I could watch more football (Eagles at the Cowboys), but being that the game means nothing to the team I follow the closest (Pittsburgh), so that doesn't seem like too great of an option.
Ironman 2 is still sitting on my desk, unwatched since it was delivered to me this past week. Sometimes you just need to be in the right mood to watch that type of movie though, and I can tell that I'm not, so throw that option aside as well.
One of the things I try to do when I reach situations like this is look for something new; discover something that I haven't seen or heard before. I start searching and turn to About.com's "100 Best Hip Hop Albums Ever" list compiled by their very own Henry Adaso. Much of the list I already have, or have heard, until I reach one particular name that catches my eye.
DJ Shadow, real name Josh Davis, is the name that sticks out. For some reason, I've never heard of this guy before, so I do what every other American does when they don't know about someone important, Wikipedia them. As I scroll down the short bio for of Davis, I decide to see how well his first album, Endtroducing (the same one that appeared on Adaso's list), was received.
What I stumbled upon has indeed been regarded as one of the greatest achievements in music production history. Endtroducing was released in 1996 and was the debut album of DJ Shadow. The album was the first album in music history to be made up of strictly samples (it's even in the Guinness Book of World Records for this). The samples were comprised from both music and interviews that Shadow found when working on the album. And I'm not talking about three or four for each song. No, try 6-8. In fact, on one of the tracks, there's a massive total of 17 samples!
So, with my excitement of finding music that Melody Maker magazine referred to as, "You are incomplete without it," I decide to give Endtroducing a spin. . .
Endtroducing
Release Date: November 19th, 1996
Label: Mo' Wax/FFFR
1. Best Foot Forward
Well, what did you expect? It's an introduction for Endtroducing and that's really all it is. Still some pretty cool samples used here though, especially the line "DJ Shadow. who is he? Just your favorite DJ savior!"
2. Building Steam With a Grain of Salt
Just listening to the first 45 seconds of this song gives me chills. The song opens up with the line, "Producing", and then the piano keys come in. Shadow then uses a quote from an interview from drummer George Marsh and opens with the line, "From listening to records, I just knew what to do. I mainly taught myself." To me, this feels like Shadow is talking to whoever is listening and explaining to them, "Welcome to my world, enjoy the musical journey I'm about to take you on". So far, this journey is one well worth taking, as "Building With Steam" has an incredible bass, as well as piano loop, to accompany it. If there's a musical definition for "epic", I'm pretty sure this song would have to be included.
3. The Number Song
Remember that song I mentioned earlier about containing 17 samples? Well, this is it. Moving in a much more fast paced direction than the previous track, it relies heavily on a drum sample from "Orion" by Metallica. While parts of this song are brilliant, the beat isn't nearly as catchy as the first and can be a little overbearing at times. It's not a bad track, but it's certainly not one I'm going to keep on repeat.
4. Changeling/Transmission 1
Another change in pace, but this time one that's more mellow and trippy. Unlike "The Number Song" though, which sounded like a little too much, this is right on the money. The "Imagination Flight" by the Chaffey College Jazz Ensemble sample is a brilliant sample for this and everything just seems to blend in seamlessly. If there was a song that made you want imagine you were in space, floating around, enjoying the view of Earth, this is it. A true masterpiece.
5. What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 4)
An even slower instrumental than "Changeling", it uses some samples from Prince of Darkness, Shawn Phillips, and even the Alan Parsons Project (there's also four other samples Shadow used to make this). While not as strong as "Changeling", it's nevertheless still impressive. I'd love to hear the stories of people on hard drugs while listening to this track (and really the whole album) because I'm willing to bet they're wild.
6. untitled
Interlude.
7. Stem/Long Stem/Transmission 2
The second of the three "Transmission" tracks, it doesn't fail to live up to the standards of the first one. The track begins with a harpsichord sample, which sounds terrific, and then moves into periodic blazing fast drum samples, before returning to the original sample. If the song stopped at near the four-minute mark, it'd still be great, but the second half of this 9:22 track is what makes it remarkable. I get the feeling almost that Shadow is the conductor of an orchestra on this. His sampling changes so dramatically, yet keeps a dark, uneasy feeling. Someone should feature this in an musical/opera someday, seriously.
8. Mutual Slump
It's hard to follow "Stem", so I'm not surprised that this particular track didn't sound as great. That doesn't mean this song isn't still good though. The drum sampling for this creates a pretty interesting beat here and I liked the occasional break for a voice sample. I don't know how Shadow found Xanadu for his voice sample, but the selections from it make the song have a creepy element to it. Is there any other song that has ever even used Xanadu as a sample? I'm going to have to make an educated guess there and say "no".
9. Organ Donor
Interlude.
10. Why Hip Hop Sucks in '96
It's an interlude, but I had to laugh at how Shadow used the soul samples along with the line, "It's the money!" Hip hop in a nutshell.
11. Midnight in a Perfect World
This is why hip hop doesn't suck. The beginning of the song uses a short voice sample before moving into what is probably the best beat of the entire album. It's catchy, groovy, funky, trippy, and there's a bunch of other adjectives that could be used to describe this instrumental. I could write an article on just how brilliant this song is, but I'll keep it simple and just say that this song is the shit.
12. Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain
Shadow must have literally spent years diving in for samples. How do you find The Aurora Encounter? It's what he uses for the beginning of this and afterward, the song transitions into a slowly building beat that never seems to end throughout the song. I loved the guitar riff that Shadow uses in the early part of the song and it, once again, makes me want to try on an astronaut suit and walk on the moon. I don't know if this is a track I'll be playing a ton from this album, but it's still really good.
13. What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 1): Blue Sky Revisit/Transmission 3
Possibly the most "chill" track of the album, it's a perfect way to end it. Have you ever been in a taxi/car, driving down a street of New York City, while it rains and the street lights glimmer above you? I haven't, but this song makes me feel like that. I don't know if this has ever been used to set the mood for that type of situation in film, but it should be if it already hasn't. I feel like I've been sent back 14 years when I hear this, and that's not a bad thing.
Closing Statement:
As much as I appreciate hip hop for its rhymes and lyricism, I also give a great deal of credit to those who produce its beats. Without beats, there would be nothing to rap over. There would be nothing to nod your head or dance to. Just like if rock didn't have the drums and guitars, it wouldn't be something you cherish listening to. The title of "Producer" is simple when looked at by itself. Yet, there is so much more to that title. Hip hop production is almost a separate form of music altogether, and it's most certainly a form of art that has grown tremendously in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. We think of Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and even Kanye when discussing who the greatest producers in hip hop, but there is no doubt in my mind that DJ Shadow should be included in that conversation after listening to Endtroducing.
Yes, not every song is easy to listen to and some I won't replay much. However, creating an album of strictly samples, most of which producers would never dream of touching, is a remarkable achievement. Songs like "Changeling" and "Stem" showcase Davis's ability to turn a song completely comprised of just samples into something that resembles an orchestra with Davis waving his arms, while "Building With a Grain of Salt" and "Midnight in a Perfect World" stand tall as tracks that need to be heard over, and over, and over again.
The Verdict: An unbelievable blend of samples form a 63 minute package that is well worth anyone's money. This is a perfect album to put on while studying and it will remain a staple in your library once you add it. Endtroducing is a work of art that will remain relevant for a long, long time.
Thank God for boredom.
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