I have always wanted to be a DJ, and I like to listen to music with this idea in mind. Why not strip away everything but the bass-line from Radiohead's "National Anthem," invert it and slow it down considerably, sprinkle in some of the Middle Eastern flavor from "The End" by the Doors, snag the West Coast-infused guitar melody from the second verse of Rage Against the Machine's "Down Rodeo," and set it all up to a backbeat provided by John Bonham, courtesy of "When the Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin? Unfortunately, to turn this jumbled mess into anything listenable takes a great deal of skill and a painstaking attention to detail (neither of which I have). But still, in my confused brain, this combination feels nothing short of epic.
If I had the ability to create one album myself, it would sound a lot like DJ Shadow's debut Endtroducing. Released in 1996, cut up and pieced together entirely from hundreds of other audio samples, DJ Shadow's masterpiece is so cohesive that it plays out like a movie soundtrack - ideally the perfect lounge music. The Beastie Boys, Nirvana, and Metallica are all sampled at some point over the 13 tracks, but are chewed up and spit out with such a gentle touch that not even the most trained listeners would recognize their presence. DJ Shadow knits together samples from the all corners of his record collection and even drizzles in the occasional sound bit from a TV show or an interview to further enhance the mood. The beauty of the album is in its subtleties - nothing truly slams you over the head, rather it drifts in and out gracefully with enough determination to keep the conscience involved and then unwinds more like a slow burn than an all-out attack. Every theme is given a proper setup and new spikes of sound feel welcomed rather than forced.
The best part is the neck movement that DJ Shadow's equation evokes out of listeners. The music invites you to latch on to a specific corner of the sonic journey allowing just a gentle head-bob to ensue - a testament to the utter simplicity lying underneath the various layers of sound. Too many DJs are self indulgent (a la Girl Talk) and try to cram as much noise as they can into a limited amount of space. DJ Shadow's compositions are just as complex, but they do not brag about it, which only eases listeners deeper into their frameworks. Clearly, Endtroducing deserves to be regarded as one of the most important albums of the '90s.
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