Sure as the Shadow
With a new album coming out, the British DJ hits the road
DJ Shadow - whose new album "The Less You Know the Better" will be out on September 27 - gets most of the credit for the experimental instrumental hip-hop style associated with London's Mo' Wax label.
He's touring Europe, but so far no word of a swing through Asia.
Inspired by early hip-hop, Shadow was there for its heyday, tuning in to crews like Eric B and Rakim, the Ultramagnetic MCs and Public Enemy - all of which prominently featured DJs among their ranks.
Shadow's first full-length release, "Endtroducing ...", came out in 1996 to garner critical acclaim across Britain and America. "Preemptive Strike", a compilation of his early singles, followed in 1998.
Later that year Shadow produced tracks for the debut album by UNKLE, a long-time Mo' Wax production team. The disc featured superstar guests including Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Richard Ashcroft of the Verve and Mike D of the Beastie Boys.
Just ahead of the release of his fourth studio, was gearing up for a show in Hamburg, Germany.
"I feel like we're living in an over-stimulated age and at times I think it's a good idea to disconnect," he said. Hence the title "The Less You Know the Better".
"People are taking in way too much information, and it's kind of like their soul is being switched off. There's no way anyone can process all of the garbage directed at our brain, and we become numb as a result."
Early indications suggest there are a few tracks on the new album made for the clubs, but Shadow's fans are likely to hear various genres that have stirred him.
"I think all kinds of music influences me as long as I'm receptive to it. That's why I like to listen to both new and old music.
"Just like with 'Six Days', with most of the tracks on the new album, I managed to come as close as I could get to the sound I had in my head. Also, I feel like the new record really represents who I am, not just today but for the last 20 years.
"Tracks like 'Def Surrounds Us' and 'I Gotta Rokk' demonstrate that I do like club music and I like making music that hits hard, just as with songs like 'The Number Song' and 'Organ Donor' [from 'Endtroducing'].
"But I also like music that has significance on an emotional level. In other words, I like variety!"
