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 Have I Done
DJ Shadow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fear beginning
I must go
Broken and soaked
To the wider world returning
I'll never be sullen again
Something is wrong
I can't stop my thoughts
Stop, stop what you're doing
I guess I'd better face it
The thoughts are sabotaging me
Even though they are mine
It feels as if it is physical
Like being in a different world
Weirder
As if somehow things just are
Let's go ahead and get it over with
Don't be afraid
Can't you trust me
We all have thoughts
And we are together
We are together
I am your healing spirit
I am your healing spirit
I am your healing spirit
Healing spirit
There is a boy
Standing in a meadow
Looking out into the sky
And hundreds (and hundreds)
And hundreds (and hundreds)
And hundreds of butterflies
Lift off from around him
(Lift off from around him)
That's all I can remember
(Lift off from around him...)
Your mind
Due (?) bright morning
Dance with light
Send stars to the night
I am awake
I have a dream
I am living proof
I am living proof
What I have done
What I have done
What I have done
First steps
Through open fields
The song "What Have I Done" by DJ Shadow is a haunting and introspective composition that reflects on the internal struggle of the singer. The opening lines of the song, "I speak from the heart, I fear beginning, I must go, broken and soaked" sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is going through some sort of emotional distress, and they are aware of it; they are aware that something is wrong, and they can't stop their thoughts from sabotaging themselves. However, the singer is also aware that they need to face their troubles head-on, "Stop, stop what you're doing, I guess I'd better face it."
The middle section of the song contains an interesting and somewhat surreal moment. The singer describes a boy standing in a meadow with hundreds of butterflies lifting off from around him. The significance of this image is not entirely clear, but it could represent an awakening, a moment of clarity or beauty, or a memory that is haunting the singer. Despite the ambiguity of this part of the song, it contributes to the overall dreamlike quality that the song possesses. The song ends on a positive and uplifting note, "I am awake, I have a dream, I am living proof, I am living proof," which can be interpreted as the singer overcoming their struggles and finding some sort of peace or resolution.
Line by Line Meaning
I speak from the heart
Speaking with sincerity and honesty
I fear beginning
Being scared to start new things
I must go
Having to leave and move on
Broken and soaked
Feeling emotionally exhausted and vulnerable
To the wider world returning
Going back into the world outside of oneself
I'll never be sullen again
Never allowing oneself to feel sad or gloomy again
Something is wrong
Sensing that something is not right
I can't stop my thoughts
Feeling unable to control one's own thoughts
I tell myself to stop them
Consciously trying to suppress negative thoughts
Stop, stop what you're doing
Forcefully telling oneself to stop thinking negative thoughts
I guess I'd better face it
Realizing that it's necessary to confront and deal with their negative thoughts
The thoughts are sabotaging me
Realizing that negative thoughts are having a detrimental effect
Even though they are mine
Acknowledging that the negative thoughts come from within oneself
It feels as if it is physical
Sensing that negative thoughts have a palpable effect on oneself
Like being in a different world
Feeling disconnected from reality due to negative thoughts
Weirder
Feeling strange or unusual
As if somehow things just are
Sensing that negative thoughts are a natural part of life
Let's go ahead and get it over with
Encouraging oneself to face and overcome their negative thoughts
Don't be afraid
Encouraging oneself to be brave
Can't you trust me
Asking oneself to trust that they can overcome their negative thoughts
We all have thoughts
Acknowledging that everyone has negative thoughts
And we are together
Finding comfort and support in others who experience similar negative thoughts
I am your healing spirit
Choosing to view oneself as a healing force rather than being consumed by negative thoughts
There is a boy
A descriptive phrase that sets the scene
Standing in a meadow
A visual description of the boy's position
Looking out into the sky
A description of the boy's gaze
And hundreds (and hundreds)
Indicating large quantities of something
Of butterflies
Describing the many floating insects that surround the boy
Lift off from around him
Describing the butterflies beginning to fly away
(Lift off from around him)
Repeating the previous line
That's all I can remember
Acknowledging the limitations of memory
Your mind
Referring to the listener's consciousness
Due (?) bright morning
Describing the stillness and brightness of the early morning
Dance with light
Evoking a sense of movement in association with light
Send stars to the night
Metaphorically transporting light to the darkness
I am awake
Recognizing a sense of consciousness
I have a dream
A phrase that alludes to the famous Martin Luther King Jr. speech
I am living proof
Asserting their existence and agency
What I have done
What they have accomplished
First steps
Referring to the beginning of a journey or process
Through open fields
A descriptive phrase that sets the scene
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOSH PAUL DAVIS, CHRISTINA CARTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind