DJ Shadow spent his teenage years in Davis, California and was a DJ at the community radio station KDVS. During his time as a radio disc jockey, DJ Shadow was significant in developing the experimental instrumental hip-hop style associated with the California-based Solesides record label. His early singles for the label, including In/Flux and Lost and Found (S.F.L.), were genre-bending works of art merging elements of funk, rock, hip-hop, ambient, jazz, soul, and used-bin found records. DJ Shadow is often cited as a leading creator of trip-hop, though this is a label he strongly contests.
Although he previously released a couple of original works (during 1991-1992 for Hollywood Records) by the time Mo' Wax's James Lavelle contacted him about releasing In/Flux on the fledgling imprint, it wasn't until his distribution association with Mo' Wax that his sound began to mature and cohere.
Shadow's first full-length work, Endtroducing....., was released in late 1996 to immense critical acclaim. Following the success of this album, he acted as a shadow producer for Rage Against The Machine for their album, Evil Empire. It is said he influenced the solo on their song "Bulls On Parade". Endtroducing... made the Guinness World Records book for "First Completely Sampled Album" in 2001. Preemptive Strike, a compilation of early singles, followed in early 1998. Later that year, Shadow produced tracks for Psyence Fiction, the debut album by U.N.K.L.E., a long-time Mo' Wax production team that gained superstar guests including Thom Yorke (of Radiohead), Richard Ashcroft (of The Verve), Mike D (of the Beastie Boys) and others. His next project came in 1999, with the transformation of Solesides into a new label, Quannum Projects. Nearly six years after his debut production album, his second album, The Private Press, was released in June 2002. In the same year, the movie "Scratch" (2001, Doug Pray) was released to DVD with DJ Shadow appearing several times throughout the movie.
The documentary films "Dark Days" and "Wisconsin Death Trip" feature music of DJ Shadow while "Scratch" features an interview and more music.
DJ Shadow has also collaborated with fellow artist Cut Chemist. Together they have made two CDs entitled Brainfreeze and Product Placement. These albums fuse jazz, funk, and soul in the framework of a cohesive concept. The second of these (Product Placement) followed a very similar pattern to the first, but using remixes/other versions of the songs in roughly the same order.
In the year 2004, Shadow released his feature length DVD, In Tune and On Time. The DVD features a live performance in London, emphasizing intricate visuals.
In 2005, Shadow released a Deluxe Edition of his first album, Endtroducing.... and a new album, titled "The Outsider" in 2006.
While Shadow's earlier works, especially 'Endtroducing.....', are known for their innovation in genres such as hip-hop, ambient, and trip-hop, his fourth full length album, The Outsider, had several tracks dedicated to Hyphy. This decision has been controversial, leaving many fans feeling alienated. DJ Shadow addressed this point in an August, 2006 interview, in which stated, "Repeat Endtroducing over and over again? That was never, ever in the game plan. Fuck that. So I think it's time for certain fans to decide if they are fans of the album, or the artist."
Also in 2005, Brian Udelhofen began work on the Shadow Percussion Project, an attempt to adapt some of the tracks from Endtroducing... for a live performance group. The result was largely successful and well-received by DJ Shadow himself.
In 2007 DJ Shadow was contacted by the Hollywood Bowl to do a show featuring Freeze with Cut Chemist. However, not wanting to repeat old material DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist came up with a whole new routine entitled The Hard Sell. In 2007 and 2008 they went on The Hard Sell tour and were accompanied on stage by two large video screens with visuals created for the tour.
Discography
Solo Albums
* 1996 - Endtroducing.....
* 1998 - Preemptive Strike
* 2000 - Dark Days
* 2002 - The Private Press
* 2003 - The Private Repress (Japanese Remix Album)
* 2004 - In Tune and On Time
* 2005 - Endtroducing... (2xCD Deluxe Edition)
* 2006 - The Outsider
* 2007 - The 4-Track Era Vol.1 Best of the KMEL Mixes
* 2007 - The 4-Track Era Vol.2 Best of the Remixes and Megamixes (1990-1992)
* 2011 - The Less You Know, the Better
with Q Bert
* 1997 - Camel Bobsled Race (Q-Bert Mega Mix) CD-EP
with UNKLE
* 1998 - Psyence Fiction
with Cut Chemist
* 1999 - Brainfreeze
* 2001 - Product Placement
* 2004 - Product Placement on Tour
* 2005 - Freeze
* 2008 - The Hard Sell
with Dan The Automator
* 1998 - Bombay the Hard Way: Guns, Cars and Sitars
(Letter From Home)
DJ Shadow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Apartment K, Richmond, California
September 9th 1951
Dear Lester,
I'm sorry I didn't write before,
And because this record wasn't sent,
Which I intended doing before this,
Tonight, we got together and kept the kids up,
And decided to have a little fun making this record.
Well of course, coming up,
We didn't have a lot of trouble, we had a lot of fun.
Momma slept all the way, and I didn't get tired driving.
Was over anxious.
We got in about 12:45,
Got to Richmond, woke the family up.
And there are so many things I could say,
I just can't get them together...
I'll let you hear from somebody else.
"Letter From Home" by DJ Shadow is a hauntingly beautiful composition that reflects the power of music to transport us to another time and place. The song is constructed around a spoken-word letter, which appears to have been written by an African American woman in the 1950s, who is sharing news of her travels and offering a note of apology for not writing sooner. The letter is filled with little details that offer glimpses into the writer's life and the world of that period, such as the address where she is staying in Richmond, California, and the fact that she and her family had to keep the children up at night to record the message.
The voice delivering the letter sounds weary and sorrowful, but also filled with a sense of nostalgia and longing. In this sense, the lyrics can be seen as a tribute to the power of memory and the way in which music can help us to connect with our past and our emotions. The music itself is constructed around samples of old blues and jazz recordings, which give the song a timeless quality and add to its sense of history and meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
451 Commercial Avenue,
Address of the writer, who is located at 451 Commercial Avenue.
Apartment K, Richmond, California
The specific apartment in Richmond, California where the writer is located.
September 9th 1951
The date the letter was written, September 9th, 1951.
Dear Lester,
Addressing the recipient of the letter, Lester, in a friendly manner.
I'm sorry I didn't write before,
Apologizing for not writing earlier than the current date.
And because this record wasn't sent,
Explaining that the intended record was not sent.
Which I intended doing before this,
Clarifying that the writer had intended to send the record earlier.
Everything went wrong.
Expressing that things did not go according to plan and there were some problems.
Tonight, we got together and kept the kids up,
Describing the current night where the writer gathered with some other people and kept the children awake.
And decided to have a little fun making this record.
Explaining the group's decision to create a record for Lester's listening pleasure.
Well of course, coming up,
Indicating the journey the group took to arrive at their current location.
We didn't have a lot of trouble, we had a lot of fun.
Describing the journey as being mostly hassle-free and enjoyable.
Momma slept all the way, and I didn't get tired driving.
Reporting that the mother in the group slept the entire way and the writer was not fatigued from driving.
Was over anxious.
Explaining that the writer had been very enthusiastic and eager about the trip.
We got in about 12:45,
Reporting the time of arrival as around 12:45.
Got to Richmond, woke the family up.
Clarifying that upon their arrival in Richmond, they woke the family up from their sleep.
And there are so many things I could say,
Expressing that the writer has a lot to say but can't seem to put it into words.
I just can't get them together...
Admitting that the writer is having trouble organizing their thoughts and ideas.
I'll let you hear from somebody else.
Concluding the letter by suggesting that Lester will hear from someone else next time.
Contributed by Zachary J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@natebardwell
The actors are so good, they nailed the hell out of this.
@kirya7177
I wonder who they are. They are great
@RayceManyon00
I would have given anything to be on that production crew
@brettmcknight4677
they are so intense
@kirya7177
@@rosdolsky Woah, really ?! I'm from Ukraine and that's really dope
@drawnsequence
There's literally not a single shot where anyone seems like they're overacting, underselling, overselling the action... and it's in slow motion where mistakes and imperfections show for soooo much longer. I'm blown away - just amazing.
@Cephlin
"Gentlemen. You can't fight in here. This is the War Room!"
@maksymharton3371
One of the best comment
@MrKshys
@@maksymharton3371 if not the best ;)
@minister2965
Yeeeee hawwwww