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
DJ Shadow-Six Days
DJ Shadow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At summit talks you'll hear them speak
It's only Monday
Negotiations breaking down
See those leaders start to frown
It's sword and gun day
Tomorrow never comes until it's too late
You could be sitting taking lunch
The news will hit you like a punch
It's only Tuesday
You never thought we'd go to war
After all the things we saw
It's April Fools' day
Tomorrow never comes until it's too late
Tomorrow never comes until it's too late
You hear a whistling overhead
Are you alive or are you dead?
It's only Thursday
You feel a shaking on the ground
A billion candles burn around
Is it your birthday?
Tomorrow never comes until it's too late
Tomorrow never comes until it's too late
Make tomorrow come I think it's too late
The song "Six Days" by DJ Shadow talks about the unpredictability of life and how things can change in just a matter of days. The lyrics take us through a week, starting with summit talks at the beginning of the week, negotiations breaking down and leaders starting to frown to signify tension and a difficult situation. The line "sword and gun day" shows how conflicts escalate as time passes, and the situation becomes even more dire.
The lyrics go on to talk about how news can strike us like a punch, just like the news of war breaking out on Tuesday, which was unexpected. These lines are followed by a nod to April Fool's day, highlighting how events can occur in life that might seem like jokes or impossible to happen, yet they still do. The final events of the week are mentioned as well, questioning whether someone is alive or dead with a whistling that's heard overhead on Thursday, and then the feeling of earthquakes on the ground on Friday, which also happens to be someone's birthday.
Overall, the lyrics of "Six Days" are about how we never know what will happen in life and how events can rapidly change the course of our lives. The line "tomorrow never comes until it's too late" emphasizes the point that we should seize the day as opposed to waiting for a better tomorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
At the starting of the week
As the week begins
At summit talks you'll hear them speak
Political leaders hold discussions
It's only Monday
Starting the week
Negotiations breaking down
Discussions falling apart
See those leaders start to frown
Observing the concerned expressions of said leaders
It's sword and gun day
Describing the high tension and danger of the situation
Tomorrow never comes until it's too late
The future is uncertain and unpredictable
You could be sitting taking lunch
Even when feeling relaxed and secure
The news will hit you like a punch
Bad news can be shocking
It's only Tuesday
Still early in the week
You never thought we'd go to war
Surprised by the escalation of conflict
After all the things we saw
Despite previous signs and warnings
It's April Fools' day
A potentially ironic or tragic date for war to begin
You hear a whistling overhead
Signs of an impending attack
Are you alive or are you dead?
Recognizing the potential danger and consequences
It's only Thursday
Days later, still in a crisis situation
You feel a shaking on the ground
Sensing the intensity of the conflict
A billion candles burn around
Amidst the destruction and devastation
Is it your birthday?
Reflecting on the contrast between celebration and destruction
Make tomorrow come I think it's too late
Urging action before it is too late
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOSH PAUL DAVIS, DENIS ROBERT OLIVIERI, BRIAN FARRELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind