Some records grow in reputation over the years, even the ones that are raved about on release. DJ Shadow's Entroducing... is one of them. I listened to it loads in the months and years after its release but haven't played it end to end for years. It is a monument to one man's obsession (record collecting, obscure samples, building an album by using pretty much nothing but an Akai MPC60, a Technics SL-1200 turntbale and a tape recorder) and has probably become a bit of a millstone around its creators neck. I listened to it again recently, after Ctel posted a remix of Midnight In A Perfect World, and said he wasn't such a big fan of it. On this occasion I have to disagree (and Ctel is often right in these things). I can't find any reason to suggest that it is anything other than a stunningly inventive piece of work. Midnight... is based around a sampled drum beat and a David Axelrod piano sample and doesn't sound twenty years old at all. When the album finishes it almost forces you to turn it over and start again.
Midnight In A Perfect World
It's almost as if 'Entroducing' exists outside of time, neither ageing or dating after 20 years.
ReplyDeleteWas just reminded earlier of the exceptional single of "What Does Your Soul Look Like?" About 40min of beauty. "Midnight" is as good!
ReplyDeleteEven since I was very young I've always loved samples, cut & paste, loops, remixes and versions. So Endtroducing is an almost perfect fit for me.It has never less than sparkled every time I listen.
ReplyDeleteAll 3 of you are right on the mark.
ReplyDelete"Some records grow in reputation over the years"
ReplyDeleteThat's such a great observation. Tempted to use use it for a blog posting or two in 2017.....