Is it right to call DJ Shadow brilliant, or a genius? | xltronic messageboard
 
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Is it right to call DJ Shadow brilliant, or a genius?
 

offline The_Funkmaster from St. John's (Canada) on 2002-07-05 02:43 [#00297265]
Points: 16280 Status: Lurker



I've been wondering this ever since I started listening to
Endtroducing, and now with The Private Press I'm again
wondering... I mean, sure he creates masterful, amazing
pieces of music, but he does so out of samples... I mean,
can you really call that brilliant, or genius? What are your
thoughts?

*sorry for all the DJ Shadow topics, I'm just really into
his music recently!! :)


 

offline chapman from United Kingdom on 2002-07-05 02:54 [#00297272]
Points: 1134 Status: Moderator | Show recordbag



genius


 

offline The_Funkmaster from St. John's (Canada) on 2002-07-05 02:58 [#00297273]
Points: 16280 Status: Lurker



yeah, I think so to... I mean he doesn't base a song around
ONE sample, but loads of samples... and the way he uses
samples... I've been listening to You Can't Go Home Again
the most from The Private Press, and in this song the way he
uses the samples is just brilliant... I mean it doesn't
sound sampled, but all original stuff recorded... he uses
all these small little samples for coloring so to speak... I
dunno, it's kinda hard to explain what I mean, but I do
think he is a genius at what he does...


 

offline flea from depths of your mind (New Zealand) on 2002-07-05 03:00 [#00297275]
Points: 9083 Status: Regular



premature



 

offline The_Funkmaster from St. John's (Canada) on 2002-07-05 03:03 [#00297276]
Points: 16280 Status: Lurker | Followup to flea: #00297275



huh?


 

offline mylittlesister from ...wherever (United Kingdom) on 2002-07-05 03:03 [#00297277]
Points: 8472 Status: Regular



yeah, DJ Shadow is brilliant and a sample genius... he must
go through shit loads of music!


 

offline brendan ether from the beach (obx, NC) (United States) on 2002-07-05 03:04 [#00297278]
Points: 796 Status: Addict | Followup to The_Funkmaster: #00297265



just becaus e he uses samples and such doesn't mean he can't
be a genius. what he does with those samples is pure
genius, imo.


 

offline gyroscope on 2002-07-05 03:09 [#00297281]
Points: 896 Status: Regular



i don't think i've heard dj shadow


 

offline flea from depths of your mind (New Zealand) on 2002-07-05 03:10 [#00297282]
Points: 9083 Status: Regular



based on three or so albums...it's a tad premature...Private
Press is good but a bit uneven....the best songs for me
reminded me of other artists work..Luke Vibert..Plaid...
not exactly the hallmark of a genius...


 

offline titsworth from Washington, DC (United States) on 2002-07-05 03:16 [#00297291]
Points: 14550 Status: Lurker



i've been calling his music brilliant since 1996, if you
guys only KNEW what goes into making these tracks and albums
you'd agree with me


 

offline VampireAngel from San Juan (Cuntland) (Puerto Rico) on 2002-07-05 03:20 [#00297296]
Points: 1746 Status: Lurker | Followup to gyroscope: #00297281 | Show recordbag



Then at least you should start by downloading a couple of
tracks from different releases so you can hear this mad
DjShadow,he's really good stuff....


 

offline redcrayon from Canada on 2002-07-05 03:50 [#00297331]
Points: 18 Status: Lurker



genius!


 

offline Zeus from San Francisco (United States) on 2002-07-05 03:53 [#00297332]
Points: 14042 Status: Lurker



i would say yes its genius.

while he didnt actually write each part, he had to do the
difficult task of finding seperate recordings that worked
together. And he does it masterfully.

He came and talked at my school. He had no formal music
training, and so its all done by ear... fitting the right
samples together, and having it make musical sense.

Thats some talent.

In addition, he is humble and thankful... a truely nice guy.
I met him. I gave him my cd and he said he will respond as
soon as he can.

Very cool dude


 

offline Zeus from San Francisco (United States) on 2002-07-05 03:55 [#00297333]
Points: 14042 Status: Lurker



and, while i would never write music from samples... thats
just a personal choice... i still totally respect what he is
doing. He is making a collage art. Whos to say collages arnt
legitimate forms of art? He does it the best that ive
heard.
He is the truest postmodern musician there is.


 

offline titsworth from Washington, DC (United States) on 2002-07-05 04:24 [#00297344]
Points: 14550 Status: Lurker



by using samples he's making a challenge for himself. he
DOES know drums and he DOES know piano (and hence keyboards)
but then he'd be just like everyone else.


 

offline Zeus from San Francisco (United States) on 2002-07-05 05:31 [#00297406]
Points: 14042 Status: Lurker | Followup to titsworth: #00297344



really?

you sure about the drums and piano?


 

offline titsworth from Washington, DC (United States) on 2002-07-05 05:34 [#00297408]
Points: 14550 Status: Lurker | Followup to Zeus: #00297406



yes sir. i've read in interviews before that he grew up
playing piano, in fact a recent article that you can read
linked off solesides.tk news page (re: soundtracks) says he
used to torture his brother by playing the star wars
imperial march on piano. as for drums, he's learned them
more and more in the last few years (live drums).


 

offline The_Funkmaster from St. John's (Canada) on 2002-07-05 05:36 [#00297410]
Points: 16280 Status: Lurker



even the drums on The Private Press, is that all samples?


 

offline titsworth from Washington, DC (United States) on 2002-07-05 05:52 [#00297416]
Points: 14550 Status: Lurker | Followup to The_Funkmaster: #00297410



they are samples. josh (shadow) can play drums, doesn't mean
he records them. it just helps his rhythmic sense, you know?


 

offline weatheredstoner from same shit babes. (United States) on 2002-07-05 06:34 [#00297434]
Points: 12585 Status: Lurker



Wow, I always thought Shadow sampled his own drum playing.

I vote for Brilliant and Talented.


 

offline titsworth from Washington, DC (United States) on 2002-07-05 06:49 [#00297449]
Points: 14550 Status: Lurker | Followup to weatheredstoner: #00297434



for drums he samples obscure funk and jazz records, but he
doesn't just take the drums as they are, he cuts 'em up to
make new patterns usually (i imagine he writes these
patterns by playing them himself on his drums sometimes)


 

offline Archrival on 2002-07-05 07:09 [#00297463]
Points: 4265 Status: Lurker



DJ Shadow is brilliant and a genius :)


 

offline maynard from canon city on 2002-07-05 07:30 [#00297494]
Points: 136 Status: Lurker



never listened to him, ill give it a shot!


 

offline AMinal from Toronto (Canada) on 2002-07-05 07:47 [#00297525]
Points: 3476 Status: Regular



shit i was typing this LOOOOOOOONG post explaining what i
think then i got distracted and clicked on some link and
lost it all!
d'oh! :(

im too lazy to retype all of it, but this was the jist of
it:

autechre = very experimental, innovative, they're own style,

done stuff other people haven't come close to yet,
interesting (amazingly well done) sounds

dj shadow = IN COMPARISON sounds boring... generic, even!

autechre would never make some song that has a trip hop beat

and some samples and then some strings.....
they dont use all that normal, conventional stuff

a trip hop beat!?
trip hop doesn't exist in the far away universe autechre
come from!

normal, fucking standard issue rock band drum kits dont
exist
human voices dont make any appearences... and certainly not

lyrics!

they aren't limited by them
u know what i mean?

dj shadow and autechre are very different types of
artists...
autechre is MUCH more..... abstract, "avante garde" (i hate

the sound of that but oh well i guess its true)

dj shadow is much more.... well, normal
that doesn't necessarily mean its bad, and autechre is good,

they're just dif types of music in that way



 

offline DeLtoiD from Ontario on 2002-07-05 08:11 [#00297576]
Points: 2934 Status: Lurker



he's picky.. a real sifter... but he finds some good stuff.

good work.



 

offline skodt from Toronto (Canada) on 2002-07-05 08:42 [#00297629]
Points: 672 Status: Regular



autechre sucks.
dj shadow is alright.
KNELL IS THA BOMB!!!
he he he
jus kidding!
g'nite!


 

offline The_Funkmaster from St. John's (Canada) on 2002-07-05 20:34 [#00298511]
Points: 16280 Status: Lurker | Followup to titsworth: #00297449



whoa, cool man... thanks for answering my question I never
asked, but was going to... I wondered if he just used the
drum parts as they were, or cut them up... damn, if he does
cut them up he does an amazing job on them, hardly anything
on The Private Press sounds sampled... amazing stuff this
is... yeah, brilliant he is!!!


 

offline wayout from the street of crocodiles on 2002-07-06 02:16 [#00298842]
Points: 2849 Status: Lurker | Followup to AMinal: #00297525



why bother comparing dj shadow to autechre? theyre music is
completely different..as are their production techniques and
intentions...they may both come from a hip hop
background...but they do completely different things with
it...

endtroducing is in the guinness book of wrold records for
being the first album ever to be made completely from
samples..
just because dj shadow's music doesnt sound completely
different from something thats come before doesnt mean he
doesnt experiment...he just experiments with different
elements and techniques... the track monosyllabic from the
private press was created entirely from one 2 bar vocal
sample..

so yeah...i think its safe to say the man is brilliant


 

offline wayout from the street of crocodiles on 2002-07-06 02:18 [#00298846]
Points: 2849 Status: Lurker



and also consider that dj shadow is doing all this without
computers...


 

offline Zeus from San Francisco (United States) on 2002-07-06 02:32 [#00298852]
Points: 14042 Status: Lurker | Followup to wayout: #00298842



not the drums...


 

offline Atop from Texas (United States) on 2002-07-06 02:59 [#00298862]
Points: 400 Status: Regular



GO LISTEN TO PREEMPTIVE STRIKE


 

offline Ophecks from Nova Scotia (Canada) on 2002-07-06 03:06 [#00298869]
Points: 19190 Status: Moderator | Show recordbag



His music really impresses me, it sounds tough to do what he
does... but it's just not my style, I haven't really been
too interested in it. Just knowing that they're samples
turns me off for some asinine reason.

But I like the guy, I'd say he's a genious. I may not listen
to him much, but I respect the stuff he does... and I
haven't heard Private Press yet.


 

offline wayout from the street of crocodiles on 2002-07-06 06:29 [#00299112]
Points: 2849 Status: Lurker | Followup to Zeus: #00298852



"not the drums" ....what?


 

offline Zeus from San Francisco (United States) on 2002-07-06 06:45 [#00299135]
Points: 14042 Status: Lurker | Followup to wayout: #00299112



the drums on monosylabic arnt done with the vocal sample..


 

offline AMinal from Toronto (Canada) on 2002-07-06 06:48 [#00299136]
Points: 3476 Status: Regular | Followup to wayout: #00298842



i know, sorry i misunderstood the topic!

i thought we were comparing dj shadow to autechre for some
reason!

hehe.... i THOUGHT it was a weird comparisson to make......
they're so different!

i didn't realize how out of context my post was until
later:(


 

offline Quoth from Sweden on 2002-07-06 06:51 [#00299137]
Points: 3840 Status: Lurker | Followup to AMinal: #00297525



"autechre = very experimental, innovative, they're own
style,

done stuff other people haven't come close to yet,
interesting (amazingly well done) sounds"

--

have you heard of Tetsu Inoue, Blectum from blechdom, or So
Takahashi?

Autechre seems to be copying those dudes style when it comes
to listening to Confield :(

sorry to burst your bubble... now if you would please burst
mine!


 

offline wayout from the street of crocodiles on 2002-07-06 07:07 [#00299146]
Points: 2849 Status: Lurker | Followup to Zeus: #00299135



i dunno...he has said that all of the sounds he used in that
song are somehow sourced from tweaking that one sample...and
most of the song is the drums...i doubt he would make it a
point to desscribe his technique like that if only a part of
the track was made using it


 

offline Zeus from San Francisco (United States) on 2002-07-06 07:08 [#00299147]
Points: 14042 Status: Lurker



well... i dunno... but they are blatently drum samples...

no way its a tweaked vocal sample...


 

offline wayout from the street of crocodiles on 2002-07-06 07:10 [#00299149]
Points: 2849 Status: Lurker | Followup to Quoth: #00299137



im not so sure about autechre copying the blectums...or
anyone...but you're right when you say that there are plenty
of other artists on the same wavelength as them...as far as
style and sounds used/created


 

offline wayout from the street of crocodiles on 2002-07-06 07:11 [#00299150]
Points: 2849 Status: Lurker | Followup to Zeus: #00299147



but thats the amazing thing about that track...that he
managed to get sounds comparible to drums from manipulating
that sample


 

offline Zeus from San Francisco (United States) on 2002-07-06 07:11 [#00299151]
Points: 14042 Status: Lurker



i truely doubt it...

sorry.


 

offline wayout from the street of crocodiles on 2002-07-06 07:12 [#00299152]
Points: 2849 Status: Lurker



im just saying it isnt as impossible as it seems...


 

offline Zeus from San Francisco (United States) on 2002-07-06 07:13 [#00299153]
Points: 14042 Status: Lurker



you could make persussive sounds... but to get a vocal
sample to sound like real drums.. thats impossible...

and the drums on there are real drums

ill listen to again later and come back with my final
opinion


 

offline wayout from the street of crocodiles on 2002-07-06 07:13 [#00299154]
Points: 2849 Status: Lurker



and dj shadow doesnt really seem like the type of guy to go
making false claims to promote his music


 

offline Zeus from San Francisco (United States) on 2002-07-06 07:15 [#00299158]
Points: 14042 Status: Lurker



perhaps he was only implying that the non drums where done
from the vocal sample. do you have a link to this articale?

and dj shadow isnt a fancy programmer... and thats what it
would take to acomplish such a feat


 

offline titsworth from Washington, DC (United States) on 2002-07-06 07:18 [#00299170]
Points: 14550 Status: Lurker



he said the song is made up of 2 bars of music. 2 bars of
music in classical music could include a whole orchestra. in
this case i think the measures had the sample "what you gon
do now" and "what you gon do THIS TIME" and some kind of
bass and/or drums which he tweaked to make the music.


 

offline wayout from the street of crocodiles on 2002-07-06 07:22 [#00299178]
Points: 2849 Status: Lurker



heres a bit from an article in xlr8r....
"take for example 'monosylabik', which is constructed
entirely out of a single two bar loop, 'normally when i make
music, i like it to be a good song. then if i can infuse
some sort of technological aspect or make the arrangement
technically interesting as a challenge to my peers, i do so.
but on this song, i started right off with the techical
concept, which is a 180 from how i usually start off. it was
definitely the most labor intesive song ive done. if i hit a
brick wall, i couldnt just go, 'well let me see if i can
find more samples.' i had to force myself to come up with
every sonic element -again, not using plug-ins, doing it the
old way. it was challenging, for sure"


 

offline wayout from the street of crocodiles on 2002-07-06 07:24 [#00299185]
Points: 2849 Status: Lurker | Followup to titsworth: #00299170



yes...there could have been some drums within the
sample...ive done that before...took a small vocal sample
...and used the little fragments of the backing drums to
build the whole rhytmic section of the song


 

offline Zeus from San Francisco (United States) on 2002-07-06 07:25 [#00299187]
Points: 14042 Status: Lurker



he didnt say "2 bar vocal loop"


 

offline GolgiApp from Seattle (United States) on 2002-07-06 09:42 [#00299317]
Points: 56 Status: Lurker



Dj Shadow can find a bunch of samples that sound good
together then throw them in a sequence, and.............
His music as no soul. It is repetitive, boring and
predictable. 'Entroducing' is good the first time you
listen to it. After subsequent listens you realize that
nothing new is happening. You can hear a track of his once
and have the whole thing memorized. New melody here, drum
break there, loop this, loop that etc.... It just isn't
exciting. It sounds like a sequence. Autechre, Aphex, BOC
sound alive to me, Shadow sounds flat. The Cinematic
Orchestra and The Herbaliser, even Red Snapper have similar
sounds and blow Shadow away. This dude is no genius.


 


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