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
Dark 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 lyrics of DJ Shadow's song "Six Days" present a dystopian and apocalyptic scenario where negotiations and peace talks among world leaders fail, leading to a world full of sword, guns, war, and destruction. The song starts on a Monday, where the negotiations are already breaking down, and the leaders are starting to frown. The following lyrics "Tomorrow never comes until it's too late" means that the days are passing as usual, but nobody is taking action; they are just waiting, hoping that something will happen, but nothing does.
The song progresses, and the situation becomes worse. On Tuesday, the news of war arrives, and people are taken by surprise. The phrase "you never thought we'd go to war" suggests that people were under the impression that the negotiations would work, and they would avoid conflict. However, that didn't happen, and now they have to face the consequences. On Thursday, the situation becomes more intense, and people are not sure if they are alive or dead, and they cannot even celebrate their birthday because of the chaos around them. The last line in the song "Make tomorrow come I think it's too late" implies that it's already too late, and there's nothing that can be done to reverse the damage.
Overall, the song portrays a bleak and fatalistic view of the world, where leaders fail to achieve peace, and wars and conflicts are inevitable. The phrase "Tomorrow never comes until it's too late" suggests that procrastination, inaction, and delay will lead to catastrophic consequences. The song urges listeners to take action and make a change while there's still time.
Line by Line Meaning
At the starting of the week
At the beginning of a new week
At summit talks you'll hear them speak
During important meetings, leaders communicate with each other
It's only Monday
The week has only just begun
Negotiations breaking down
Attempts to come to an agreement are failing
See those leaders start to frown
The leaders show signs of disappointment or concern
It's sword and gun day
A metaphorical reference to the use of military force or violence to solve problems
Tomorrow never comes until it's too late
The future is unpredictable, and we may not have time to prepare for it
You could be sitting taking lunch
You might be eating a casual meal
The news will hit you like a punch
A sudden or unexpected announcement will affect you strongly
It's only Tuesday
The week is still young
You never thought we'd go to war
You didn't anticipate a conflict
After all the things we saw
Despite all the experiences we've had
It's April Fools' day
A reference to a day of pranks and mischievousness
You hear a whistling overhead
A disturbing or ominous sound can be heard in the distance
Are you alive or are you dead?
A question about survival under dangerous circumstances
It's only Thursday
The week is almost over
You feel a shaking on the ground
A tremor or earthquake is occurring
A billion candles burn around
A metaphorical reference to a great number of people or things present in the situation
Is it your birthday?
A tongue-in-cheek reference to a birthday celebration
Make tomorrow come I think it's too late
An expression of urgency in the face of a crisis
Writer(s): Josh Paul Davis Copyright: Mo Wax Music Ltd.
Contributed by Ethan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@lebellees-double-you2827
If you still play this track in 2022 after watching the documentary Dark Days 💪
@madjustice4746
This music is like life, a "Modern Western", thanks Shadow so great ...
@rondohunter8966
Never thought of it that way, a western sound is present. Nice... Thanks!
@ajcoluzzi9374
If you still play this track in 2021💪😎
@aravindpatnaik
🤪🙋🏻♂️ ... if you still play this track in 2018 !!
@SickEspenGrafitti
DAM RIGHT! :-)
@showerdj17mck
2019
@Charlie86RC
Late 2019
@andersoncidade5106
2020 fds kkkkkkkkk
@gustavofigueroa3873
If I was ever lucky enough to get a role in a Tarantino film I would want this to be playing as I'm introduced into the scene