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 4
DJ Shadow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Want to go back where we were, how many years?
All my life I've found
Sometimes it's hard to [?]
Now I [?]
E c'era gi??, questo amore che viviamo, tanto tempo fa,
la tristezza in allegria
And why should we
Want to live a life that's passed and never more [will be]
The opening verse of the song "Part I" by DJ Shadow/Cut Chemist speaks about questioning the desire to go back to the past. The lyrics ponder why one would want to return to where they were, especially after having spent so many years moving away from that place. The lines suggest that time has changed the person, their life and outlook, and that going back to the past may not be possible or desirable.
The second verse talks about the struggles of life and how it can be difficult to find one's way or understand the path that one is on. The missing word in the lyric suggests that the journey ahead may have been uncertain and scattered, making it difficult to come to terms with. The section ends with lines that suggest that the struggles have been overcome, and the individual has found a way forward.
The third verse is in Italian and seems to suggest nostalgia for a love that existed a long time ago. The words translate to "And there was already, this love that we live, a long time ago, there was already, a rose that I gave you, the songs that I sang, the sadness in joy." This section stands out as being a reflection of a past love, and the emotions that it evokes.
Line by Line Meaning
And why should we
Questioning the purpose of returning to the past
Want to go back where we were, how many years?
Asking how long ago the past was and why anyone would want to return to it
All my life I've found
Throughout my entire existence
Sometimes it's hard to [?]
Occasionally it's difficult to [unknown action or feeling]
Now I [?]
Currently I [unknown action or feeling]
E c'era gi??, questo amore che viviamo, tanto tempo fa,
And it already existed, this love that we live, so long ago,
c'era gi??, una rosa che ti ho dato, le canzoni che ho cantato,
it already existed, a rose that I gave you, the songs that I sang,
la tristezza in allegria
sadness within joy
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Josh Paul Davis, Ray Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind