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
The lyrics to "Letter From Home" by DJ Shadow are actually spoken word, rather than sung lyrics. The piece is a letter being read out loud, supposedly from a man named Lester's mother. The concept of the letter is that the mother is apologizing for not writing sooner and for not sending the intended record. She explains that the family got together to make a record instead, but that it was all in good fun. She then goes on to talk about how the journey to Richmond, California was uneventful and easy, and that they all arrived safely. The mother ends the letter by saying she cannot put into words how much she misses Lester and that he will hear from someone else soon.
The spoken word format of the lyrics places less emphasis on the poetic nature of the language and more on the emotion and content of the letter itself. The letter is written in a colloquial style, which adds to the feeling that it is a genuine piece of correspondence that someone might receive from their mother. The tone of the letter is sweet and warm, with the mother expressing her love and missing her son dearly. The fact that the family got together to create a record shows the importance of music and family in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
451 Commercial Avenue,
This is the address of the sender of the letter, informing the recipient of their location.
Apartment K, Richmond, California
The sender specifies their exact locality in Richmond, California, through their apartment number.
September 9th 1951
The sender further establishes the date of writing for the recipient’s reference.
Dear Lester,
The sender greets the recipient, Lester, being mindful of the formal tone of the letter.
I'm sorry I didn't write before,
The sender expresses regret at not writing earlier, indicating their intention to do so.
And because this record wasn't sent,
The sender gives a reason why they did not write earlier, explaining their intention to send a record with the letter.
Which I intended doing before this,
The sender reiterates their previous statement confirming their earlier intention of sending a record with the letter.
Everything went wrong.
The sender reveals that things did not go as planned.
Tonight, we got together and kept the kids up,
The sender sets the scene of the recording session, involving a gathering with children present, and extended hours that kept the kids up.
And decided to have a little fun making this record.
The sender explains the reason for the recording session, which was to have some fun with the family.
Well of course, coming up,
The sender makes a general remark to introduce what happened next.
We didn't have a lot of trouble, we had a lot of fun.
The sender shares their experience traveling to their current location in Richmond, California.
Momma slept all the way, and I didn't get tired driving.
The sender provides additional details regarding their travels, discussing how their mother slept throughout the entire travel, and the sender did not get tired while driving.
Was over anxious.
The sender discloses their emotional state during the travels, which was over-anxious.
We got in about 12:45,
The sender reveals the time they arrived at their location in Richmond, California.
Got to Richmond, woke the family up.
The sender recounts how they woke up their family after arriving in Richmond, California.
And there are so many things I could say,
The sender contemplates sharing more details with the recipient, Lester, but hesitates.
I just can't get them together...
The sender reveals they have difficulty putting their thoughts and sharing their experiences with the recipient in a coherent manner.
I'll let you hear from somebody else
The sender concludes the letter by indicating that they will leave it to another person to share any other updates or details with Lester.
Contributed by Hudson I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.