Customer Reviews

Endtroducing

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In 1998 I had a crush on a girl named Ellie. On a rainy day we decided on an awkward quasi-date to Rasputin's Records and Blondie's Pizza. I sat down in the passenger seat of her beat-up Accord, she started the engine, and her tape player introduced me to a twinkling piano and hypnotizingly slow breakbeats. The notes fell like raindrops on her windshield, and forever in my mind, that moment, Ellie's perfume, my nervous tension, and DJ Shadow's "Building Steam With A Grain of Salt" were locked inseparably together. Whenever the rain starts to fall -- not a hard rain and not a sprinkle, but a steady, plodding, relentless patter of water on earth -- I think of this song.

Josh Davis, also known as DJ Shadow, makes that kind of impact with the arcane record samples he artfully merges into cohesive, thoughtful, revelatory aural collages. He is obsessed. He digs up sounds you and I have never heard before, and maybe a thing or two we have heard before, and fuses them into some brilliant new heterogeneous dream with the power to stir the subconscious and induce sheer awe.

Once I bought his CD and broke free of the hold that "Building..." had on me, I got accustomed to the other twelve tracks of the album. There were many pleasant surprises. I found "Midnight in a Perfect World" just as addicting as the song that got me hooked in the first place, a loping, seductive, scratch-heavy, impossibly beautiful five minutes and two seconds. "Changeling" was another fast favorite, like a lush sunset after a long summer day. "Stem/Long Stem" creeped me out with pernicious string samples surrounding a single lonely chime. And although it took some time, "Mutual Slump" eventually won me over with its dual personality: crashing percussion and ugly guitar riffs on the one hand, and a mournful, echoing backdrop offset by a shy girl's spoken diary on the other.

Many have already mentioned what an impact this album had on a number of prominent artists such as Moby and Radiohead. DJ shadow's influence has reverberated for several years now in the music industry. But for me, I can only attest to what it did for me when seated next to an unreachable girl, in the midst of my quixotic quest, on a gray and rainwashed early spring afternoon.

It was nothing short of an epiphany.

This record has been immortalized in the past few years as the crate-diggers and backpackers bible. Every single year, with another list marking the best of the past 10 years, 50 years, and maybe even millenium, Endtroducing has become a musical canon. Whether this allegation is factually true, it has become a canon for an entire generation of people who bought turntables instead of guitars. And rightly so: This disc is THE essential record for sound collages. The rampant sampling of the eighties reached the nineties with such cynicism that with the release of this record changed an entire generation's idea of what a song is supposed to be like. For the youth of today, the music they listen to is inevitably tinged with the influences of this record. DJ Shadow had taken sampling to a point where only keyboards could replicate the intricacy in which he used records.

That being said, Endtroducing stands the test of time, firmly implanting itself in popular cultures lexicon of important records. Endtroducing has far exceeded even the largest expectations: perfect production and album arrangement greeted by overwhelmingly positive reviews and an ever-growing fan base. Some people consider the record an emotional masterpiece, others an aural marthon, and some even think of it as turntablism at its finest. Quite frankly, it is truly the first musically post-modern piece of music in the recording art industry. While certainly neither the first to sample nor investing in a large amount of samples, the direction, focus, and articulation of a generation can be surmised within the record. It is the death and rebirth of the recording industry all at once. Josh Davis captured it perfectly: funk becomes ominous, break-beats become convulsive, instruments are used sparingly, and scratching becomes welcomed. It is a record that cannot be overlooked and cannot be forgotten. Now commemorated in this deluxe edition, we finall get to look at Shadow from the lens by which he viewed the parts that made up his record: antiques destined to die unless someone revives them.

The second disk of redos and remixes is like butter on toast. It may not be the most essential thing to have yet it grants further insight into the scope and variety this record can/would represent. From the decidedly dancable overhaul of "Organ Donor" to Cut Chemist's mayhem of "Number Song," the variety of perspectives and directions the album could have taken is immediately apparent. It is the kaleidascope from which to view the world of Endtroducing, granting variety and intrigue to the many pieces that make up this grand collective.

Coupled with a live performance at the end of the disc, Endtroducing is finally given the proper platform which it deserves. For fans who have all the vinyl, it can be a redux and a compilation by which to listen to some of the most defining music of the decade. For the unassuming viewer, this record is immediately accessible and mandatory. You're cutting yourself short by missing out on this Deluxe Edition.

"Entroducing..." is perhaps one of the most amazing albums in the world of music. While an album that is built entirely off of samples may have some think of Puff Daddy's theft of '80's songs, Shadow is far from the sampling of Puff Daddy. Shadow loops interesting samples from forgotten and obscure songs. He layers samples from different records and uses odd effects to create strange soundscapes. If you give this album a listen, you will be hooked. Check out "The Numbers Song" (a Metallica guitar loop mixed with soul and hip-hop records? Where else have you heard that?), "Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain", and "Midnight In A Perfect World". For more Shadow, check out Preemptive Strike which features his first masterpiece "In/Flux" and the entire "What Does Your Soul Look Like" EP. Pick this up and prepare to be amazed.

From the opening sample of "Building Steam With a Grain of Salt" where a voice is heard saying "Producing..." you know you are listening to an outstanding piece of work. In order to better understand this, you have to position yourself at the time this album came out.

You have to realize Trip Hop was already in full fledge: Massive Attack and Portishead had already come out with their own thing, but DJ Shadow came with a different proposal in 1996 when he produced 'Endtroducing...'. Through the magic of samples, he blended in a way many have tried to copy, yet no one yet matched, genres such as rock, soul, funk, ambient, and jazz, into a final product that transcends time. If you need further proof of that, think how long it's been since this album came out (1996) as you are reading this, sit back, listen to it and be amazed, as so many have been amazed to this day.

After listening to 'Endtroducing...' almost daily for three weeks now, turning back and thinking of acts such as Fatboy Slim almost feels awkward, considering his sample-based 'Better Living Through Chemistry' came out almost a full year after Shadow's debut. Granted that everyone has a place in music, DJ Shadow's genius with sampling work simply is above and beyond, making this not only his breakthrough, but also one of the best albums ever.

Other favorite tracks: "Changeling", "Untitled" and the grandieuse "Mutual Slump". If you want to take a dip into an evolved form of his work, check out his side project, U.N.K.L.E., in particular 'Psyence Fiction'.

(This is Part One of a Two-Part Review.)

In November 1996, I was reeling from a summer in hell. After leaving a corporate-affiliated job and trying to figure out heads or tails about my future, I stumbled upon becoming an actor until I was able to start to make ends meet again.

On the closing night of a play I was in, I killed time in a Pasadena record store and stumbled upon a motherlode of music that would not only help cure me of post-play depression but would also help to make a painless transition into my current ( and more sober) state today. They were two used albums by trombonist Julian Priester & Mose Allison and the CD debut of DJ Shadow known as "Endtroducing".

Listening ot this album at 3:00 the next morning (after all the end-of-play festivities and well-wishings), I knew that the investment was a good one.

Mo' Wax, though being a great label, really has not put out many notable long-players that really stand the test of time. This has stood up very well five years later. In fact, this really is one of the very best albums that not only helps to maintain the constantly struggling vinyl culture but shows turntablism as a true art.

"Endtroducing" also stands alone as being one of the most emotional albums of this genre. There are so many textures and surprises spread throughout this masterwork, that you realize that this is more than just a white b-boy with amazing skills, but a modern day artist who knows about what makes a good groove connect with the listener. The man's use of samples, breakbeats and scratchings tell an awful lot about the history of music and it's 'revolutionary' transtions & expressions.

From the Steve Reich-influenced "Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt", to the excellent fusion piece "Changeling" to the atmospheric & beat-heavy "Midnight In A Perfect World", Shadow has mastered music that will not only haunt you for years to come but show how much an artist was able to stretch way beyond the then (1996) limitations of commercial hip-hop, smooth jazz and flashy techno-noodling.

Five years later, "Endotroducing" still remains in my collection, still creating that inner-magic and making time stand still. This could have been an emotional journey and introspection into the rights & wrongs of that cursed year. Instead, it makes me surer of the future and proud to still appreciate in the soul-deep that great music truly can create.

And that would only come full circle, five years later, with Shadow, Mo' Wax and David Axelrod.

(This piece is continued with the Mo' Wax David Axelrod CD review.)

This is very well one of the greatest albums ever made. And the reason is because it is music. It's like a jazz album. And for me it's the best jazz album I have ever heard since Kind Of Blue (Miles Davis).

It's not techno, infact it's the farthest thing from it. For me it's a mix between jazz and hip hop. Dj Shadow grew up as a hip hop kid, collected records since he was younger than 13 or something, and made this album.

The extraordinary thing about it is that it is 100 percent samples. Not many people will believe it when they first hear it, because it's crafted together to sound like it isn't samples. For example, how many people have heard a hip hop track with a deep piano sample (that also isn't "funky" whatsoever) throughout the whole song? Or emotional female vocals to fill in empty spots (that's also a sample)? Or better yet, how many have ever heard, in their whole lives, a song that has a classical bass loop, mixed with a female vocals, mixed with a funky wah wah guitar, and a heavy slowed down hip hop beat? When I first heard it I thought to myself "oh he must be playing that piano" or "oh he's probably got a keyboard that can do that" or "his girl is probably doing the vocals there". But it isn't like that at all, his keyboard, piano, and girl who can sing is his records!

This album is different, and that is the great thing about it.

Now another fun thing to figure out is where the hell did he get all those damn samples? There's some samples on this album that NO ONE knows about! And that's another extraordinary thing, it truly shows how much he worked on this album.

I saw a review back here that said his beats weren't raw and rugged, well this is as raw as it gets. And a few said that it was very hard to dance to, well if you want something like that then go buy an album by a guy who has a drum machine that goes up to 400 bpm and a keyboard that has a few keys on it. Another one said that this isn't the best drum and bass record they've ever heard, well read the above comment. And finally, I read one review that said his DJ skills are like those of a dj who plays at a bar, well he has many many records, and if he's been around his tables for that long, he probably knows a lot more than a bar dj about djing.

This album absolutely floored me the first time I heard it. I happened upon it at a local record store in one of the listening booths and decided to give it a listen. I had never heard of DJ Shadow up to that point but my whole world changed the moment I put on those headphones and pressed play. It begins with an introduction that sounds like your ordinary dialogue sampled intros found in many hip hop records, but right after the sampled voice says, "producing..." in floods a piano that sounds more classical than jazzy or funky, the drums kick in and the journey begins. There's an atmosphere to this album (all the great ones do). You can just feel it. Sometimes the air is thick and foggy, sometimes your head feels cluttered, and sometimes you just sit back, relax, and take it all in. This album has been in my collection for a long time and it still to this day amazes me and is constantly in my cd player. I've heard people say this is a hip hop record, or trip hop, blah, blah, blah. Catergorization of music gets pretty tiresome, but if I were to categorize this album I'd put it under "great music", because that's what it is. It's simply great music.

Rating: A+
While many bands and artists strive for utter perfection, fitting into the mainstream, or just plain and simple making one song on an album that becomes a chart topper that helps sell millions of copies of an album, DJ Shadow takes the laid back path letting his albums build steam like a grain of salt, and pick up followers along the way, as each album invites even the most astray and wary listener to delve into the magic and pure bliss that his audial landscapes permeate. By all means and shapes, this is one of the greatest albums released in the 90's, if not all time, due not only to the fact that Shadow basically took sampling, made it a science, showed everyone what they could really do with this artform, and then let his work speak for itself, the work of a true artist. From the beginning of the album, to its bittersweet conclusion, we are granted a brief trip through the imagination and mini-movies that Josh Davis has commited to record, as each track stands on its own two feet and each song blends together so well that you would think this was his fifth or forth album, just because of the overall production and clarity that each track permeates. The deluxe edition only strengthens this already A+ album, with a great introduction from the upcoming 33 1/3 book coming out in August which is dedicated to this highly regarded and fantastic album. In addition Shadow comments on each track on the second disc giving us brief insight into te demoes, and preproduction attempts at the earlier versions of the songs on the album. This is Shadows best album in my honest opinion, although truly you have to get all of his masterpieces to truly appreciate his ever evolving style of music, whether The Private Press, PreEmptive Strike, Endtroducing, or Unkle is concerned, all are classics in their own right. Listen to this album in the depths of your darkest room and let your imagination wander, I dare you to say that this is not a classic album in the truest sense, those that don't know about Shadow will never know what they are missing out on; too bad for them.

So much has been said about this album and about DJ Shadow. Let me try to play Shadow and sample some of the reviews for you. You'll see certain comparisons pop up again and again: The Dust Brothers produced Beastie Boys' album Paul's Boutique, Tricky's Maxinquaye, Aphex Twin. The quality of the comparisons should indicate to you that this is a special album. It has the same versatility with samples that Paul's Boutique does, though they are generally less recognizable than those on Paul's Boutique. It's got the dark and insistent and trippy qualities of Maxiquaye. And it has the deep weirdness of Aphex Twin's work, particularly, for my money, Selected Ambient Works Volume 1. Of course, it is also different than each of those albums--lacking vocals for the most part and much more musically lush and dense than the sparse and etheral Selected Ambient Works Volume 1. The drums, Shadow's trademark, are greatly dominant here.

This album stands as one of the best of the 1990s, among such electronica classics as the aforementioned Maxinquaye, Massive Attack's Blue Lines, and Leftfield's Leftism. As a reviewer of the deluxe edition put it: "it is truly the first musically post-modern piece of music in the recording art industry." Some people will be too sophisticated for this album or on the other end incapable of appreciating it. If you're reading this with a mind towards purchasing this album, you're not one of them. It will blow your mind, I assure you.

As late great British DJ John Peel said in his intro to the Diminishing Returns import, "you may find this hard to believe but you stand poised on the brink of hearing the mix of the year, fronted by command much given to frank and furious and usually accurate condemnation of the awful beings that inhabit the world of popular music--DJ Shadow--the celebrated San Franciscan weirdo." You stand poised on the brink of hearing a great album.

This album already has it's place in the annals of electronic music. DJ Shadow knows his stuff, and it showed IMMEDIATLEY with the original release of this debut album.

With the deluxe addition, there's a new disc of remixes and B-sides and demos. For any real Shadow fans, it's a must have. There's a fine remix of Bulding Steam With A Grain Of Salt, the song many consider to be the best from Endtroducing. There's also a great Gift of Gab remix of Midnight In A Perfect World, with some nice lyric poetry. And at the end of the disc is a twelve minute mini set of Shadow live, which is hot as hell.

If you've never heard of the Shadow, do yourself a favor and pick up this deluxe edition - it's oh so worth it.

Producing. . .