Pressing issues

In 1996, DJ Shadow (also known as Josh Davis) released his first LP, Endtroducing; a symphonic album, constructed completely from sampled music. While he can be classified as a hip-hop instrumentalist or, more ambiguously, as a trip-hop artist, Shadow remains an innovative musician. Career highlights include working with artists such as Tom Yorke, Richard Ashcroft and Badly Drawn Boy on the 1998 U.N.K.L.E. release; creating the classic funk mega mix, Brainfreeze, with Jurassic 5's Cut Chemist and producing Blackalicious' Nia. Now, DJ Shadow has released his second solo album, The Private Press.

While his previous work has been centered on using old soul, funk and jazz as a source for samples, The Private Press has made use of a collection of 80's electronica vinyl. This has resulted in some peculiar sounds and while the album, like Endtroducing, can seem impenetrable, further listening has its rewards. Shadow has written a variety of styles into the album that lack the track-to-track flow of Endtroducing, yet each find their own niche in his musical abilities; at times reminiscent of previous work and other times heading off in weird and wonderful directions.

The first track, "Fixed Income", reestablishes Shadow's brooding, almost sinister sound; a deep bass line is overlaid with a heavy drum break, while layers of haunting guitar and glockenspiel melodies are slowly added across the mix. "Walkie Talkie" openly displays his hip-hop roots with 'hard core' bass and breaks punctuated by random samples and scratching. "Giving Up The Ghost" follows the same vein as the Shadow classic, "Organ Donor", with striking melodies dovetailed into a pushy beat. The current single enjoying airtime on Triple J, "Six Days", is one of the softest moments I have heard from Davis. The layers of samples are sublime, almost psychedelic, while the vocals render the track into an eerie protest song (the liner notes include 'King George Bush II and his court' in the 'Implication' section).

"The Right Thing / GDMFSOB" and "Monosylabik" reveal the electronica base to this album. "The Right Thing" consists of some frenzied break loops that are of a remarkably different sound to Shadow's usual 'organic' drum arrangements. "Monosylabik" is one of the oddest tracks encountered on The Private Press, providing 8 minutes of slow motion drum and bass. The tail end of the album contains "Mashing on the Motorway"; a clever and hilarious road-rage song with vocals provided by Quannum co-member, Lateef the Truth-Speaker. "Blood on the Motorway" is a dirge-like contrast that climaxes into a glorious drumbeat and orchestral melody after a nearly bland, spoken-word build up. Finishing on a high note, Shadow fuses the sounds of Endtroducing and the electronica of The Private Press in "You Can't Go Home Again", setting a rising crescendo of samples against a driven tempo.

While not as stunning as Endtroducing, The Private Press is a remarkable accomplishment, managing to include a wide selection of styles that DJ Shadow is capable of. Thoughtful, hilarious and intelligent; this album is worth listening to a few times. For those wary of DJ Shadow's music, listen to his back catalogue to hear truly innovative break beat and dance music.

Richard R. Southern