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I finally saw one of my favorite hip-hop legends of all time, DJ Shadow. DJ Shadow was one of the pioneers of the ‘sample’ style of hip-hop, where music is made from scads of tiny snippets from other things. His 1996 album Outrospective is actually in the Guiness World Records for being the first album made entirely of samples. It’s an incredibly good album, too.
The whole concept of ‘sample based’ music is strange. At first, it sounds like a cop-out. “I can’t make my own music, so I’ll just sample other people’s, and call it my own.” And I admit, sometimes that happens. But in the tradition of Andy Warhol, it is possible to see the cultural ‘noise’ of our world as just another medium. Every day you hear hundreds of songs, snippets of radio from other people’s cars, music in stores, music at home, etc. I bet most people listen to at least a tiny bit of up to 100 songs a day. Most of it you just forget, but they leave an imprint on your mind. When you listen to some of DJ Shadow’s music, you hear things you recognize, a quick quote, a drum loop, a quick guitar riff, etc. But you don’t know where you heard it, or when. Thats the art of it, its something new, made out of familiar pieces. Like using leaves in a painting, or building sculptures out of old car parts. It takes our cultural noise, and uses it as raw material.

It was great to see him live, and he puts on a really good show. He has a lot of custom visuals playing along with the music, things that really go along with the tone. He had a few guests who sung vocals on some songs, including Chris James (from Stateless) who sung one very sad soulful tune, and another angry, loud song with intense beats. DJ Shadow also did a few songs with Lateef the Truth Speaker who also was the opening act. Lateef definately has a lot of energy, and is a very skillful rapper, it was great to see him in action with DJ Shadow.

Shadow’s set was a mixture of old things, and new things from his new album, “Outsider.” He noted, during the show, that he loves all kinds of music, but that he came to them through hip-hop. He loved hip-hop, and then realized, through that, that he loved jazz, and through hip-hop, that he loved rock. This is very clear in his songs, and the fusion of styles is relentless and amazing. There will be a techno synth, a hip-hop breakbeat, a jazzy horn, and a cello playing classical music, and for some reason, it all fits perfectly. His mixes are simple and perfect, nothing seems out of place, and nothing is added without reason. Very deft.

Anyway, it was his first real tour through St. Louis, and there was a huge crowd. I hope he comes back, and maybe we’ll get some other great artists, too. I’d sure love to see Blackalicious, for instance…

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