DJ Shadow
2nd June 2017
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd.
When an artist is renowned for owning more than 60,000 records (no that is not a typo) you just know that this evening’s musical escapade is going to be something very special indeed. DJ Shadow (aka Joshua Paul Davis) is back in New Zealand in support of his latest offering of work The Mountain Will Fall released last April. For the uninitiated, DJ Shadow is an American DJ and record producer credited with creating the ‘First Completely Sampled Album’ in 1996, and yes that is even recorded in the Guinness Book of Records!
Arriving at the Powerstation, there is an interesting mix of patrons from obviously varied walks of life. The younger fans are clinging to the barrier, determined to soak up all the goodness Shadow has to offer, while the older fans mill about the floor and around the bar exchanging tales of vinyl scores from this year’s Record Store Day and the last time they saw Shadow play.
The stage is set with a simple large screen and a table that is strewn with a collection of small metallic lamps, two laptops, turntables and drum pads; the wires snaking around and over the top of each other, some trailing off down the legs giving it the illusion of being its own entity. As the house music slowly fades out, all heads turn towards the stage, cheers rising to welcome the man himself. Shadow appears with little fanfare, smiling and nodding to the audience as he takes up position behind the desk. “Hello Auckland, it’s been a while!” Shadow laughs as he addresses the crowd. “Everything that you will hear tonight is all my own music, I am a DJ and a musician and this is honestly my favourite part of the day. So please enjoy and most of all have fun!” And with that he places his headphones around his neck and his hands get to work, deftly moving across the array of equipment before him.
Wearing a ‘Victory or Death’ hoodie, Shadow works under a cover of darkness preferring to have the focus on the on screen visuals behind him. Our journey begins as we float through moving stars, the ambience of sound building around us, the bass beginning to reverberate through our feet. As the sound continues to from, you can feel the anticipation of the crowd as they eagerly wait for the drop that will pull us in and down into the music itself. But no one could have prepared us for just how big that drop would be, as when it hit it was like a mini earthquake, a collective ‘whoa’ rising from the crowd as they feel it pass through them. First track of the night is the title track from his latest album, an astronaut floating across the screen and out into space as the music pulsates through our veins. In completely seamless fashion we are drawn into the visuals of ink floating in water, lulling us all into a state of tranquility before Shadow hits us with the old school sampling featured in ‘Walkie Talkie’ the crowd erupting as he begins to show us all exactly how it is done, working the turntables in front of him and scratching like it is second nature.
There isn’t a single person who isn’t grooving to the beats, the layers of music so intricate and yet at the same time beautifully simplistic. Shadow is old school, he meticulously moves between his pieces of equipment seamlessly, nodding his head, every so often flashing a grin at the audience. He doesn’t leap about or holla at the audience, preferring instead to let the combination of his music and visuals speak for him. As black and white visions of winding staircases snake along the screen, Shadow smiles as he grabs a pair of drumsticks and hammers out a beat on the drum pads on the right hand side of the table, adding yet another element to an already outstanding performance.
DJ Shadow first rose to fame with his pioneering album Endtroducing….. some 21 years ago. Bringing together fusions of funk, hip-hop, ambient, jazz and soul he took the scene by storm, presenting something that the world had just never seen before. The term ‘trip-hop’ was developed specifically due to Shadows work associated with the London based Mo’ Wax label. Since then he has gone on to deliver countless albums and singles, many under pseudonyms. He has also produced some of the biggest albums in music today including Psyence Fiction by UNKLE (we are even treated to Shadows and James Lavelle’s version of ‘Rabbit in your Headlight’ during the set tonight!)
Shadow often stops throughout the set to say a quiet thank you, constantly appearing humbled by the reception he is receiving from the audience. ‘Six Days’ sees everyone vibe out with the trippy vocal styling’s of the track, while ‘Nice Nightmares’ (a definite stand out of the night) sends everyone on a journey through the human mind, maps of neurons playing out across the screen as haunted sound samples pounce from the corners. “Alright, alright, it’s been good!” Shadow addresses the now blissed out crowd, “Time to step it up a bit…you might find something familiar about this one…” the crowd immediately pulled from their state of bliss with a bang as ‘Nobody Speak’ feat. Run The Jewels bursts forth from the speakers, the official video playing in the background. All of a sudden the crowd is moving as once, bouncing along with the latest offering from The Mountain Will Fall album.
Shadow finishes the night with a full on assault of the senses, everyone in awe of the sounds that are pouring forth from the speakers. Two hours had absolutely flown by and it was time for Shadow to bid us goodnight. Genuinely thanking the audience, he takes the time to shake hands with the front row, once again looking humbled by their reactions. Demands for an encore are enthusiastic and are answered by Shadow as he arrives back on stage. “These are strange and fucked up times we live in I tell you – I never thought I would be embarrassed to be a human being. But all I can do is travel the world and spread my art, my music. And I thank you all for allowing me to do that.” Shadow then treats us to an as yet unreleased track by the name of ‘Corridor’, a fantastic piece of music that he created “less than six months ago”. Closely followed by ‘Sideshow’ and an audience request and the night has truly ended in style.
Again DJ Shadow spends time walking along the edge of the stage, shaking hands and signing autographs for those that request them. The personification of musical genius, one thing is for sure; there will never be another quite like him.
Were you there at the Powerstation for this intense masterclass of turntablism perfection? Or have you seen DJ Shadow live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!