“To light a candle is to cast a shadow.”
~ Ursula K. LeGuin, A Wizard of Earthsea ~
Shuffled up a steady set from the archives … vinyl-tinged spins from analogue-sampled trips and well-aged hops, some downtempo chillwave, splash of low-fi baroque, echoes of the ambient social conscience coast along the crest, deep rhythmic blues and pure percussive soul … somewhere between East Coast concrete sensibility and West Coast halcyon harmony, Josh Davis’ aural mood cast its shadow on a rewind remind of yesteryear’s signature street euphony … fwiw, a tonal taste of #nowplaying circa 2008: c/o Mr. Put-A-Smile-On-Your-Face-Like-Ultra-Brite … it’s, it’s, it’s: DJ Shadow:
And I would like to able to continue to let what is inside of me – which is, which comes from all the music that I hear – I would like for that to come out; and it’s like, it’s not really me that’s coming… The music’s coming through me… The music’s coming through me…
“Shadow understands the nature of the sample: that he is a hub, a crux, a medium for the message – that the music comes through him; that his most powerful presence is as a promulgator and channel…”
Playlist:
DJ Shadow – Building Steam with a Grain of Salt
(Endtroducing. . . . ./ 1996)
Bonobo – Wayward Bob
(Dial M For Monkey/ 2003)
DJ Shadow – What Does Your Soul Look Like? (Part 4)
(Endtroducing. . . . ./ 1996)
Daedelus – Femme Fatale
(A Gent Agent/ 2004)
DJ Shadow – Six Days
(The Private Press/ 2002)
Radiohead – The Gloaming (DJ Shadow Remix)
(Would You Buy A War From This Man? 7″/ 2004)
DJ Shadow – Fixed Income (Remix)
(The Private Press/ 2002)
Aceyalone – Forward
(A Book of Human Language/ 1998)
DJ Shadow – In/Flux
(Preemptive Strike/ 1998)
Aceyalone & RJD2 – A Beautiful Mine
(Mad Men: Music from the Series, Vol. 1/ 2008)
DJ Shadow – Best Foot Forward (Teeko Remix)
(Endtroducing… Re-Imagined/ 2016)
Postscript / Preamble: sidenote(s): Piggybacking off of InsideOut — kind of — I put together a bit of a year-end wind down list. DJ Shadow’s groundbreakingly legendary tracks have been the soundtrack of my 2008; so what better way to reflect on the year than to offer a sonic sampling of my mode and mindset during the past 12 months. To cut the monotony, I mixed a few of my personal favorites — many of whom came in as very close seconds on the 2008 iPod play count, and many of whom find inspiration in the Shadow. Aceyalone is an Angeleno legend on the mic. Daedelus uses an incredibly innovative merger of almost-Baroque, ambient, and drum ‘n bass to create a strikingly distinctive sound. RJD2 needs no introduction; but for fairness’ sake, he uses sampling to emphasize the roots of hip-hop through soul and fundamental drum ‘n bass beats. So here’s my year to segue you into a splendiforous 2009 — enjoi.
(December 21, 2008)
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