DJ Shadow

While I was in high school and college, I immersed myself in hip-hop music and was always listening to both old-school artists and newer underground artists. One of my favorite hip-hop artists during that time was DJ Shadow, a dj and producer. He was, and still is, a master at mixing and layering sounds with samples to construct music that doesn’t read like typical hip-hop or rap. It’s experimental, and is always fresh and innovative and totally on its own plane. A couple of months ago I learned that DJ Shadow, since releasing a new album, had his own show on KCRW radio called Find, Share, Rewind. It is beyond inspiring, and if you love music (not just hip-hop) and appreciate the history of it, I recommend checking it out. He plays everything from old rap demos to weird electronic to Motown to new wave, and he talks about each genre’s influence. It’s like having a music history lesson, while listening to a meticulously curated playlist of everything you want to hear. I’ve always thought that the best musicians, dj’s, and producers are those who are well versed in multiple styles of music, and who are knowledgeable about its cultural influence. DJ Shadow is one of the best.