Kill The Moonlight: DJ Shadow in Austin

In all of my frequent trip-hop musings, I've only mentioned DJ Shadow in passing. While I haven't explored much of his later material, the brilliance of his debut album, more than warrants a post. The work in question, Endtroducing..., has the distinction of being the first album constructed completely from samples, and while the material is broad in sources, it maintains a singularly moody atmosphere that's overwhelming. It's a bit of a burden to debut with such a stellar piece of work, as it would be virtually impossible to even replicate it, never mind top it.

So perhaps for that reason, I haven't really given his recent album, The Outsider, much consideration (I guess I can get my crunk with Night Ripper). But as I've been listening to predominantly downtempo work lately - library dwelling will induce that - I'm sure it'll be a matter of time before I give Endtroducing... another spin.

This is a bit of an eclectic set. As Shadow says towards the beginning, it's an attempted overview of his work up to that point, thereby incorporating turntablism, samples, and the occasional guest MC. For me, the highlight remains the Endtroducing... cuts: the modus operandi-turned drum clinic "Building Steam With A Grain of Salt," and the upbeat composition of "The Number Song." I'm not sure when exactly this was recorded, just that it's somewhere in Austin.

Enjoy:

1. Intro
2. Practice
3. The Number Song
4. Handsome Boy Modeling School - Holy Calamity
5. Funky Turntable Freestylin'
6. Lesson 4
7. Scratchin'
8. Building Steam With A Grain of Salt
9. Jurassic 5 - Improvise
10. Intermission / Rock The Funky Beat
11. Make Way For The MC's
12. Lyrics Born & Lateef
13. U.N.K.L.E. - Lonely Soul
14. High Noon

Fixed Income: Here

In other news...

It's all Camera Obscura, all the time. Chromewaves is giving away a many tickets to their show at the Opera House on January 31st, and Washington Square News has a feature on the band. I'll be seeing them tonight at Warsaw, and post-concert exposition will inevitably follow sometime tomorrow.

MP3: Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of the Country
MP3: Camera Obscura - If Looks Could Kill

If you're in the area and not partaking in that show, Brooklynites Cricket Spin are playing at Pianos at 8:30.

MP3: Cricket Spin - Our One Day Lives
MP3: Cricket Spin - Vanishing Point
MP3: Cricket Spin - Love It When You Call

Also, the NHL All Star game takes place at 8, unfortunately only on Versus around here.