DJ Shadow

DJ Shadow is known as one of the most innovative figures in the history of hip-hop, mostly thanks to his masterpiece debut album Entroducing......

Born in California in 1972, Josh Davis became involved with local label Solesides and released a few experimental singles for them, all involving cutting and pasting samples into new forms. His debut album came on Mo'wax records in 1996 - Entroducing.... Using nothing but samples (of soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop, percussion, avant-garde, interviews, TV shows) he constructed an audio odyssey of endless imagination, unlike anything heard before and unmatched since. The album was routinely acclaimed as a breakthrough album of great importance. It was credited with inventing 'instrumental hip-hop' even though it includes no original instrumentation, and only features a few elements of traditional hip-hop. Even though it is widely held to be one of the greatest albums of the 90s, and to be hugely influential in hip-hop circles, there has been little since of a similar style that has come close to matching it.

In the decade that has followed, DJ Shadow has kept a low profile, mostly concentrating on producing for other artists, including UNKLE, Dan the Automator and Dr Octagon. In 2002 he released his second studio album, The Private Press. In a similar style to Entroducing, it was warmly received by the media, though not regarded to be as good as the debut. A live album and accompanying DVD was released in 2004, again to good reviews. In 2006, DJ Shadow adjusted his style for his third studio album, The Outsider. It was more of a straight hip-hop album, with hints of hyphy and indie rock, and met with mixed reviews.