DJ Shadow's Endtroducing

Description

What resonated about Endtroducing when it was released in 1996, and what makes it still resonate today, is the way in which it loosens itself from the mooring of the known and sails off into an uncharted territory that seems to exist both in and out of time. Josh Davis is not only a master sampler and turntablist supreme, he is also a serious archeologist with a world-thirsty passion (what Cut Chemist refers to as Josh's "spidey sense") for seeking out, uncovering and then ripping apart the discarded graces of some other generation - that "pile of broken dreams" - and weaving them back together into a tapestry of chronic bleakness and beauty. Over the course of several long conversations with Josh Davis (DJ Shadow), we learn about his early years in California, the friends and mentors who helped him along the way, his relationship with Mo'Wax and James Lavelle, and the genesis and creation of his widely acknowledged masterpiece, Endtroducing.

Eliot Wilder is a writer and editor, having spent more than ten years at the Los Angeles Times and five years as editor and senior writer for Amplifier, an alternative music magazine. He is also a musician and songwriter and is currently promoting his latest album, The Sentimental Education. He lives in Boston.

It's good to see DJ Shadow's 1996 debut LP Endtroducing...getting the 33 1/3 treatment: the series of smart pocket-size books...canonizing classic albums. -- Laurence Phelan * The Independent * From DJ [Shadow]'s passion for music to his involvement in mixing and interactions with some of the key electronica wizards of modern times, any who would understand the man or his music needs Endtroducing in their collection. * The Midwest Book Review * The book on DJ Shadow's flawless masterpiece Endtroducing is a thing of joy to sink into and emerge from, frantically searching for your copy of the record. * Manchester Review of Books * The 33 1/3 series, published by Continuum, is one of the best things that happened to the music press in the last years.... One of my biggest dreams is to open in Israel a publishing house that will focus exactly on that subject - rock literature. And if one day I'd get to do this, one of the first things that I'd do is buy the translation rights for the 33 1/3 series...This is a candy store that's full of fun for curious and hungry music lovers. It's also such a small and smart series, that... is a blessing, and it's not expensive either....The book is recommended to anyone who loves this album and wants to have a look behind the curtains. -- Guy Hajaj * Haoneg.com, 2006 *