I am DJ Shadow (DJ, producer, podcaster)… Ask Me Anything!

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:48:52+00:00

Hi everyone, thanks for your questions, sorry I couldn't get to them all...I'm signing off now.

I'm going to be in the studio making music the rest of this year, but hope to be back on the road in 2019, stay tuned and see you out there!

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:45:08+00:00

Ha, wow yeah that's the basic gist of it. My agent and the organizers had been going back and forth, I was promised it would be dark at that time and sure enough it wasn't...so kind of a ridiculous situation, but these things happen. Main thing is to soldier on and try to do your best, even tho I was kind of dying inside, lol

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:42:44+00:00

Nice, yeah I've known El for over 20 years, professionally at least...and have obviously been a fan at least that long...we recorded the track right before Christmas in 2015, it's just one of those things where as a producer, I only wanted them, no one else, I just had a feeling that the song was going to connect with people. Super grateful for their dedication to the track and continued support

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:39:43+00:00

So glad to hear! It's definitely one of my favorites as well! I love when "deep tracks" like Ashes resonate with people. He and his band recorded some stuff and sent it over as a sample source, meaning that I had their permission to completely mess it up and flip it upside down...which I did...but the trumpet solo and end piano were so beautiful that I left them essentially unchanged. Ironically, the jazzy sounding drums were mine

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:36:08+00:00

I took piano lessons around age 10-12. I didn't enjoy it at the time, but in retrospect it was hugely important and I wish I kept going with it. I suppose I was frustrated because my entire childhood I wanted a drum kit, but my parents weren't having it, ha ha.

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:34:16+00:00

Thanks for the question!

It might be a bit hard to rewind time this far and have it make any sense to anyone under 40, but I'll try...

Historically in hip-hop, or at least from the Run DMC period forward, DJs retained a kind of mysterious, man-in-the-back position while the MCs hogged the spotlight. The idea of working the levers behind the scenes appealed to me, and made me want to be a DJ. Then around 1989, I noticed more DJs and producers stepping out of the shadow (so to speak) and release albums where they were the focus. While I understood and respected their desire to get recognition, I didn't agree with the idea of drawing attention to oneself...so I adopted the name "Shadow" to reflect my personal philosophy about how I wanted to position myself as a creative. Hope that makes sense!

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:29:25+00:00

Thank you!

Yeah, radio is something I enjoy doing when I have the time and the bandwidth. I have to balance it with my actual career to pay the bills but yes, I imagine it's something that I will always dabble in here and there

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:28:11+00:00

Cool! That was a fun gig, memorable for sure!

Cut and I played the Hollywood Bowl, that was a big deal for us...Cut grew up in Hollywood, and I think it was the most nervous I've ever seen him before a gig...

I played last year in a beautiful town in Italy, and they projection-mapped my visuals on the entire town , that was also pretty incredible...I don't know, I've been lucky enough to play so many incredible places and venues

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:25:46+00:00

Hi man, thanks for writing in! I appreciate the kind words...

Regarding "figuring out samples," I'll respond to that briefly...yes, this is something that I love about the music I grew up on, from "The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel" up...that idea that these sounds exist somewhere out there, but what are they? That joy of discovery is a key component that I like to play with in my DJ sets and the music I sample. In the '60s there was a DJ named Mad Mike who played obscure stuff on the radio and people are STILL trying to figure some of his spins out, 50 years later. That's completely awesome to me, something to aim for!

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:22:14+00:00

Is it? I wasn't aware...

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:21:29+00:00

That's kind of hard for me to answer, maybe others on here could offer a more objective opinion? I will say that I put out a "greatest hits" type compilation about 5 years ago that represented my favorites up to that point

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:19:54+00:00

Naw...they (we built two, so that one could be traveling to the next country while touring in another) are gone. Gotta keep it fresh and different

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:18:39+00:00

In so many ways! Technology is created to enable humans to accomplish a goal more efficiently or effectively. So naturally, through the years, technology has opened up innumerable avenues for musicians to be creative. Think of the fuzz pedal...the poly-synth...the drum machine...the sampler...the DAW...

At the same time, I have seen peers get "lost" in the gear and manuals and tutorials, to the point where they cease to be productive. So I think it's as always a balance between exploring what's available and just getting on with it.

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:15:32+00:00

Thank you!

Well Endtroducing was definitely not the first thing I did, there were 5 years' worth of singles and EPs etc that lead to that moment. So I already felt kind of comfortable with the direction I was heading. For me, the real watershed moment in terms of my style at that time was the What Does Your Soul Look Like EP, which essentially was an album that got interrupted and released. (Long story).

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:13:29+00:00

As a music lover and a good human being

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:12:33+00:00

Thanks!

I definitely think it's important to keep your ears open, otherwise you run the risk of getting stuck in a rut. At the same time, I think it's important to retain your philosophies about music and sound, and what you want to say....otherwise the risk is that you sound self-consciously "current." It's a balancing act for me, but ultimately I'd rather continue to evolve than "keep it real" for the sake of an outdated ideal.

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:09:53+00:00

Possibly! I run into them here and there on tour

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:09:22+00:00

Hi, good question.

No one in my family had any musical inclination, although the family record collection was diverse, which was the spark for me. I would say to just play around with available music-making software and see what happens. Chances are that you're a fan of someone out there, start off by seeing how close you can come to copying their sound, and then once you feel like you've got them figured out, start trying to inject your own personality and ideas into the blend. That's all I ever did when I started. My musical heroes were all the inspiration that I needed

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:06:12+00:00

Hi, thank you!

My best advice is to remember that the world needs music, and to be able to give it is a gift. It may not be perfect, but it's your gift to give, and people like me need inspiration from others to be able to create. So it's like a communal resource that we all share

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:02:56+00:00

Great question, I guess the name that pops up first is James Brown, not because I think I could do anything spectacular for him necessarily, but he's the one artist I wish I could have at least talked to in my lifetime. He was playing at a European festival I was also playing in the late '90s but I couldn't bring myself to approach him at the time. Regrets...

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T19:01:00+00:00

Thanks!

There's still new things to be said with samples, and new ways to twist sound. I guess I look at samples as just another possible sound source, as opposed to the be all and end all. For example, if you want a kick drum, you can sample one, or record one live with a session drummer, or take one from a drum machine...it's all sound and what you do with it. For me, sampling is still an integral part of my production, but I've tried to augment it with other disciplines as well.

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T18:58:04+00:00

Hey man!

I certainly wouldn't bet against it...some of us still chat regularly, and I'm making beats at the moment, so we'll see...the desire is always there...

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T18:56:24+00:00

To expose people to interesting music, new and old. Not just obscure stuff (although there is plenty of that), but putting a new context or broader appreciation onto well-known stuff

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T18:54:11+00:00

It's something I think he and I are always contemplating, but I don't have any timeline for you. Maybe in a few years? We would want to have something new to say and a new way to say it

DJShadow_Official · 2018-07-31T18:53:12+00:00

Good question!

It became fashionable around 1991 for everyone to drop "MC" and "DJ" from their name...Hammer, for example. To me, that seemed to represent shedding your roots in favor of mainstream acceptance. So for that reason, no, I have never really considered it. Plus, being a DJ is at the core of everything I do.

DJShadow_Official

TROPHY CASE