh out in terms of your favorite artists? A rock solid mix of all-time favorites, current buzz-makers and a few veteran acts climbing their way to the top once again. Don’t call it a comeback — although it seems hip-hop dominated your world in 2012, while the rest of America was jocking EDM as the next big thing. Are MCs the new DJs, who are the new pop stars, already?

12. DOOMTREE

This seven-person collective from the Twin Cities has been on our radar for almost a decade, although it seemed like they’d forever be in the shadow of MPLS patriarchy Rhymesayers. Not that there’s anything but healthy competition between the two camps. And now, riding on win after win as a team, plus all-star performances from individual players Lazerbeak and Dessa, Doomtree has cracked our year end list for the first time. Looks like Minnesota is still the hip-hop capital of the Midwest.

DJ Shadow Kicked Off Of Decks In Miami

URB.com — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 12:50:41 +0000

Just when you thought the clubbing world couldn’t get any more tasteless, news this weekend that DJ Shadow was kicked off the decks of Miami’s Mansion club. This just months after similar incidents involving house DJs Mark Farina and Dennis Ferrer and the crowds that allegedly paid to see them.

Shadow was asked to end his set approximately 20 minutes after it began, and was replaced by the far far far less legendary DJ No Máz. The incident was captured on video, with Shadow telling the crowd “I’ve waited a long time to play here, but they said this shit is too future for all y’all.” He then went to his Twitter account to proclaim, “I don’t care if I get kicked out of every rich kid club on the planet. I will never sacrifice my integrity as a DJ…ever.”

What makes this incident perhaps even more perplexing is that the night was part of Shadow’s “All Bases Covered” tour and was heavily promoted as such on the Mansion website, as well as in the local press. So why do respected DJs continue to get bumped off the decks for playing the music that made them famous? And why do clubs and promoters continue to place DJs in front of unappreciative audiences? And while we’re at it, why do people pay large covers ($30 in the case of DJ Shadow) to hear music they don’t like? And did the fans who did knowingly and eagerly pay to see Shadow get their money back when the plug was pulled?

The problem will continue as long as promoters, venues, managers, booking agents and DJs continue to lump all music played on turntables together as a single scene/genre, ignoring the immense differences in sounds, at the expense of fans and musicians alike,

DJ Shadow :: ‘Reconstructed’ Box Set Review

Jen Boyles — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 21:58:44 +0000

Some debut albums are so perfect they outshine the artist’s own talent in time. It’s what happens when a natural musician places all their cards on the table and performs all their musical tricks in one shot to set the stage for their career, never reaching that point of greatness again — much to amassed fans’ and critics’ dismay.

In DJ Shadow‘s case, not only are the two groups of appreciators one and the same, but the categorization feels that much more painful because it seems intentional. Josh Davis (the Clark Kent to Shadow’s Superman) is sick of talking about 1996′s Entroducing. Yes, it proved his artistry tenfold right off the bat and cemented himself as one of the most brilliant composers of experimental hip-hop and electronic music. Yes, it defined the best years lived by the detached crate-digger beatfreak contingency who also hoarded Ninja Tune rarities, Mushroom Jazz mix CDs and Mo Wax first pressings, while looking to Cut Chemist, Coldcut and DJ Krush to fill the gaps. But no, thank you, Davis is never going back to the live wire orchestral mini-opuses like “Building Steam…” or “Midnight In A Perfect World.” Though his more club-oriented album The Private Press in 2002 hinted at continued excellence and perhaps a bridge between its predecessor and the next big album to answer Entroducing‘s greatness, it never came.

This is what makes a box set like Reconstructed so bittersweet. Track after track of the 6-CD collection, we’re reminded over and over again of Davis’ talent (often presenting itself as “potential”), wondering whether he must be attune to alien frequencies. The man owns upwards of 70,000 records and can tell incredible stories with them and a few small machines. Instead of a natural step up from Private Press, we got The Outsider in 2006, a harsh slap to fans who’d waited for years for another experimental game-changer and instead got 16 tracks of West Coast hyphy. The worst part? It wasn’t exactly bad, it just wasn’t really welcome. Davis told URB at a London festival in 2010 that his favorite mixed piece of music to make was an elbows-up rap mix called “Funky Skunk” from 2005, pointing at his penchant for differentiation. You can’t hold a music man down, but The Outsider included in this box is just a reminder of disappointment.

On to the good stuff. This collection comes with five other albums to enjoy: an alternate take on Entroducing; 2002′s The Private Press; hand-picked remixes for the dance floor (and the dubstep massive); a nicely sectioned live set from Glasgow; 2011′s The Less You Know, featuring at least seven amazing updates to Shadow’s sonic arsenal; and “The Best Of The Rest” bonus CD featuring fantastic one-offs (like “Divine Intervention” from the Quannum label and “Dark Days” from the documentary of the same name). The latter acts as more of a stabilizer than a bonus, and includes two new tracks, “Listen” and “Won’t You Be,” recalling colorful old-school days of big beats, low-fi scratching and sampled oddities.

On the whole, Reconstructed is a must-have for the Shadow fan, of which there are many. It’s a clear illustration of the man’s enviable career and inescapable talent. But to be fair, also of his stubbornness and musical wanderlust. Shadow is the best there is at making complicated, often forlorn, beat-backed masterpieces, but it’s the stabs at dubstep, hyphy and T-Mobile commercials we’d sooner rather forget. Thankfully, this collection makes it easy to remember the good times.

Midnight in a Perfect World from DJ Shadow on Vimeo.

DJ Shadow Releases Best-Of Compilation With New Track Featuring Terry Reid

URB.com — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 15:26:25 +0000

DJ Shadow just released his first career-spanning compilation, Reconstructed: The Best Of DJ Shadow. And in the two-disc set of tunes taken from his earliest pre-Mo Wax days, though his career defining albums Endtroducing and The Private Press, up until his recent full-length, The Less You Know The Better, sits two new tracks, including “Listen” which was cut with legendary UK rock-blues vocalist Terry Reid. Easily one of the most straight-forward records Shadow has ever producer, “Listen” blends dusty drums and guitar loops with Reid’s powerful vox. The man they call “super-lungs” doesn’t wail the way he did in the ’60s, when he was first considered as frontman for Led Zeppelin, but his voice is still rich and full. Check out the video for “Listen after the jump.

DJ Shadow – listen (feat. Terry Reid) from Franck Trebillac on Vimeo.

DOWNLOAD Unreleased Pre-Endtroducing DJ Shadow Track

URB.com — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:56:34 +0000

Throughout his career, DJ Shadow has ben of two minds. One is the forward-looking producer and turntablist who insists on evolving, despite the call on fans to maintain a status quo (usually fixated around the time of his legendary debut album, Endtroducing). At the same time, Shadow himself has always acknowledged the archival element to his work, whether digging through long forgotten crates looking for the ultimate samples, or compiling his own past, much of which has never seen the light of day.

It’s in the spirit of the latter that Shadow has announced Total Breakdown: Hidden Transmissions From The MPC Era, 1992-1996. As is indicated by the title, this 24-track collection will feature 24 unreleased cuts from Josh Davis’ DAT collection, all of it composed on his trusty MPC. There is no release date set for this double-vinyl, CD or download compilation, but you can download the 1996 track “Affections” after the jump.

12 Must See Acts For Coachella 2012

URB.com — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:15:12 +0000

Coachella 2012 is almost here, with an unprecedented two duplicate weekends of the world’s best music performed in one of the world’s most beautiful venues. Picking the acts you must see is a full-time sport for Coachella attendees and the media alike. But considering that URB has been down with the desert spectacular since 1999, we figure we’ll throw our two cents into the ring.

12. Breakbot

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Though never achieving the notoriety of other French “electro” DJs, Breakbot has been a secret have, churning out house and techno tracks that just calmly state “quality.

Lateef the Truthspeaker :: Interview

David Ma — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:41:00 +0000

Hailing from the West Coast’s Quannum Projects (home to DJ Shadow, Blackalicious, Tommy Guerrero, etc.) Lateef The Truthspeaker is a longtime MC with deep histories that precede him. As half of Latyrx (with Lyrics Born), half of Mighty Underdogs (with Gift Of Gab), and half of The Maroons (with Chief Xcel), there hasn’t been a shortage of work from the Oakland native. What is noteworthy is that, after all these years, all the tours, all the revered tracks, and a Grammy to boot, Lateef finally debuted with a long-awaited solo album, Firewire.

“I’m very happy with it,” he says of the new album. “I always try to keep busy but it was nice to finally focus on just my own songs.” Lateef’s focus has been what’s driven him and his crew since they were college-aged kids in the early ‘90s, known as the Solesides collective. It’s this early work that catapulted their subsequent careers, a body of work that ranks amongst the best the West has ever offered. And while “Lateef” translates as “gentle” in Arabic, Lateef the Truthspeaker is a vicious MC with a catalogue that precedes him. Here, we talk with this son of Black Panthers about work ahead in both political and musical realms, touching on some history, the time he battled Murs, the forming of Latyrx, old recordings and of course anticipated new ones.

How was finally working solo and how do you think it affected the final product?

I think I was really able to take some risks and stretch out as an artist. A lot of producers I work with can be very focused on their vision of what they would like me to do artistically, and on both Firewire and the Truth @ Sea mixtape, I was able to follow my instincts and create from a very pure place.

You did a track dedicated to Oakland. Tell folks about your hometown and all that comes from there.

Oakland is great. It is one of the most diverse places on the planet, and that goes from separate ethnicities, to every ethnicity wrapped up in one person. There is an intense hodgepodge of cultures and opinions, and yet everyone, for the most part, seems to get along—outside of the shootings. But there is a very real element to the people in Oakland that is specific and identifiable, and that is what I love about the city. The people.

What’s your outlook on Occupy Oakland?

Mishandled. The Occupy movement in general is a difficult creature for politicians to deal with. It’s kinda like a positive, physical incarnation of an internet troll crossed with a griever. You can’t react aggressively to it, or it wins, and you lose. It’s coordinated, but decentralized so attempts to squelch it just result in the people returning. The Occupy movement is also peaceful, so any aggression towards it makes you instantly look like a bully with an agenda to protect the rich. Ultimately the movement is a sign of civil unrest with the imbalance of wealth and power in the United States, and until that’s addressed, there’s not really a cure.

Tell folks a bit about your parents’ history with the Black Panthers. Did their activism affect your upbringing and outlook?

My parents were both in the Black Panther party. When I was younger, I can remember “Auntie Angela” Davis coming to birthday parties. It was never a big deal. I think it informs the way I receive information and think about the world. I think it’s one of the reasons hip-hop spoke to me at such an early age. But mostly, I think it makes me comfortable with speaking my mind.

Let’s move on and talk a bit about your history. When and how did Solesides begin?

A bunch of college kids, fresh out of high school, get the crazy idea that they are gonna start a record label. Seriously. That was it. And not everybody was even in college.

How did Latyrx form? What is your personal favorite Latyrx track? How was making that?

Latyrx formed out of the song “Latyrx” which was featured on my very first single, “The Wreckoning,” way back in the Neolithic period. The song “Latyrx” was considered by many to be groundbreaking, leading Lyrics Born and I to do more songs together, blending solo projects we had been working on individually into one, juggernaut of an album.

You mentioned your first single, “The Wreckoning,” which was produced by DJ Shadow and considered a Solesides’ classic. Talk about the making of it.

DJ Shadow got me that beat, and I just really tried to harness what I felt like was the subtle menace of the track. I wanted to make a battle-type song, but I wanted it to be intelligent and have a theme. The idea of a kind of cinematic, almost creepy coroner-like explanation of how an MC had been killed in a battle, then taking it farther and exploring the post mortem process came to me while I was at work one day. The song kind of wrote itself after that.

Radiohead, Dr. Dre & Snoop and The Black Keys Headline Coachella 2012

URB.com — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:20:16 +0000

Coachella has announced their 2012 line-up, which will take place for the first time over two weekend, Apr 13-15 and 20-22. Radiohead, Dr. Dre & Snoop and The Black Keys all signed on for headline spots, along with Swedish House Mafia, Justice, Kaskade and DJ Shadow. The big reunion for 2012 is So Cal post-emo legends At The Drive-In.