EXCLUSIVE SOLESIDES INTERVIEW WITH DJ SHADOW (may 2011)
DJ Shadow has announced that he will release his fourth studio album 'The Less You Know The Better' on September 5. Just before his show in Hamburg, Germany, we sat down with Shadow for an interview about the new album, his work up to now and his current live show.
SS: The new album is called ‘The Less You Know The Better.’ could you explain why you chose this as the title? Is there a meaning behind it?
DJS: I feel like we're living in an age of over-information and I sometimes feel that the less news I see the better. People are taking in way too much information and because of that it's kinda like their soul has been turned off. It think it is much better to take in less information and open up your emotions and use other senses to discover new things.
SS: The artwork for the new EP (I Gotta Rokk) is a real departure from anything in the past. Who did the artwork and is it the first in a series or strictly a one off?
DJS: I always like to do something different from the last time. Regarding this artwork, I've always liked comic style art. As a little kid I used to read many comic books. I tried to look for material from old comic strips from the 20's and 30's. There was a strip called KRAZY KAT and I liked the style of it. For the album's artwork, I was trying to find somebody that I thought that could do this style that I had in mind. I found that in Tony Papesh, who is an an animator/designer who lives and works in San Francisco. He also did the artwork for the album.
SS: On your 'The Private Press' album from 2002, there was a concept behind tracks like Monosyllabik, which was made from only two samples. Is this there a concept or a grand plan for the new album too?
DJS: Not really. The only concept this time was just to make each track as good as it could be. With 'Endtroducing...' it was an introduction to and sort of a final chapter in the sounds that I was developing for the Mo'wax record label in the 90's. And then 'The Private Press' was an evolution from that. I made a more mature statement with that album. And then, The Outsider was designed to provoke. With the new album, it was like the slate had been wiped clean and I started to make the music that I would want to hear. A lot of energy and thought has been put in each and every track. I'm really happy with the way it has turned out because of that. It doesn't seem like it's trying to be anything. That said, every track on the new album means something important to me and mostly I just let the song be what it was. I worked on lots of different songs for the record and if it, to me, didn't feel interesting, I just stopped working on it. Now that the album is finished, I am really happy with what it has become.
SS: You mentioned that 'The Outsider' was made to provoke. How did you view the general reaction to The Outsider and did it affect your approach to this record?
DJS: The Outsider did everything that I wanted it to do, which was to provoke into reaction, either it was positive or negative, you know, just to articulate that I really wasn't only about the sound that people were used to from me. Every album can be something different and take people into different directions. That mission was accomplished. With the new album, I didn't feel like there was any baggage or a need to do something like that. Sometimes you have to work through difficult periods to get to a place that is truthful and positive not only for yourself but for everybody. I really think that 'The Less You Know The Better' is an album that people will really like and that is a good feeling.
SS: Early indications seem to suggest there are a few tracks made for the clubs on the new album. Has dubstep and the like influenced you?
DJS: I think that all kinds of music influence me somehow. I mean that is why I like to listen to both new and old music. I don't think that 'The Less You Know The Better' is a dubstep inspired album. 'Deff Surrounds Us' comes close in parts. But that one is not going to be on the album. I felt like this was the kind of song that I wanted to release early. The album has many other things to offer; it is a lot more dreamy than the tracks that have been heard so far. It leans more towards 'I've Been Trying' than it does to 'Deff Surrounds Us'
SS: Could you tell more about the overall sound of the album? From the tracks that have been released so far, it seems like a return to the sound from 'The Private Press'
DJS: I would say in some ways that is true. Just like with '6 Days,' with most of the tracks on the new album, I managed to come as close as I could get to the sound I had in my head. Also, I feel like the new album really represents me and who I am. Not just today but for the last 20 years. That is not to say that I'm not continuing to look forward, but tracks like 'Deff Surrounds Us' and 'I Gotta Rock' demonstrate that I do like club music and I like making music that hits hard. But I also like music that touches the deeper place in the soul and has significance on an emotional level.
SS: How long did it take you to finish tracks on this album?
DJS: For 'Endtroducing...', some songs go back to 2-3 years before they were finished. For 'The Private Press', some of the songs go back to even before the UNKLE album. Sometimes, what happens is, that I sit down and start a track and don't know how to finish it. I really don't want to rush things because tracks can really sound unfinished then. For the new album, one of the tracks goes back to 2006. I started working on it again back in february this year. And within two days, it was finished. That was because I was being really lucky with finding the right things to finish it. I really like it when that happens. When you hear this track you will know that I started working on it a few years back. But there are also tracks that go back to '08, '09 and '10. There are also songs that I started working on this year and managed to finish more quickly.
SS: About your music so far, what is your favorite piece of work in your back catalogue?
DJS: I don't have one favorite track in particular. My honest answer is that there are a few on every record. I love 'Lonely Soul' from the UNKLE album. There's a track that I'm really proud of. It is one of the songs that people don't always think about and that is 'Changeling.' From 'The Private Press' I really like 'Six Days.' I like 'You Made It' from 'The Outsider' because that is a really personal song for me. I also really like the Cut Chemist remix of 'The Number Song.' But also '3 Freaks' which was very succesful in it's own objective. Regarding albums, I'm equally proud of every one. There isn't really one that stands out. Also, the reason that I only release an album every 4-5 years is because I have something to say.
SS: About the live set; what kind of set up will you be using during this tour? How different is it from the first two legs in 2010?
DJS: Since the last tour, We have added a drum pad. So I'm able to actually play the drums, which is fun. We are always adding stuff and tweaking things, but it is very difficult to change things while you're in the middle of the tour. After we got back home from the first leg last year, we changed some things for the US run. We invested a lot in the back-end for the 2011 tour. For example, we've put solid state drives into the computers so there is a much smaller chance that they crash. Also, we upgraded the camera's. The show is going to change again in about two months after we have played Australia. There will be more album material added too. The music is coming from a combination of CDJ's primairaly and then ableton secondarily. And the earlier mentioned drum pads. The drumming thing was an experiment and we weren't sure if it was going to work just before a couple of days ago.
The Less You Know The Better will be out on September 5. DJ Shadow is on tour right now. For tourdates, check out http://www.djshadow.com/tourand:
DJ Shadow has announced that he will release his fourth studio album 'The Less You Know The Better' on September 5. Just before his show in Hamburg, Germany, we sat down with Shadow for an interview about the new album, his work up to now and his current live show.
SS: The new album is called ‘The Less You Know The Better.’ could you explain why you chose this as the title? Is there a meaning behind it?
DJS: I feel like we're living in an age of over-information and I sometimes feel that the less news I see the better. People are taking in way too much information and because of that it's kinda like their soul has been turned off. It think it is much better to take in less information and open up your emotions and use other senses to discover new things.
SS: The artwork for the new EP (I Gotta Rokk) is a real departure from anything in the past. Who did the artwork and is it the first in a series or strictly a one off?
DJS: I always like to do something different from the last time. Regarding this artwork, I've always liked comic style art. As a little kid I used to read many comic books. I tried to look for material from old comic strips from the 20's and 30's. There was a strip called KRAZY KAT and I liked the style of it. For the album's artwork, I was trying to find somebody that I thought that could do this style that I had in mind. I found that in Tony Papesh, who is an an animator/designer who lives and works in San Francisco. He also did the artwork for the album.
SS: On your 'The Private Press' album from 2002, there was a concept behind tracks like Monosyllabik, which was made from only two samples. Is this there a concept or a grand plan for the new album too?
DJS: Not really. The only concept this time was just to make each track as good as it could be. With 'Endtroducing...' it was an introduction to and sort of a final chapter in the sounds that I was developing for the Mo'wax record label in the 90's. And then 'The Private Press' was an evolution from that. I made a more mature statement with that album. And then, The Outsider was designed to provoke. With the new album, it was like the slate had been wiped clean and I started to make the music that I would want to hear. A lot of energy and thought has been put in each and every track. I'm really happy with the way it has turned out because of that. It doesn't seem like it's trying to be anything. That said, every track on the new album means something important to me and mostly I just let the song be what it was. I worked on lots of different songs for the record and if it, to me, didn't feel interesting, I just stopped working on it. Now that the album is finished, I am really happy with what it has become.
SS: You mentioned that 'The Outsider' was made to provoke. How did you view the general reaction to The Outsider and did it affect your approach to this record?
DJS: The Outsider did everything that I wanted it to do, which was to provoke into reaction, either it was positive or negative, you know, just to articulate that I really wasn't only about the sound that people were used to from me. Every album can be something different and take people into different directions. That mission was accomplished. With the new album, I didn't feel like there was any baggage or a need to do something like that. Sometimes you have to work through difficult periods to get to a place that is truthful and positive not only for yourself but for everybody. I really think that 'The Less You Know The Better' is an album that people will really like and that is a good feeling.
SS: Early indications seem to suggest there are a few tracks made for the clubs on the new album. Has dubstep and the like influenced you?
DJS: I think that all kinds of music influence me somehow. I mean that is why I like to listen to both new and old music. I don't think that 'The Less You Know The Better' is a dubstep inspired album. 'Deff Surrounds Us' comes close in parts. But that one is not going to be on the album. I felt like this was the kind of song that I wanted to release early. The album has many other things to offer; it is a lot more dreamy than the tracks that have been heard so far. It leans more towards 'I've Been Trying' than it does to 'Deff Surrounds Us'
SS: Could you tell more about the overall sound of the album? From the tracks that have been released so far, it seems like a return to the sound from 'The Private Press'
DJS: I would say in some ways that is true. Just like with '6 Days,' with most of the tracks on the new album, I managed to come as close as I could get to the sound I had in my head. Also, I feel like the new album really represents me and who I am. Not just today but for the last 20 years. That is not to say that I'm not continuing to look forward, but tracks like 'Deff Surrounds Us' and 'I Gotta Rock' demonstrate that I do like club music and I like making music that hits hard. But I also like music that touches the deeper place in the soul and has significance on an emotional level.
SS: How long did it take you to finish tracks on this album?
DJS: For 'Endtroducing...', some songs go back to 2-3 years before they were finished. For 'The Private Press', some of the songs go back to even before the UNKLE album. Sometimes, what happens is, that I sit down and start a track and don't know how to finish it. I really don't want to rush things because tracks can really sound unfinished then. For the new album, one of the tracks goes back to 2006. I started working on it again back in february this year. And within two days, it was finished. That was because I was being really lucky with finding the right things to finish it. I really like it when that happens. When you hear this track you will know that I started working on it a few years back. But there are also tracks that go back to '08, '09 and '10. There are also songs that I started working on this year and managed to finish more quickly.
SS: About your music so far, what is your favorite piece of work in your back catalogue?
DJS: I don't have one favorite track in particular. My honest answer is that there are a few on every record. I love 'Lonely Soul' from the UNKLE album. There's a track that I'm really proud of. It is one of the songs that people don't always think about and that is 'Changeling.' From 'The Private Press' I really like 'Six Days.' I like 'You Made It' from 'The Outsider' because that is a really personal song for me. I also really like the Cut Chemist remix of 'The Number Song.' But also '3 Freaks' which was very succesful in it's own objective. Regarding albums, I'm equally proud of every one. There isn't really one that stands out. Also, the reason that I only release an album every 4-5 years is because I have something to say.
SS: About the live set; what kind of set up will you be using during this tour? How different is it from the first two legs in 2010?
DJS: Since the last tour, We have added a drum pad. So I'm able to actually play the drums, which is fun. We are always adding stuff and tweaking things, but it is very difficult to change things while you're in the middle of the tour. After we got back home from the first leg last year, we changed some things for the US run. We invested a lot in the back-end for the 2011 tour. For example, we've put solid state drives into the computers so there is a much smaller chance that they crash. Also, we upgraded the camera's. The show is going to change again in about two months after we have played Australia. There will be more album material added too. The music is coming from a combination of CDJ's primairaly and then ableton secondarily. And the earlier mentioned drum pads. The drumming thing was an experiment and we weren't sure if it was going to work just before a couple of days ago.
The Less You Know The Better will be out on September 5. DJ Shadow is on tour right now. For tourdates, check out http://www.djshadow.com/tourand: