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
What Does Your Soul Look Like? Part 2
DJ Shadow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cold
Our road was paved to the edge of time
Steel, Sparks
Come with me now to the edge of time
Does anyone remember who I am?
In a few moments you will have an experience which will seem completely real
You have 5 seconds to terminate this tape
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Has everybody got a place to hide?
Is everybody inside?
Has everybody got a place to hide?
Is everybody inside?
There's a game out there, and the stakes are high.
And the guy who runs it figures the averages all day long, and all night
Once in a while he let's you steal a pot,
But if you stay in the game long enough, you've got to lose,
And once you've lost, there's no way back
No way at all
The time has come
Darkness!
Darkness! darkness! darkness!
Da-da-da-da-darkness!
The time has come
The time has come
Can you feel this?
What is that buzzing?
Are you now, or have you ever, moved slowly?
The above lyrics are from the song Part 2 by DJ Shadow feat. Cut Chemist & Numark. The song begins with a sense of foreboding as the lyrics describe standing at the edge of time, with coldness and steel and sparks suggesting a potential danger or risk. The invitation to come with me now to the edge of time suggests an adventure or journey, but the question of whether anyone remembers who I am hints at a deeper sense of uncertainty and perhaps even existential crisis.
The lyrics then shift to a spoken-word passage that warns of an upcoming experience that will feel completely real but is actually the result of subconscious fears. The countdown to terminate the tape adds a sense of urgency and danger, as if the listener is potentially confronting something frightening or unsettling. The repeated questions about whether everyone has a place to hide and is inside suggest a need for safety and protection, perhaps from whatever is coming.
The final part of the song references a game with high stakes and a ruthless operator who calculates the odds against the players. The idea of stealing a pot and eventually losing with no way back suggests a cycle of risk and reward that leads inevitably to loss and darkness. The repeated chants of darkness reinforce this sense of inevitable doom, although the final question about moving slowly adds a sense of uncertainty or unpredictability. Overall, the lyrics of Part 2 combine a sense of danger and uncertainty with a call to action, suggesting that the only way to confront our fears is to take risks and face the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
We are standing here at the edge of time
We are currently in a significant moment of the past or the future.
Cold
The situation surrounding us is unwelcoming and uncomfortable.
Our road was paved to the edge of time
Our journey has been destined towards this moment in time.
Steel, Sparks
The execution of the plan is being reinforced through hard work and passion.
Come with me now to the edge of time
Join me in this pivotal moment that will change everything.
Does anyone remember who I am?
Has my identity been obscured by the events that have occurred so far?
In a few moments you will have an experience which will seem completely real
You are about to undergo an intense emotional experience that may resonate with you for some time.
It will be the result of your subconscious fears, transformed to your conscious awareness
Your deep-seated fears and anxiety will be exposed and made visible to your conscious perception, causing a psychological transformation.
You have 5 seconds to terminate this tape
You have a short amount of time to escape or prevent the unfolding of an adverse event.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Countdown to a point of no return, a crucial moment where important decisions must be made.
Has everybody got a place to hide?
Are we well-prepared and equipped for anything dark and unforeseeable in the future?
Is everybody inside?
Are we united, with everyone on the same team and dedicated towards the same goal?
There's a game out there, and the stakes are high.
There is a risky, high-stakes situation that we must navigate through.
And the guy who runs it figures the averages all day long, and all night
The person in control of the situation is scrutinizing every detail while calculating risk and reward throughout their day and even during their sleep.
Once in a while he let's you steal a pot,
Opportunities to gain an advantage will occasionally present themselves.
But if you stay in the game long enough, you've got to lose,
If you remain in the situation for too long, the odds will catch up with you, and you will suffer a catastrophic loss.
And once you've lost, there's no way back
Once you have fallen to a disadvantageous position, it is challenging to recover.
No way at all
Without luck or a miracle, there is no way of salvaging the situation.
The time has come
The long-awaited and climactic moment has arrived.
Darkness!
The situation is dire and ominous.
Darkness! darkness! darkness!
The situation is incredibly somber and dreadful.
Da-da-da-da-darkness!
An exclamation of the imminent peril or catastrophe.
Can you feel this?
Are you aware of the gravity of this moment?
What is that buzzing?
Is there a sense of tension due to the danger and risk at hand?
Are you now, or have you ever, moved slowly?
Have you ever been unresponsive or unprepared in a critical or dangerous situation?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Josh Paul Davis, Ray Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind