DJ Shadow

Editor's Review:

Preemptive Strike, the latest from Northern California hip-hop savior DJ Shadow, is not quite what you would expect as a sophomore effort from the man who brought us Endtroducing, a mind-blowing debut album. Endtroducing introduced a large part of the populace to intelligent instrumental hip-hop—compositions of vinyl samples, eclectic loops and hard beats.

And while Preemptive Strike is certainly the classic work of Shadow, it is not necessarily a new record. In fact, Preemptive Strike is a compilation of European B-sides, singles and re-mixes—a collection of tracks that are part of a larger body of work, spanning time before and after Endtroducing. Beginning with "In/Flux" (Oct. '93) and ending with "HighNoon" (Sept. '97) and "Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul)" (Oct.'97), Preemptive Strike covers quite a bit of ground. Some of this material has been heard before, but no matter; to the DJ Shadow fan, this is a must have.

Preemptive Strike does not come alone, though— this release is a double CD set. Included with the Shadow disc is another CD that contains Shadow's music cut up by Bay Area scratch master, Invisible Skratch Picklz' DJ Q-Bert. This half-hour "megamix," Camel Bobsled Race, is not up to the normal Q-Bert standards of mixing madness, but it is still damn fresh. Q-Bert's take on Shadow's work might be minimalistic by normal Q-Bert standards, but it is tasteful and impressive nonetheless. As a set, Preemptive Strike is a strong release, and though not technically a new record, it gives a much needed dose of Shadow material that many have not heard.

- Max Sidman


Write Your Own Review

Bookmark:

Record Label MoWax/FFRR Released January 1998

Tracks 1. Strike 1 2. In Flux 3. Hindsight 4. Strike 2 5. What Does Your Soul Look Like (part 2) 6. What Does Your Soul Look Like (part 3) 7. What Does Your Soul Look Like (part 4) 8. What Does Your Soul Look Like (part 1) 9. Strike 3 (And I'm Out) 10. High Noon 11. Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul)