"....now approaching MIDNIIIIGHT!"
Now, I realize that this debut album from DJ Shadow debuted in 1996. But allow me to take you back to yet another story. It was the year 1999. We just got our first hookah cafe, and it was nearby a record store I frequented. They had never sold any vinyl (it would be about a year after that, that this store started finally getting used vinyl in) and I had always spent a majority of my paycheck there. Fast forward to my 19th birthday. We all went to the hookah bar nearby and it was filled to the brim with well-wishers all around. There were some gifts that were bought, but one of the gifts that intrigued me the most, was that a friend bought me a used copy of this record. Monday, when I went back on campus at the U of M in the Twin Cities, it was still days away until spring supposedly begun, and there was still blustery, cold air, and snow still rested on the ground. Regardless, at 8am, I arrived on campus and put on "Entroducing" in my headphones, and the album stuck with me for many years to come, as it did a lot of other folks.
Indeed, Josh Davis wanted to show us there was much more to hip-hop than just sampling. He made sampling what the violin was to orchestral chamber music, it was a means to create something beautiful, ethereal, emotional, a whole rush of feelings and then some. And looking back 14 years, it certainly has made its mark on music. Yeah, you know what time it is. Take Three is taking place, where we take 3 cuts from a classic record and unload 'em on you, the unaware listener and purveyor of music, and let you go free to explore. So yeah, let's do this like Brutus baby.
1. Changeling (Transmission 1)
Yeah, those harmonic organs at the beginning catch you off guard, then all of a sudden, you get layers added, one after the other, all in proper transitional phases. Don't think so? The jazzy drum-set swing, the occasional oft-kilter scratches, a richly looped bass line, a melodic acoustic guitar chorus, with a flute to complement. But there's also tons more to it, the hauntingly beautiful vocals and saxophone elements that strike around the 3 minute mark, the building outro which lasts for nearly two minutes until it sustains off to nothing, there's so much to this song that is well layered.
2. Midnight In A Perfect World
"The clock on the wall reads a quarter past midnight...." the voice shouts, while vocals and organs make their way, and then you get the drums of death delivered pleasantly, and not in an overpowering manner. Scratches make their way inside, but they are mere blips, just as the voice that is repeating "midnight" as well as the stuttered staccato of Gift of Gab saying "now approaching MIDNIIIIGHT!" Once again, Shadow does an excellent job of layering all the proper elements. Definitely one of the best night time songs ever. And if it's not part of your night time list, well then, this is all the more reason you need to put it there.
3. The Numbers Song
In a lot of ways, "Entroducing..." showcased the perspective of a producer, from a producer himself. Maybe in a lot of ways it could come off as egotistical, but few, if any people, have knowledge what a producer does to make a song stand on its own legs, and "The Numbers Song" is a perfect example of this, because you get a menacing funk drum break, along with distorted, deathly guitars to create this little concoction. You don't just get that either, you get tons of joined together funk samples with furious scratches delivered with passion, power and intensity. And everytime it breaks down, you'd swear its about to end. But it doesn't. This is probably the shortest of the previous two songs I listed, but it definitely requires an ear to pick up on everything.
