A name well-known among hip-hop and electronic music fans, it's hard to argue with DJ Shadow's influence. His critically-acclaimed 1996 debut album, Endtroducting..., on Mo Wax Records, has been cited as the first album created using entirely sampled sources, and with a career as long as my life (23 years) he's run the gauntlet of DJing and production, with four studio albums, four live albums, five compilation albums, two remix albums, three mix albums, two EPs, twenty-four singles and thirteen music videos under his belt.
Released September 25 on Universal Music Enterprises, Reconstructed: The Best of DJ Shadow, comes in the form of both a CD (tracklist/snippets streaming below) and a box set, Reconstructed: The Definitive DJ Shadow that includes 7 discs, including all of his albums, a live performance in Glasgow from 2011, the In Tune & On Time DVD, a 180GSM vinyl entitled The Best Of The Remixes, a special laminated booklet, and more. New on the compilation are two unreleased tracks, "Won't You Be" and "Listen" featuring Terry Reid. Whether revisiting the chronology of Shadow's career or trying to educate yourself in a piece of music history, it's a soulful listen.
If you're in Boston and interested in winning a pair of tickets to his Sunday, December 9 show at Royale Nightclub, DJ Shadow fans can tweet your thoughts on the tracklist to @earmilkdotcom with the hashtag #DJShadowReconstructed. We'll announce the winner Thursday 12/6 at 3 pm EST, via Twitter.
Comments
Shadow is one of the masters. Im glad to see that he's mixing some of the classics like 6 Days, Building Steam with a Grain of Salt, and Organ Donor in with some of his new jams like I Gotta Rokk, I've Been Trying, and Scale It Back. This blend gives the audience the full range of Shadow's style and techniques. I had the privilege of seeing DJ Shadow only once at Identity Festival, and it was by far the best live performance I have ever seen. I've listened to him for years now and I'd have to say my favorite track of his right now is 'Circular Logic' (Front to Back). The break-down is incredible.