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DJ Shadow Handmade CD BundleDescription
Evening Session Info:Sometimes referred to as "the Miami Bass mix," this is Shadow spinning live in the studio for Steve Lamacq's radio show on the BBC. Prior to the mix, Shadow and James Lavelle were interviewed about the upcoming Psyence Fiction LP [we hope to present this rather amusing interview on the site shortly.]Shadow recounts, "It was one of several times that I mixed live on the air for the BBC. The studios are really small, and it's usually rented gear, so you're never quite sure how the turntables are going to behave. I was happy with the mix, though I was in a phase where I was falling in love again with a lot of late 80's club tracks I used to like. Again, it probably made no sense to the fans listening in, but I suppose at the time I was trying to articulate to all of these 'Big Beat' groups what real club music should sound like." Time: 27:45 Sound Quality: A- Mary Anne Hobbs Mix Info:Another Shadow mix for the BBC, this one recorded live at Metropolis Studios during the completion of The Private Press. Shadow recalls, "I knew I would have to do a mix of some sort, so I grabbed whatever records were near the door in the hopes that something would work out when I got to London."The result is an amalgamation of an early version of part of the 2002 tour, combined with some contemporary underground hip-hop tracks and, near the end, a few old-school classics that would eventually reappear on Diminishing Returns. "There were a few radio DJs in England that had always been supportive, and Mary Anne Hobbs was one of them," Shadow says. "I wouldn't do mixes for people unless I knew there was a history of mutual respect. They were just too hard to do, so I had to be selective!" Time: 36:31 Sound Quality: A- Live At Bizarre Festival Info:Midway through the 2002 world tour supporting The Private Press, Shadow finds himself in the German countryside, playing one of the many European festivals that operate during the Summer months. The crowd is intense and attentive, the perfect audience for a Shadow show. From the menacing throb of "Fixed Income" to the climax of "High Noon," it's a sharp, powerful set, punctuated by bursts of scratching and meticulous blends. Those familiar with the In Tune and On Time DVD and CD will notice a few unique sections, including a mix built around "Nursery Rhyme."Recalling his memories of the evening, Shadow says, "I walked to another area to do some sort of televised interview, I think it was for German MTV. I had some time to kill, so I walked over to see part of the Chemical Brothers set. I wanted to see what sort of visuals and lights they were using. Then I walked back to my tent to watch the end of Morcheeba's set. I remember that they went one reprise too many, and the crowd got tired of cheering so when they finished with a big crescendo, it was just dead silence! I thought it was funny, but I felt for them, sometimes you just never know how a crowd will react. Like the time the union lighting guy at Roseland blasted my audience with strobes for the entire 15-minute encore, but that's another story." Time: 73:48 Sound Quality: B+, professional soundboard feed with overhead audience mics Spinning Live in NYC Info:According to Shadow, this recording is an anomaly. I'm not even totally sure I remember where this was," he says. "I recall borrowing a few things from the US Mo' Wax rep because I didn't know I was going to have to play. I think it was a showcase for some of the other Mo' Wax artists, an 'introduction,' of sorts, to Mo' Wax in the U.S."Shadow continues, "It was more of an industry thing, there weren't a whole lot of people there. Nothing was rehearsed, so I guess I didn't take it all that seriously. A lot of the stuff I played was brand new at the time, I had just picked it up that day in New York." Time: 38:56 Sound Quality: B+, recorded directly from DJ mixer, no crowd XFM Mix Info:Doing radio mixes is an honor, but it can also be problematic."People think DJs can just roll out of bed and do a 30 or 60 minute mix," Shadow says. "But if you've been in album mode, and haven't been working clubs in a while, it can be a real struggle to figure out what to play." "I never really worry about the relevance of time, i.e. playing current music," Shadow continues. "Although I always like to throw enough of it in to show that I can keep up with what's going on. In this case I felt somewhat of an obligation to cater slightly to English radio sensibilities; a sense I totally abandoned the following year with the Essential Mix (also known as Diminishing Returns.)" After doing a flurry of exclusive radio mixes around the time of The Private Press, Shadow would eventually have to draw the line. "Everybody who had a radio show was asking for mixes, and I would try really hard to give them something quality and unique. But this was also during the era of free-for-all Shadow bootlegging, so I'd do these mixes and then see them on the High Street a month later. The label kept asking why my records weren't selling like they should, and I'd take them down to the record shops and show them and say, "Probably because we're competing with 20 other Shadow releases!" Time: 30:30 Sound Quality: A- Live In Milan Info:The setting: Summer, 1999. DJ Shadow is touring clubs in Europe, hitting many countries (including Italy) for the first time. Reflecting the aesthetics of turntablism which are dominating DJ values, Shadow turns in his most scratch-heavy set to date, keeping the vibe distinctly b-boy. Blazing through such classics as "The Number Song (Cut Chemist Remix)," "Lesson 4," and "Entropy" before settling into slower material from Endtroducing.According to Shadow, "This was at a time when hip-hop DJs were expected to really show off. I was massively inspired by Q-Bert's concept of scratch languages and vocabulary, which I think you can hear during the solos over "Lesson 4" and "I Changed My Mind." Listening to it now, it's no wonder I started having wrist trouble!" This particular recording emanates not from a club, but rather an anarchist warehouse and pot farm, apparently out of reach from local law enforcement due to some loophole. Shadow recalls, "There were massive pot plants everywhere, and the vibe was depressingly laid back at first. When I started, there were about 30 people there. By the end, though, it was closer to about 900, and it was live." Time: 72 Minutes Sound Quality: B, soundboard feed with some gaps while audience cheers Quannum Live At XFM Info:This stellar, rare recording features Shadow mixing UK hip-hop and then joining the rest of Quannum (Blackalicious, Lateef, Lyrics Born, Joyo) for a live-in-studio performance. This set has been unavailable until RIGHT NOW! |