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
Right Thing
DJ Shadow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I find it very hard to fit the music to the mood
And there's nothing worse than to make the wrong choice
Except to sort right through and find nothing suitable
But then
I find
Just the right thing ...
But then
I find
Just the right thing
But then
I find
Just the right thing
But then
I find
Just the right thing
But then
I find
Just the right thing
But then
I find
Just the right thing
But then
I find
Just the right thing
The right thing
The Right thing
The right thing
The right thing
The right thing...
Right right right right right
Pure energy!
Breathe!
Breathe!
The purpose of this record...
The purpose of this record...
Pure energy!
The lyrics of DJ Shadow's song Right Thing focus on the challenges of finding the perfect music to match one's mood. The singer is struggling to find appropriate tracks to fit their tape collection, which is growing bigger every minute. They understand that making the wrong choice can ruin the mood, but searching through the tapes and not finding anything is equally frustrating. The repetition of the phrase "but then, I find just the right thing," is indicative of the moment when the singer finally comes across the perfect track that matches their mood and energizes them.
Musically, the song has a fast tempo and contains a sample from a 1984 spoken word record titled "Pure Energy." These samples are used in the song's bridge to inspire the listener and evoke a feeling of emotion-filled energy. The purpose of the song is to capture the feeling of being saved by music, the thrill of finding the perfect song that matches one's emotions, and how that can invigorate and inspire the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
This tape collection gets bigger every minute
My music library is constantly growing with more and more tapes and it's becoming overwhelming
I find it very hard to fit the music to the mood
It's difficult to find the right music to match my current feelings and emotions
And there's nothing worse than to make the wrong choice
Choosing the wrong music can be really disappointing and frustrating
Except to sort right through and find nothing suitable
The only thing worse than choosing the wrong music is going through everything and not finding anything that works
But then
I find
Just the right thing ...
Sometimes, after searching and sorting for a long time, I finally stumble upon the perfect song
The right thing
The Right thing
The right thing
The right thing
The right thing...
It feels amazing to find the perfect song, and I can't help but repeat its greatness over and over again
Right right right right right
This is so amazing, it's just so right, I can't stress it enough
Pure energy!
This song is so powerful, it fills me with a rush of energy and enthusiasm
Breathe!
Breathe!
This song is so intense it feels like it's taking over, I need to pause and take a breath to fully take it in
The purpose of this record...
The intention of this song is to bring life and energy to the listener, and it does that perfectly
Pure energy!
This song's energy and power is unmatched, it's perfect
Contributed by Isaac J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.