DJ Shadow - Endtroducing..... (November 19, 1996)

DJ Shadow's Endtroducing..... is generally considered to be one of the most powerful albums in the genre, transcending hip hop almost entirely in its quest for worldwide domination. I read a review of this album online in which the author calls this disc "one of the greatest moments in the history of contemporary music". Hyperbole? We'll see.

Josh Davis, DJ Shadow's driver's license alter ego, is a hip hop producer who is generally seen as somewhat of a pioneer in the field of instrumental music. Sure, he's made quote-unquote "regular" beats for rappers as well (I had expected him to work with guys like Blackalicious and DJ Krush, but was surprised to read that he's remixed Depeche Mode songs and actually contributed a lot to Sleeping With The Enemy, a hardcore album by political rapper/conspiracy theorist Paris), but he's best known for his musical contributions that don't really require vocalists. His style is primarily that of sampling, but he's taken the art form to an entirely different plane: he effectively argues that a record, in and of itself, should be seen as both a method of transport for music and an instrument that can be used to create new sounds: he has a knack for utilizing many many many records in a single song, usually chopping and scoring rock, funk, soul, hip hop, jazz, and the occasional polka samples beyond all recognition, with the end result showcasing a newer way of looking at the original source material.

Endtroducing..... apparently is listed in the Guinness Book Of World Records as the first album in recorded history that was made completely out of samples and not "traditional" instruments. It's universal praise upon its release guaranteed a spot in the history books for Josh, and, oh yeah, the music did as well: the patchwork quilt he created with Endtroducing..... (with its eerie samples, stream-of-consciousness dialogue lifted from many different sources, and ambient (and often very fucking long) instrumentals) sounded almost timeless, which tends to happen when your album sounds like absolutely nothing else that was on the shelves at the moment.

Some interesting side notes I only discovered today by reading through the liner notes: Shadow credits, among other people, DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, and Jam Master Jay as inspiration. He also subtly disses Dan "The Automator" Nakamura in the notes as well, but it's all in good fun, considering that Shadow apparently recorded Endtroducing..... under the watchful eye of The Automator at his own studio, The Glue Factory. Also, only eight songs are listed in the album credits as officially sampled material: my guesstimate is that, had Shadow actually cleared every single recording for use on this disc, it would have cost more than the national fucking deficit. Yes, there are that many samples on here: the only other album I can readily think of that features so many other songs chopped up is Paul's Boutique, by the Beastie Boys.

Speaking of which, Paul's Boutique is an album that ranks among my wife's favorites, and she is actually the reason why I own Endtroducing..... in the first place: she gave it to me as a random gift while we were still dating. (That would be why I married her, kids. That, and she's awesome.) I had heard "Stem" on the soundtrack of 187, some flick with Samuel L. Jackson that I cannot recall, and I remember loving it (that soundtrack also featured a remix of Method Man's "Release Yo'Delf" that was produced by The Prodigy, which I also liked: that soundtrack is certainly not anything I could recommend to anybody, but it had some surprises), so I was thrilled to find that "Stem" was accompanied by "Long Stem" on Endtroducing.....

Let's see how this goes.

1. BEST FOOT FORWARD
Not your typical rap album intro, but it's still a rap album intro, sans the "rap" part.

2. BUILDING STEAM WITH A GRAIN OF SALT
Have you ever woken up in the morning, got yourself dressed, jumped in your car, and while you're driving to whatever your destination is that day, noticed odd names and production credits appearing on the horizon, hovering over your passenger seat, or sometimes even suddenly stamped on the back of your head? This is the song that is playing whenever that shit happens, and it is great.

3. THE NUMBER SONG
Unlike some of the other tracks on Endtroducing....., I can't imagine anybody listening to this track stuck on 'repeat'. It's okay, but kind of annoying.

4. CHANGELING / TRANSMISSION 1
Pretty fucking awesome. This song clearly showcases a master at work. He must have inspired thousands of wannabe producers to scour their local thrift shops and record stores for some buried vinyl treasures: with all of that new found competition, no wonder he moved on to hyphy.

5. WHAT DOES YOUR SOUL LOOK LIKE (PART 4)
Kind of boring, I gotta say.

6.
This track simply has no title, but it's really just a goofy interlude that can easily be skipped.

7. STEM / LONG STEM / TRANSMISSION 2
As I wrote above, I had already heard "Stem", and I loved it even more after hearing it in its proper context. "Long Stem" is just a revamped and extended version of the original song, and truthfully, it isn't as good as the original, but it still works as pleasing meditative music. The transmissions that pop up sporadically on the disc just creep me out, however, and are very hard to listen to without hitting the skip button.

8. MUTUAL SLUMP
I used to hate this song with the passion of a thousand suns, because that ridiculous chirp noise at the beginning just sounds awful. I still hate it, since it damn near induces headaches, but if you get past that, you're rewarded with some heavy-ass drums and a subliminal melody that will score your nightmares for weeks. And somehow, that's a good thing.

9. ORGAN DONOR
Much shorter than I would like, since the organ-driven beat (which you could have guessed by its title) meshes with the simple drum breaks perfectly. You may recognize the beat in its original incarnation, as an incredibly-brief part of the "Stem" / "Long Stem" quandary.

10. WHY HIP HOP SUCKS IN '96
Yeah, he pretty much hit the nail on the head. See also: why hip hop sucks in '08.

11. MIDNIGHT IN A PERFECT WORLD
I'm almost certain that this song alone has caused creative minds to construct approximately ninety-seven screenplays, four million and three short stories, multiple novels, and the occasional song, which hopefully doesn't sample this already-sample-driven set, as that would just be overkill. My opinion? I could see writing to this as well, and not just because it's on while I'm writing this sentence.

12. NAPALM BRAIN / SCATTER BRAIN
I like this song the least. Elements of it are good, such as the guitar lick and the drums, but the dialogue that drives the track sounded vague and boorish, turning me off almost completely. Also, there are big chunks of this instrumental where absolutely nothing is happening: it'll make you wonder if your iPod has frozen again.

13. WHAT DOES YOUR SOUL LOOK LIKE (PART 1 - BLUE SKY REVISIT) / TRANSMISSION 3
A great and expansive way to end your debut solo disc: the music reaches heights only hinted at in the twelve previous tracks. If only that transmission weren't there at the end, I would be an extremely happy man. As such, I'm only thoroughly entertained.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Endtroducing..... still sounds as good as I thought it did back in the day, which is to say, a lot of the songs hold up, but a couple of them really don't. This is still an impressive body of work, however, and Shadow deserves all of his accolades for essentially creating a new sub-genre within hip hop's twisted jungle of a definition. Throw this shit into the CD player when you're driving around by yourself, and you will notice a tonal shift in everything you do, from making that right turn at the light to noticing that female jogger bounce up and down to the beat. Simply stated: it's good. Really good.

BUY OR BURN? In 2005, Shadow's label, Mo Wax, released a deluxe edition of Endtroducing..... that included an entire second disc chock-full of B-sides, alternate takes, and a twelve-minute live set. Buy that shit instead of the single-disc version: you'll get more bang for your buck. But even if the single-disc edition is the only one you come across, don't hesitate to part with your lawnmowing money.

BEST TRACKS: "Changeling"; "Stem"; "Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt"; "Organ Donor"; "Midnight In A Perfect World"; "Mutual Slump"

-Max