DJ Shadow – The Private Press

DJ Shadow’s Privates

DJ Shadow’s third full album “The Private Press” is always moody, often sultry, and sometimes humorous. Much cleaner than his first album “Entroducing” which so defined his sound of cutting and pasting vocals and acoustic instrumentals. It had the raw beats that Shadow does so well, but lacked the smoothness of Press.There is also a somewhat more narrative feel with it, as songs work together to imply storylines. “Mashin’ On The Motorway,” Shadow’s most hyper track, with goofy characterizations and a blending of sound effects (a la Propellerheads), relates the story of a reckless motorist who ends up in a car crash. It gives way to “Blood On The Motorway,” a slow song with a funereal yet optimistic feel.

In general the songs are deep, but not often bass-heavy. He draws from 80’s hip-hop, using beats and vocals that give homage to the period of music that gave rise to the Beastie Boys and Run DMC. Scratch, hip-hop, and an indescribable emotional fluidity seem to be his focus…but funk, jazz, garage rock, and new-wave all fuse into a highly orchestrated, semi-psychedelic sound compilation that is intrinsically Shadow’s style, and an excellent third endeavor.