Endtroducing.....

EDIT: 🚨 FUCK YOU 🚨

When I popped this on for the first time, I had no idea what to expect. From the near cult perfection status this record has created, it seemed like this record was larger then life itself.  So, what's all the hullabaloo about DJ Shadow, I thought? Is this as timeless as I was expecting?

What I got was not what I was expecting, but yes. Yes yes yes.

Essentially, this is a group of tightly knotted and high quality beats made by a extremely creative and passionate producer, who specializes in making exciting, fun, entertaining, sometimes even ambient or experimental soundscapes that create strange and exciting beats that put me on the edge of my seat, and is one of the most entertaining and badass listens I've had to a intrumental record in literally years. But at the same time...it's so much more. It's both jazz and industrial, ambient and hard hitting, beautiful and break neck intense. And for a beat album made in 1996, that's saying something.

It's a dark, somber, beautiful and heavy record, with nearly every sound under the sun perfected into transcendent production bliss. It says so much by saying nearly nothing, just with the purr emotion in the compositions. I'd say the closest I've been to an emotional attachment to intrumental music is maybe the first time I hear Godspeed You! Black Emporor, and I know that's a strong statement, but I have other way to describe the amount of connection I received from this record. It genuinely made me step outside of myself for a second a think about thing I didn't think I'd think about.

However, I don't think it's a 10/10 just yet. While I do have very few problems with this record, I know that there are problems. Untitled really has no reason to exist, and some of the inturludes more or less feel out of place. But I'm still fuming with excitement and emotion after listening to this, so this might just be the hype talking, but it's a steller record that needs to be heard.

If you haven't heard this record, stop what your doing and listen to this. Maybe as your going to bed, or on a long car trip, but just listen. It's a immensely well put together record, and I'm so goddamn excited to look into this more. Believe the fucking hype.

Favorite Jams: The Number Song, Mutual Slump, Stem / Long Stem

Lest Favorite: Untitled