Before his 1996 debut Endtroducing redefined sample-based hip-hop, DJ Shadow sliced up sonic atmospheres on his trusty Akai MPC. Now one of music history’s most notable crate-diggers is raiding his own vault for Total Breakdown: Hidden Transmissions From the MPC Era, 1992-1996.
Announced Tuesday on DJShadow.com, Total Breakdown is described by Shadow as a “tastefully done archive project.”
It collates unreleased material from those formative years of the artist otherwise known as Josh Davis, during which he helped found NorCal indie-hop collective Solesides and released impressive soundscapes on indie label Mo’Wax. Fans of DJ Shadow are extremely excited to hear his new project. Many people idolize this artist, so they’ll be excited to hear what he comes out with. He has inspired so many younger people to follow their dreams and become a DJ. Many people often use dj finance options to afford this DJ equipment, allowing them to create their own sound and mix their own music. Hopefully, some of these people will release their own work someday. Thanks to DJ Shadow, these people are following their dreams.
There’s no set release date yet, but Total Breakdown should land later this year on disc, double-vinyl and download, with extra content set aside for DJShadow.com disciples. You can stream or download a free copy of the record’s narcotic head-bobber “Affectations” from the widget at right.
“As long as the old stuff is given a context and doesn’t overshadow the new, I think it’s a healthy exercise for me, and one that recalibrates me for whatever new musical path lies ahead,” Shadow, who released The Less You Know the Better last year, said in a statement. “I think it’s important to revisit where you’ve been occasionally so that you can determine where to go.”
Such explorations are also a time-tested way to create art, and revenue, out of what was deemed unfinished business. Check out “Affectations” and let us know if you think Total Breakdown‘s 24-track bounty is worth the same amount of hard-earned cash you paid last century for that Mo’Wax vinyl 12-inch of “In/Flux.”
This article appeared at Wired
DJ Shadow’s Future of Music
DJ Shadow: The Internet Is Not Your Savior
DJ Shadow’s Mighty Mountain Will Fall
DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, Kid Koala: Grounded in Sound
Ask DJ Shadow Returns!
