DJ Shadow - Private Press
(MCA)
In Endtroducing, DJ Shadow proclaims himself to be "just your favorite DJ savior." In Private Press, we get "a bad mother fucking DJ." Of course, there's nothing wrong with getting a bad mother fucking DJ, it's just when you go in expecting not just any old DJ savior but instead your favorite DJ savior, you find yourself disappointed when all you get is a bad mother fucking DJ.
Shadow's second proper full length album comes six years after his first. Lots of things happen in six years. You'd imagine that over a period of six years, Shadow would have amassed a collection of thousands of records — no tens of thousands — from which to mine breaks and beats. However something funny happened as he no doubt collected those tons of records. Shadow's scope started to broaden.
Yes, instead of instrumental rap, Private Press is instrumental hip-hop. Bambaataa-style new wave, cheesy hot rod music, uptempo electro-pop, and Fatboy Slim-style dance music are now the color spectrum for DJ Shadow. Private Press is not the dark urban landscape that Endtroducing was; in fact, it is not even as dark as Psyence Fiction was. Private Press is bright and jovial; it is a walk in the park.
Drums are made from fast, clicking drum machines instead of intricate patchworks of live samples. Bass parts are made from pulsing three note samples, not complex lines.
However, this lack of complexity has brought out an even more impressive cohesion. All the parts here fit. Listening to Endtroducing, the listener questions just how he made all these disparate items fit. When listening to Private Press, the listener doesn't even think to ask the question. These songs feel natural, which is arguably more remarkable than the mood and texture of Endtroducing.
Despite Private Press not being as good as Endtroducing, it is still as good as anything else out there (..in this genre). It's at least nine times as good as the Eminem album, so I'll give it a 9.
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