DJ Shadow, a.k.a. Josh Davis, could be credited with bringing newfound introspection to the gloating sounds of hip-hop. Condensed with urban oscillations and scatological beats, Endtroducing... shutters with eclectic samples and aural montages that reach beyond the constraints of hip-hop style. Enhancing the mix with fundamentals of rock, soul, funk, ambient, and jazz, the modern fusions fail to go unnoticed, even by the casual listener. While most of the tracks are compiled by layering samples from vinyl treasures found in used-record bins, the production quality of the mosaic is unmatched. Darkened melodies carry throughout the album with its eye on the end of the tunnel. The narration samples come from numerous sources and keep the listener involved and waiting for resolution. With a message as fragmentary as an overheard conversation, Endtroducing... conveys no apparent conclusion, but begs the mind, body, and soul for some rewind. --Lucas Hilbert

Insight, foresight, the clock on the wall reads a quarter past midnight..., 10 Jul 2007
I first got into electronic music a while ago, and frankly couldnt have asked for a better induction. I was recomended this by a friend when I said I liked the electronic stuff on Kid A and he told me that most of it was influenced by this man.
He was right, Shadow is a genius. His skill with a drum machine is matched only by his skill with a sampler and his talent for mixing, perfectly capturing an ever shifting mood with changes of tempo, time signature, key, instruments and genre. Its all captured here, like a beautifully preserved insect in a peice of amber. Jazz, soul, blues, and that ever present loaded-gun backbeat, tying every interesting sample and gorgeous melody together into an amazingly cohesive journey of beats.
It is, like the best albums, prismic and ever changing. Nothing is repeated, and everything is brilliant, but specifically, the best examples of its genuis are The Number Song, Stem/Long Stem, and the stunningly beautiful Midnight In A Perfect World. However, unlike The Private Press, you really have to lsten to it all, right through. You simply cannot skip tracks. the thought of missing anything...well...
Anyway, I would personally reccomend this to anyone new to electonic music, and when you're done here (as if you will ever be 'done' with Endtroducng) I reccomend The Private Press, anythng by Massive Attack (Mezzanine, Protection) and then for the unltimate in trip-hop, Dummy by Portishead.
Rejoice, brothers. Go forth and preach the gospel of the beat...

One of the most influential albums ever!, 12 May 2007
Ok, not too many adjectives can describe how good this album is, but it is important to point out how influential this album is. Basically there would be no Ok Computer (not just Kid A) without Endtroducing and they are considered to be two of the best albums ever, so it's logical to suggest that Endtroducing is better, something I always try and explain to Radiohead fans.

This is simply brilliant, I would not change a thing about the album and track 4, "Changeling" is just stunning. Buy it please.

Record breaking, 12 Mar 2007
Superb from start to finish - Shadow in his finest hour. The first album to be made entirely from samples. Sounds derivative? Buy it, listen and learn. May take you a few playings to get your head round some tracks, but don't worry you've heard most of it all before as ironically this is now one of the most sampled albums around, certainly by advertisers and tv execs. If you get a chance to see him live don't miss it..

good background music?? Not inspired, sorry, 09 Sep 2006
i dont know what to say about this really. I read the reviews like you are now and got the impression that this was some kind of undiscovered gem from way back in the day that id overlooked. Dont get me wrong this is a good album but its not inspiring like the reviews suggested, there is so much of this sort of music out there, this is no different. On first impressions there is one track that stands out as worthy of its acclaim and thats track 8. This track made me stop what i was doing and made me listen and thats what i am looking for, thats what i classify as inspiration. As for the rest of the album it went unnoticed as a collection of breaks and samples playing in the background, just like so many others albums ive owned in the past. Reminded me of King Kooba and other mellow breaks etc. I guess just not what i expected despite having listened to it here on amazon!



Electronic Excellence, 11 Apr 2006
I always find it strange when people talk about their favourite track on this album. The whole "experience" is what makes this album so good. There is not one stand out track: the whole thing plays like one continuous stand out track! The onslaught of almost maddening beats give way to sudden passages of tranquility that use each other to great effect through the contrast they produce. Playing like a modern day classical piece this is diverse and dark. Also like the best music it rewards repeated (even continuous) listening!

California's Josh Davis--aka DJ Shadow would have no easy ride in making The Private Press after his debut Endtroducing wreaked havoc in the dance and hip-hop communities. Constructed entirely around samples, yet defiantly and thrillingly original, it took searching for dusty breaks in old thrift stores to new levels. With its serious b-boy underpinnings and potently stark soundtrack feel, it heralded in a whole new era of instrumental hip-hop. A zillion copycats have landed on the bandwagon since, but Shadow has kept on top of his game, keeping his hand in with various collaborations (Blackalicious, Unkle, Cut Chemist and superlative 12s like "High Noon" and "Pre-emptive Strike". Now, a full six years later, he's back with a follow up that is every bit as impressive as his debut but in a different way.

Once again, the producer has pushed his sampler to the limits, but this time he's brought with it a deeper, hungrier, more bad-ass spirit that's rarely found in modern dance music. There's a fabulous 80s vibe throughout (seen principally on tracks like "Monosylabik" and "You Can't Go Home Again") and the expected forays into b-boy culture (check the funky-ass collaboration with Lateef "Mashin On The Motorway"). While it's identifiably Shadow, it ain't "Endtroducing…Part 2". It is a worthy and imaginative follow up with humour, wisdom and musical understanding aplenty. It'll definitely enhance any record collection. --Paul Sullivan

Insight, foresight, the clock on the wall reads a quarter past midnight..., 10 Jul 2007
I first got into electronic music a while ago, and frankly couldnt have asked for a better induction. I was recomended this by a friend when I said I liked the electronic stuff on Kid A and he told me that most of it was influenced by this man.
He was right, Shadow is a genius. His skill with a drum machine is matched only by his skill with a sampler and his talent for mixing, perfectly capturing an ever shifting mood with changes of tempo, time signature, key, instruments and genre. Its all captured here, like a beautifully preserved insect in a peice of amber. Jazz, soul, blues, and that ever present loaded-gun backbeat, tying every interesting sample and gorgeous melody together into an amazingly cohesive journey of beats.
It is, like the best albums, prismic and ever changing. Nothing is repeated, and everything is brilliant, but specifically, the best examples of its genuis are The Number Song, Stem/Long Stem, and the stunningly beautiful Midnight In A Perfect World. However, unlike The Private Press, you really have to lsten to it all, right through. You simply cannot skip tracks. the thought of missing anything...well...
Anyway, I would personally reccomend this to anyone new to electonic music, and when you're done here (as if you will ever be 'done' with Endtroducng) I reccomend The Private Press, anythng by Massive Attack (Mezzanine, Protection) and then for the unltimate in trip-hop, Dummy by Portishead.
Rejoice, brothers. Go forth and preach the gospel of the beat...

One of the most influential albums ever!, 12 May 2007
Ok, not too many adjectives can describe how good this album is, but it is important to point out how influential this album is. Basically there would be no Ok Computer (not just Kid A) without Endtroducing and they are considered to be two of the best albums ever, so it's logical to suggest that Endtroducing is better, something I always try and explain to Radiohead fans.

This is simply brilliant, I would not change a thing about the album and track 4, "Changeling" is just stunning. Buy it please.

Record breaking, 12 Mar 2007
Superb from start to finish - Shadow in his finest hour. The first album to be made entirely from samples. Sounds derivative? Buy it, listen and learn. May take you a few playings to get your head round some tracks, but don't worry you've heard most of it all before as ironically this is now one of the most sampled albums around, certainly by advertisers and tv execs. If you get a chance to see him live don't miss it..

good background music?? Not inspired, sorry, 09 Sep 2006
i dont know what to say about this really. I read the reviews like you are now and got the impression that this was some kind of undiscovered gem from way back in the day that id overlooked. Dont get me wrong this is a good album but its not inspiring like the reviews suggested, there is so much of this sort of music out there, this is no different. On first impressions there is one track that stands out as worthy of its acclaim and thats track 8. This track made me stop what i was doing and made me listen and thats what i am looking for, thats what i classify as inspiration. As for the rest of the album it went unnoticed as a collection of breaks and samples playing in the background, just like so many others albums ive owned in the past. Reminded me of King Kooba and other mellow breaks etc. I guess just not what i expected despite having listened to it here on amazon!



Electronic Excellence, 11 Apr 2006
I always find it strange when people talk about their favourite track on this album. The whole "experience" is what makes this album so good. There is not one stand out track: the whole thing plays like one continuous stand out track! The onslaught of almost maddening beats give way to sudden passages of tranquility that use each other to great effect through the contrast they produce. Playing like a modern day classical piece this is diverse and dark. Also like the best music it rewards repeated (even continuous) listening!

Can we start giving half stars? Its really worth 4 and a half......, 12 Dec 2006
I probably should have done this review earlier, but it just seems the right time to get people to listen to properly GOOD music (dance music seems to have gone down the drain a bit).
Josh Davis has come up with another winner here, in a sense that this album is quite removed from Endtroducing. As reviewers have said already (and i agree), this is a more "song"-orientated album, allowing you to skip to a favourite song, whereas endtroducing was more an album to listen through in one go.
The reason i give it 4 (but 4 1/2 in my heart), is because of the two dud tracks slap bang in the middle of the album (namely 'Right thing' and' Monosylabik'). Definitely not DJ Shadow quality.
This shouldn't detract anyone from the rest of the album though, as it is brilliant. I can't pick out any stand-out track really, but i am drawn to 'you can't go home again' and 'six days'.
Definitely an album to get especially if, like me, you're stuck at university and surrounded by cheesy music 24/7. Otherwise, get it anyway. No disappointments included.

Worthy celebration of the joys of music, 14 Mar 2006
Read the liner notes: This is abstract post modern music. It's not supposed to convey any messages. It's apolitical and completely without ego. Rather it's a celebration of modern popular music and the position it holds in modern society. Mr. Davis writes that there should be something here to make everyone smile. I think he succeeded there, there is something for everyone. Unfortanately, this is the albums major downfall. The versitility makes for a fractured listen, and there's no guarantee that you'll like every track.

Me, I like pretty much all of it. However, I usually skip past the tedious old skool hip hop of Un Autre Introduction and Walkie Talkie, and Mashing on the Motorway grinds a bit, (the obscenities are funny but anachronistic) but the remainding tracks are pure quality. Letter From Home and Fixed Income make for a suitably ominous opening, setting a mood that is perfectly complimented by my personal favourite, Six Days. It's the song that made me by the album in the first place, and it's easily as good as anything on Endtroducing, if not better.

Ah, Endtroducing, the album to which this will ALWAYS be compared. So how does it compare? Well, it's more song based. Endtroducing flowed beautifully to create an overall satisfying listening experience. With the Private Press, on the other hand, it's easier to dip in, listen to one or two songs, without missing the bigger picture. As an analogy, I'd liken Endtroducing to a stream you kayak down. The Private Press is more like a series of picturesque ponds in a landscaped garden. They should all be judged on their individual merits.

As such, there are some brilliant pieces of music on here. Everyone WILL find something they like about it, but very few people will like all of it. A fractured masterpiece then, like Electric Ladyland or The White Album for the B-Boy generation.

still waiting......, 28 Jan 2006
After such a highly acclaimed fist solo album in Endtroducing... which showed Josh Davis to be amongst the greatest and experimental of producers a follow up LP was eagerly anticipated and to an extent demanded by an over-awed audience .

'The Private Press' is as an album as experimental as its predecessor but feels like a selection of individual tracks (ranging from staggering to just plain daft) put together to fill an album just to stifle a demand . Since its release many of the tracks have been tinkered with (see The Private Repress) by a whole host of producers and made more appealing to differing tastes which would suggest that the bones are there but the flesh is missing . The album suffers for a lack of flow between tracks which was Endtroducing's greatest strength , something I'd expected would have come naturally from someone from a 'DJ' background .

If you've newly discovered Shadow from Endtroducing... my advice would be to source the 'In tune and on time' CD/DVD and buy that instead .

Awesome, 23 Jul 2004
Buy it now

Six Years... Six..., 25 Jun 2004
It's really not a bad album and I would give it 3 and 1/2 stars if I could...
I don't know but I like to see that artist has progressed in some way when his new album comes out, but I find substance of 'Private Press' too similar to stuff on'Endtroducing'('Giving Up The Ghost' can easily be mistaken for a track from that album), but I guess you can't expect an artist to change his style every time he makes a new album and to make a great album too, can't you?.
More on, in comparison to 'Endtroducing' there are some tracks that seem more user friendly and I'm sure MTV audience will be very pleased, but they lack on uniqueness and depth. Like 'Six Day War' which sounds good, but is an ordinary trip-hop treat and one with a message on morality of war too, how highly original...
I must say that I actually liked 'Monosylabik' and 'Mashin On Motorway', that have some creativity and good groove in them but probably won't make you dazzled and hungry for more.
In my opinion there are some pretty cool tracks on this album too, like 'Mongrel' and 'You Can't Go Home Again' and 'Blood On The Motorway' is o.k.
All in all 'Private Press' is a good album, and still better than majority of hip hop albums that record companies serve to the massess and DJ Shadow is a very interesting figure on the today's stagnant scene, and he did push the boundaries of the genre once before, so go ahead and try it, and please don't expect it to be 'your ordinary hip hop DJ' he is something more.

Insight, foresight, the clock on the wall reads a quarter past midnight..., 10 Jul 2007
I first got into electronic music a while ago, and frankly couldnt have asked for a better induction. I was recomended this by a friend when I said I liked the electronic stuff on Kid A and he told me that most of it was influenced by this man.
He was right, Shadow is a genius. His skill with a drum machine is matched only by his skill with a sampler and his talent for mixing, perfectly capturing an ever shifting mood with changes of tempo, time signature, key, instruments and genre. Its all captured here, like a beautifully preserved insect in a peice of amber. Jazz, soul, blues, and that ever present loaded-gun backbeat, tying every interesting sample and gorgeous melody together into an amazingly cohesive journey of beats.
It is, like the best albums, prismic and ever changing. Nothing is repeated, and everything is brilliant, but specifically, the best examples of its genuis are The Number Song, Stem/Long Stem, and the stunningly beautiful Midnight In A Perfect World. However, unlike The Private Press, you really have to lsten to it all, right through. You simply cannot skip tracks. the thought of missing anything...well...
Anyway, I would personally reccomend this to anyone new to electonic music, and when you're done here (as if you will ever be 'done' with Endtroducng) I reccomend The Private Press, anythng by Massive Attack (Mezzanine, Protection) and then for the unltimate in trip-hop, Dummy by Portishead.
Rejoice, brothers. Go forth and preach the gospel of the beat...

One of the most influential albums ever!, 12 May 2007
Ok, not too many adjectives can describe how good this album is, but it is important to point out how influential this album is. Basically there would be no Ok Computer (not just Kid A) without Endtroducing and they are considered to be two of the best albums ever, so it's logical to suggest that Endtroducing is better, something I always try and explain to Radiohead fans.

This is simply brilliant, I would not change a thing about the album and track 4, "Changeling" is just stunning. Buy it please.

Record breaking, 12 Mar 2007
Superb from start to finish - Shadow in his finest hour. The first album to be made entirely from samples. Sounds derivative? Buy it, listen and learn. May take you a few playings to get your head round some tracks, but don't worry you've heard most of it all before as ironically this is now one of the most sampled albums around, certainly by advertisers and tv execs. If you get a chance to see him live don't miss it..

good background music?? Not inspired, sorry, 09 Sep 2006
i dont know what to say about this really. I read the reviews like you are now and got the impression that this was some kind of undiscovered gem from way back in the day that id overlooked. Dont get me wrong this is a good album but its not inspiring like the reviews suggested, there is so much of this sort of music out there, this is no different. On first impressions there is one track that stands out as worthy of its acclaim and thats track 8. This track made me stop what i was doing and made me listen and thats what i am looking for, thats what i classify as inspiration. As for the rest of the album it went unnoticed as a collection of breaks and samples playing in the background, just like so many others albums ive owned in the past. Reminded me of King Kooba and other mellow breaks etc. I guess just not what i expected despite having listened to it here on amazon!



Electronic Excellence, 11 Apr 2006
I always find it strange when people talk about their favourite track on this album. The whole "experience" is what makes this album so good. There is not one stand out track: the whole thing plays like one continuous stand out track! The onslaught of almost maddening beats give way to sudden passages of tranquility that use each other to great effect through the contrast they produce. Playing like a modern day classical piece this is diverse and dark. Also like the best music it rewards repeated (even continuous) listening!

Can we start giving half stars? Its really worth 4 and a half......, 12 Dec 2006
I probably should have done this review earlier, but it just seems the right time to get people to listen to properly GOOD music (dance music seems to have gone down the drain a bit).
Josh Davis has come up with another winner here, in a sense that this album is quite removed from Endtroducing. As reviewers have said already (and i agree), this is a more "song"-orientated album, allowing you to skip to a favourite song, whereas endtroducing was more an album to listen through in one go.
The reason i give it 4 (but 4 1/2 in my heart), is because of the two dud tracks slap bang in the middle of the album (namely 'Right thing' and' Monosylabik'). Definitely not DJ Shadow quality.
This shouldn't detract anyone from the rest of the album though, as it is brilliant. I can't pick out any stand-out track really, but i am drawn to 'you can't go home again' and 'six days'.
Definitely an album to get especially if, like me, you're stuck at university and surrounded by cheesy music 24/7. Otherwise, get it anyway. No disappointments included.

Worthy celebration of the joys of music, 14 Mar 2006
Read the liner notes: This is abstract post modern music. It's not supposed to convey any messages. It's apolitical and completely without ego. Rather it's a celebration of modern popular music and the position it holds in modern society. Mr. Davis writes that there should be something here to make everyone smile. I think he succeeded there, there is something for everyone. Unfortanately, this is the albums major downfall. The versitility makes for a fractured listen, and there's no guarantee that you'll like every track.

Me, I like pretty much all of it. However, I usually skip past the tedious old skool hip hop of Un Autre Introduction and Walkie Talkie, and Mashing on the Motorway grinds a bit, (the obscenities are funny but anachronistic) but the remainding tracks are pure quality. Letter From Home and Fixed Income make for a suitably ominous opening, setting a mood that is perfectly complimented by my personal favourite, Six Days. It's the song that made me by the album in the first place, and it's easily as good as anything on Endtroducing, if not better.

Ah, Endtroducing, the album to which this will ALWAYS be compared. So how does it compare? Well, it's more song based. Endtroducing flowed beautifully to create an overall satisfying listening experience. With the Private Press, on the other hand, it's easier to dip in, listen to one or two songs, without missing the bigger picture. As an analogy, I'd liken Endtroducing to a stream you kayak down. The Private Press is more like a series of picturesque ponds in a landscaped garden. They should all be judged on their individual merits.

As such, there are some brilliant pieces of music on here. Everyone WILL find something they like about it, but very few people will like all of it. A fractured masterpiece then, like Electric Ladyland or The White Album for the B-Boy generation.

still waiting......, 28 Jan 2006
After such a highly acclaimed fist solo album in Endtroducing... which showed Josh Davis to be amongst the greatest and experimental of producers a follow up LP was eagerly anticipated and to an extent demanded by an over-awed audience .

'The Private Press' is as an album as experimental as its predecessor but feels like a selection of individual tracks (ranging from staggering to just plain daft) put together to fill an album just to stifle a demand . Since its release many of the tracks have been tinkered with (see The Private Repress) by a whole host of producers and made more appealing to differing tastes which would suggest that the bones are there but the flesh is missing . The album suffers for a lack of flow between tracks which was Endtroducing's greatest strength , something I'd expected would have come naturally from someone from a 'DJ' background .

If you've newly discovered Shadow from Endtroducing... my advice would be to source the 'In tune and on time' CD/DVD and buy that instead .

Awesome, 23 Jul 2004
Buy it now

Six Years... Six..., 25 Jun 2004
It's really not a bad album and I would give it 3 and 1/2 stars if I could...
I don't know but I like to see that artist has progressed in some way when his new album comes out, but I find substance of 'Private Press' too similar to stuff on'Endtroducing'('Giving Up The Ghost' can easily be mistaken for a track from that album), but I guess you can't expect an artist to change his style every time he makes a new album and to make a great album too, can't you?.
More on, in comparison to 'Endtroducing' there are some tracks that seem more user friendly and I'm sure MTV audience will be very pleased, but they lack on uniqueness and depth. Like 'Six Day War' which sounds good, but is an ordinary trip-hop treat and one with a message on morality of war too, how highly original...
I must say that I actually liked 'Monosylabik' and 'Mashin On Motorway', that have some creativity and good groove in them but probably won't make you dazzled and hungry for more.
In my opinion there are some pretty cool tracks on this album too, like 'Mongrel' and 'You Can't Go Home Again' and 'Blood On The Motorway' is o.k.
All in all 'Private Press' is a good album, and still better than majority of hip hop albums that record companies serve to the massess and DJ Shadow is a very interesting figure on the today's stagnant scene, and he did push the boundaries of the genre once before, so go ahead and try it, and please don't expect it to be 'your ordinary hip hop DJ' he is something more.

Not very good..., 18 Jan 2008
I bought this album because I like both the respective artistes involved. The prospect of a brilliant fusion of rap and metal is there..but it just does not gel very well in practice! They don't seem to meet each other on what should be common ground- crazy vocal sound bites from Patton should be looped ad infinitum over heavy beats, scratches and screaming guitars! But the music is pedestrian, vocals trite, and samples from films poorly chosen! Guess i'll just have to live with my imaginary version of this album. If only there was a remix album to save the venture..

Attack plan 1, 27 May 2005
Are you a fan of Mike Patton? If not avoid this album, you will hate it. I love Mike Patton (not in the conjugal sense) and I love this album. Ive Listened to many of Patton's project and as far as I am aware this is his first foray into Hip-hop. Ive followed Bungle, tomahawk, Fantomas and even his disturbing adult songs for voice album (Im still not sure if it is avant-garde genius, or just a bit of a joke on the fans). As always His vocals are amazing and well used, the beats are stuttered but still hold a pattern. Its not easy listening which is why I like it. Lots of tracks, some quite short. If Mr Bungle were a Hip-hop band this is the album they would have made, instead its the X-ecutioners got lucky and had the honor of working with this musical work-horse. Will the man ever stop producing wacked out music for people who want to hear music they must listen to. Keep up the good work Mr Patton. an album for the fans. (If you like this album buy 'The No Music' by 'Themselves'.

mike patton is god, 10 Mar 2005
being a big mike patton fan and buying many of his cd's,i saw this recommended on amazon and had a look to be honest im not really into rap music but this is no rap album this is mike patton at his most insane,buy it,buy it, otherwise you might live to regret it

More Goodage From Mikey-P, 19 Feb 2005
This is an captivating new addition to my cd collection. the varied hip hop back beats from the X-ecuitioners mixed with Mike Pattons insanly varied vocals make for a very interesting cd.

This Deluxe Edition includes a bonus CD of demos, alternate versions and remixes. DJ Shadow, a.k.a. Josh Davis, could be credited with bringing newfound introspection to the gloating sounds of hip-hop. Condensed with urban oscillations and scatological beats, Endtroducing... shutters with eclectic samples and aural montages that reach beyond the constraints of hip-hop style. Enhancing the mix with fundamentals of rock, soul, funk, ambient, and jazz, the modern fusions fail to go unnoticed, even by the casual listener. While most of the tracks are compiled by layering samples from vinyl treasures found in used-record bins, the production quality of the mosaic is unmatched. Darkened melodies carry throughout the album with its eye on the end of the tunnel. The narration samples come from numerous sources and keep the listener involved and waiting for resolution. With a message as fragmentary as an overheard conversation, Endtroducing... conveys no apparent conclusion, but begs the mind, body, and soul for some rewind. --Lucas Hilbert

Insight, foresight, the clock on the wall reads a quarter past midnight..., 10 Jul 2007
I first got into electronic music a while ago, and frankly couldnt have asked for a better induction. I was recomended this by a friend when I said I liked the electronic stuff on Kid A and he told me that most of it was influenced by this man.
He was right, Shadow is a genius. His skill with a drum machine is matched only by his skill with a sampler and his talent for mixing, perfectly capturing an ever shifting mood with changes of tempo, time signature, key, instruments and genre. Its all captured here, like a beautifully preserved insect in a peice of amber. Jazz, soul, blues, and that ever present loaded-gun backbeat, tying every interesting sample and gorgeous melody together into an amazingly cohesive journey of beats.
It is, like the best albums, prismic and ever changing. Nothing is repeated, and everything is brilliant, but specifically, the best examples of its genuis are The Number Song, Stem/Long Stem, and the stunningly beautiful Midnight In A Perfect World. However, unlike The Private Press, you really have to lsten to it all, right through. You simply cannot skip tracks. the thought of missing anything...well...
Anyway, I would personally reccomend this to anyone new to electonic music, and when you're done here (as if you will ever be 'done' with Endtroducng) I reccomend The Private Press, anythng by Massive Attack (Mezzanine, Protection) and then for the unltimate in trip-hop, Dummy by Portishead.
Rejoice, brothers. Go forth and preach the gospel of the beat...

One of the most influential albums ever!, 12 May 2007
Ok, not too many adjectives can describe how good this album is, but it is important to point out how influential this album is. Basically there would be no Ok Computer (not just Kid A) without Endtroducing and they are considered to be two of the best albums ever, so it's logical to suggest that Endtroducing is better, something I always try and explain to Radiohead fans.

This is simply brilliant, I would not change a thing about the album and track 4, "Changeling" is just stunning. Buy it please.

Record breaking, 12 Mar 2007
Superb from start to finish - Shadow in his finest hour. The first album to be made entirely from samples. Sounds derivative? Buy it, listen and learn. May take you a few playings to get your head round some tracks, but don't worry you've heard most of it all before as ironically this is now one of the most sampled albums around, certainly by advertisers and tv execs. If you get a chance to see him live don't miss it..

good background music?? Not inspired, sorry, 09 Sep 2006
i dont know what to say about this really. I read the reviews like you are now and got the impression that this was some kind of undiscovered gem from way back in the day that id overlooked. Dont get me wrong this is a good album but its not inspiring like the reviews suggested, there is so much of this sort of music out there, this is no different. On first impressions there is one track that stands out as worthy of its acclaim and thats track 8. This track made me stop what i was doing and made me listen and thats what i am looking for, thats what i classify as inspiration. As for the rest of the album it went unnoticed as a collection of breaks and samples playing in the background, just like so many others albums ive owned in the past. Reminded me of King Kooba and other mellow breaks etc. I guess just not what i expected despite having listened to it here on amazon!



Electronic Excellence, 11 Apr 2006
I always find it strange when people talk about their favourite track on this album. The whole "experience" is what makes this album so good. There is not one stand out track: the whole thing plays like one continuous stand out track! The onslaught of almost maddening beats give way to sudden passages of tranquility that use each other to great effect through the contrast they produce. Playing like a modern day classical piece this is diverse and dark. Also like the best music it rewards repeated (even continuous) listening!

Can we start giving half stars? Its really worth 4 and a half......, 12 Dec 2006
I probably should have done this review earlier, but it just seems the right time to get people to listen to properly GOOD music (dance music seems to have gone down the drain a bit).
Josh Davis has come up with another winner here, in a sense that this album is quite removed from Endtroducing. As reviewers have said already (and i agree), this is a more "song"-orientated album, allowing you to skip to a favourite song, whereas endtroducing was more an album to listen through in one go.
The reason i give it 4 (but 4 1/2 in my heart), is because of the two dud tracks slap bang in the middle of the album (namely 'Right thing' and' Monosylabik'). Definitely not DJ Shadow quality.
This shouldn't detract anyone from the rest of the album though, as it is brilliant. I can't pick out any stand-out track really, but i am drawn to 'you can't go home again' and 'six days'.
Definitely an album to get especially if, like me, you're stuck at university and surrounded by cheesy music 24/7. Otherwise, get it anyway. No disappointments included.

Worthy celebration of the joys of music, 14 Mar 2006
Read the liner notes: This is abstract post modern music. It's not supposed to convey any messages. It's apolitical and completely without ego. Rather it's a celebration of modern popular music and the position it holds in modern society. Mr. Davis writes that there should be something here to make everyone smile. I think he succeeded there, there is something for everyone. Unfortanately, this is the albums major downfall. The versitility makes for a fractured listen, and there's no guarantee that you'll like every track.

Me, I like pretty much all of it. However, I usually skip past the tedious old skool hip hop of Un Autre Introduction and Walkie Talkie, and Mashing on the Motorway grinds a bit, (the obscenities are funny but anachronistic) but the remainding tracks are pure quality. Letter From Home and Fixed Income make for a suitably ominous opening, setting a mood that is perfectly complimented by my personal favourite, Six Days. It's the song that made me by the album in the first place, and it's easily as good as anything on Endtroducing, if not better.

Ah, Endtroducing, the album to which this will ALWAYS be compared. So how does it compare? Well, it's more song based. Endtroducing flowed beautifully to create an overall satisfying listening experience. With the Private Press, on the other hand, it's easier to dip in, listen to one or two songs, without missing the bigger picture. As an analogy, I'd liken Endtroducing to a stream you kayak down. The Private Press is more like a series of picturesque ponds in a landscaped garden. They should all be judged on their individual merits.

As such, there are some brilliant pieces of music on here. Everyone WILL find something they like about it, but very few people will like all of it. A fractured masterpiece then, like Electric Ladyland or The White Album for the B-Boy generation.

still waiting......, 28 Jan 2006
After such a highly acclaimed fist solo album in Endtroducing... which showed Josh Davis to be amongst the greatest and experimental of producers a follow up LP was eagerly anticipated and to an extent demanded by an over-awed audience .

'The Private Press' is as an album as experimental as its predecessor but feels like a selection of individual tracks (ranging from staggering to just plain daft) put together to fill an album just to stifle a demand . Since its release many of the tracks have been tinkered with (see The Private Repress) by a whole host of producers and made more appealing to differing tastes which would suggest that the bones are there but the flesh is missing . The album suffers for a lack of flow between tracks which was Endtroducing's greatest strength , something I'd expected would have come naturally from someone from a 'DJ' background .

If you've newly discovered Shadow from Endtroducing... my advice would be to source the 'In tune and on time' CD/DVD and buy that instead .

Awesome, 23 Jul 2004
Buy it now

Six Years... Six..., 25 Jun 2004
It's really not a bad album and I would give it 3 and 1/2 stars if I could...
I don't know but I like to see that artist has progressed in some way when his new album comes out, but I find substance of 'Private Press' too similar to stuff on'Endtroducing'('Giving Up The Ghost' can easily be mistaken for a track from that album), but I guess you can't expect an artist to change his style every time he makes a new album and to make a great album too, can't you?.
More on, in comparison to 'Endtroducing' there are some tracks that seem more user friendly and I'm sure MTV audience will be very pleased, but they lack on uniqueness and depth. Like 'Six Day War' which sounds good, but is an ordinary trip-hop treat and one with a message on morality of war too, how highly original...
I must say that I actually liked 'Monosylabik' and 'Mashin On Motorway', that have some creativity and good groove in them but probably won't make you dazzled and hungry for more.
In my opinion there are some pretty cool tracks on this album too, like 'Mongrel' and 'You Can't Go Home Again' and 'Blood On The Motorway' is o.k.
All in all 'Private Press' is a good album, and still better than majority of hip hop albums that record companies serve to the massess and DJ Shadow is a very interesting figure on the today's stagnant scene, and he did push the boundaries of the genre once before, so go ahead and try it, and please don't expect it to be 'your ordinary hip hop DJ' he is something more.

Not very good..., 18 Jan 2008
I bought this album because I like both the respective artistes involved. The prospect of a brilliant fusion of rap and metal is there..but it just does not gel very well in practice! They don't seem to meet each other on what should be common ground- crazy vocal sound bites from Patton should be looped ad infinitum over heavy beats, scratches and screaming guitars! But the music is pedestrian, vocals trite, and samples from films poorly chosen! Guess i'll just have to live with my imaginary version of this album. If only there was a remix album to save the venture..

Attack plan 1, 27 May 2005
Are you a fan of Mike Patton? If not avoid this album, you will hate it. I love Mike Patton (not in the conjugal sense) and I love this album. Ive Listened to many of Patton's project and as far as I am aware this is his first foray into Hip-hop. Ive followed Bungle, tomahawk, Fantomas and even his disturbing adult songs for voice album (Im still not sure if it is avant-garde genius, or just a bit of a joke on the fans). As always His vocals are amazing and well used, the beats are stuttered but still hold a pattern. Its not easy listening which is why I like it. Lots of tracks, some quite short. If Mr Bungle were a Hip-hop band this is the album they would have made, instead its the X-ecutioners got lucky and had the honor of working with this musical work-horse. Will the man ever stop producing wacked out music for people who want to hear music they must listen to. Keep up the good work Mr Patton. an album for the fans. (If you like this album buy 'The No Music' by 'Themselves'.

mike patton is god, 10 Mar 2005
being a big mike patton fan and buying many of his cd's,i saw this recommended on amazon and had a look to be honest im not really into rap music but this is no rap album this is mike patton at his most insane,buy it,buy it, otherwise you might live to regret it

More Goodage From Mikey-P, 19 Feb 2005
This is an captivating new addition to my cd collection. the varied hip hop back beats from the X-ecuitioners mixed with Mike Pattons insanly varied vocals make for a very interesting cd.

INtroducing Entroducing..., 07 Oct 2005
A melodic masterpiece, an emotional rollercoaster ride that allows all moods to be catered for. Tracks like 'organ donor' and 'midnight in a perfect world' grab the first time listener. Only after this early stage do the darker, more emotive songs develop for the purchaser, and the true colours of this record are truly portrayed. DJ Shadow can only be envied by DJ's and adored by fans.
A definate neccesite as far as out-there records go.

Deluxe reissue of 1990s classic..., 14 Jun 2005
'Endtroducing' was deemed an auto-classic upon its release in 1996, so is welcome in this new expanded deluxe-edition - where it now sounds as great as ever & comes with a bonus-disc of related works & rarities. Fans of 'Endtroducing' will no doubt buy this for the bonus-disc, including excerpts from a Steve Lamacq radio-show - perhaps there ought to be a similar deluxe reissue of 'Pre-Emptive Strike', as only much of the 'High Noon' single from 1997 isn't here?

'Endtroducing' didn't come from nowhere - Josh Davis built on the singles collected on 'Pre-Emptive Strike' & several releases compiled on 2000's 'Solesides Greatest Bumps' which included Latryx, Blackalicious, The Gift of Gab & Shadow himself on tracks like 'The Third Decade, Our Move' & 'Count & Estimate.' The cover of 'Endtroducing' encapsulates the album's approach- Shadow taking a myriad of sources-samples and fusing them with his own blend of electronica and hip-hop into something new. As a sampledelic work, it's up there with the greatest - Depeche Mode's 'Black Celebration', Public Enemy's 'It Takes a Nation of Millions...', De La Soul's 'Three Feet High & Rising' & 'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts' by Eno/Byrne. Shadow's samples were elclectic, including snatchs of tracks like 'Rainbow Chaser' by Nirvana (the British psychedelic act), Fleetwood Mac's 'Brown Eyes' & a mass of obscure cuts that are still of debate/note by those intrigued. The documentary 'Snatch' (2001) captures this ethos well...

Shadow wanted to take hip-hop foward, while looking back to its utopian roots from the early 80s (think Bambaata's sampling of Kraftwerk on 'Planet Rock' or the film 'Wild Style'), and against the dominant mode of gangsta-rap- which ultimately won, so you end up with obvious-samples by 50 Cent, Will Smith or whoever and a diluted version of the genre (hence the track 'Why Hip-Hop Sucks in '96').

'Endtroducing', loosely a concept-album concerned with 1999/the future, is packed with classics- 'The Number Song', the electronic-jazz of 'Changeling' (the 1990s equivalent of 'On the Corner'? & not unlike Tangerine Dream!), the classical-nodding 'Organ Donor' (even better in the 'overhaul'-version on Disc-2), the epic 'Stem/Long Stem' (up there with Orbital's 'The Box'), the euphoric 'Midnight in a Perfect World' & the the multi-part 'What Does Your Soul Look Like?' (the complete versions of which are found on 'Pre-Emptive Strike').

The dance-genre (a loose, general tag I know) is not renound for producing classic-albums - due to fashion and the fact it's often based around singles, the dance-music longplayer classic is often seen as elusive. But 'Endtroducing' is counter to that view, which I don't completely buy, and a release to rank alongside such classics as 'Blue Lines', 'Maxinquaye','Surfing on Sine Waves','Every Man & Woman is a Star','Snivilisation','Dubnobasswithmyheadman' & 'Supermodified.' 'Endtroducing' has certain preceded and influenced many acts too - Unkle, South, Rjd2, Clouddead, Cannibal Ox, The Charlatans, Radiohead, The Verve, Amon Tobin etc. It's also one of the key albums of the 1990s, a highlight alongside 'Dust','O.K. Computer','Wrecking Ball','Loveless','Laughing Stock','Zaireeka','Liquid Swords' etc. In short, a deluxe-version of an album that no one should be without...

From out of the shadow, the future...and it was astounding, 11 Jun 2005
Widely acknowledged as a genuine landmark on its original release in 1996 DJ Shadows Endtroducing is given the trendy re-mastering treatment. If ever an album deserved it though it's this one, an album that provided a discernible link between hip hop and more tasteful and critically rarefied genres like classical and ambient.
The tracks were built utilising samples , possibly from many of the vinyl treasures stretching to some distant vanishing point on the albums cover, and take in a head bending array of music- funk, soul, ,jazz even rock - as well as the aforementioned ambient. It also takes in narrated samples from all over the place, movies, TV etc and provides some cognitive interest and strange empirical resonance.
It's a painstaking work of awesome ambition and listened to now it sounds even more groundbreaking , the loops and breaks dropped in and arranged with a sense of instinctive genius.It,s difficult to dissect and categorise and evaluate individual tracks but "What Does Your Soul Look Like" has an elegiac quality that puts it in the same bracket of some of Ennio Morricones and Michael Nymans finest work while "Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt " is as beguilingly weird and wonderful as it's title suggests.
The second extra disc feature alternative mixes, half realised takes on songs that are sometimes drum loops minus overdubs and hollow demos that don't really add much to the original for the most part unless you are a real muso type desperate for a window into a musicians creative process. Some of the mixes are good though. "Stem "is intercut with the legendary De Niro/ Pacino encounter from "Heat" while versions of tracks by Peshay, Cut Chemist and Quannum are all worth investigating. There is also a twelve minute live section from a 1997 show in Oxford.
It's the main album originally released on "Mo Wax" that makes this an essential purchase. In a way it's...gasp, almost a concept album. A series of transmissions from a possible future .Now whether that future ever came to pass or indeed is still waiting to happen, well ... I dunno do I .Ones things for sure this is a record that will never date, never become so much tedious mulch .It still sounds astounding. It always will.

This set compiles much of DJ Shadow's pre-major label material in one convenient package in an attempt to foil bootleggers and bring new fans up-to-date in the curriculum. The results are naturally varied, but all point to a marvellous evolution of talent. The collection is kept together primarily by its propensity for jazzy beats and psychedelic loops. Shadow (né Josh Davis) moves through everything from old school funk ("In/Flux") to grungy 1960s-style guitar rave-ups ("High Noon"). The centrepiece of the set, however, is a four-part composition called "What Does Your Soul Look Like", which is likely to be the first ever entirely sample-driven rock opera. It's a brilliant piece of work, laced with intriguing sounds, sound bites, and a detectable set of motion. It is also quite possibly better than anything on the critically -acclaimed Entroducing. --Aidin Vaziri

Insight, foresight, the clock on the wall reads a quarter past midnight..., 10 Jul 2007
I first got into electronic music a while ago, and frankly couldnt have asked for a better induction. I was recomended this by a friend when I said I liked the electronic stuff on Kid A and he told me that most of it was influenced by this man.
He was right, Shadow is a genius. His skill with a drum machine is matched only by his skill with a sampler and his talent for mixing, perfectly capturing an ever shifting mood with changes of tempo, time signature, key, instruments and genre. Its all captured here, like a beautifully preserved insect in a peice of amber. Jazz, soul, blues, and that ever present loaded-gun backbeat, tying every interesting sample and gorgeous melody together into an amazingly cohesive journey of beats.
It is, like the best albums, prismic and ever changing. Nothing is repeated, and everything is brilliant, but specifically, the best examples of its genuis are The Number Song, Stem/Long Stem, and the stunningly beautiful Midnight In A Perfect World. However, unlike The Private Press, you really have to lsten to it all, right through. You simply cannot skip tracks. the thought of missing anything...well...
Anyway, I would personally reccomend this to anyone new to electonic music, and when you're done here (as if you will ever be 'done' with Endtroducng) I reccomend The Private Press, anythng by Massive Attack (Mezzanine, Protection) and then for the unltimate in trip-hop, Dummy by Portishead.
Rejoice, brothers. Go forth and preach the gospel of the beat...

One of the most influential albums ever!, 12 May 2007
Ok, not too many adjectives can describe how good this album is, but it is important to point out how influential this album is. Basically there would be no Ok Computer (not just Kid A) without Endtroducing and they are considered to be two of the best albums ever, so it's logical to suggest that Endtroducing is better, something I always try and explain to Radiohead fans.

This is simply brilliant, I would not change a thing about the album and track 4, "Changeling" is just stunning. Buy it please.

Record breaking, 12 Mar 2007
Superb from start to finish - Shadow in his finest hour. The first album to be made entirely from samples. Sounds derivative? Buy it, listen and learn. May take you a few playings to get your head round some tracks, but don't worry you've heard most of it all before as ironically this is now one of the most sampled albums around, certainly by advertisers and tv execs. If you get a chance to see him live don't miss it..

good background music?? Not inspired, sorry, 09 Sep 2006
i dont know what to say about this really. I read the reviews like you are now and got the impression that this was some kind of undiscovered gem from way back in the day that id overlooked. Dont get me wrong this is a good album but its not inspiring like the reviews suggested, there is so much of this sort of music out there, this is no different. On first impressions there is one track that stands out as worthy of its acclaim and thats track 8. This track made me stop what i was doing and made me listen and thats what i am looking for, thats what i classify as inspiration. As for the rest of the album it went unnoticed as a collection of breaks and samples playing in the background, just like so many others albums ive owned in the past. Reminded me of King Kooba and other mellow breaks etc. I guess just not what i expected despite having listened to it here on amazon!



Electronic Excellence, 11 Apr 2006
I always find it strange when people talk about their favourite track on this album. The whole "experience" is what makes this album so good. There is not one stand out track: the whole thing plays like one continuous stand out track! The onslaught of almost maddening beats give way to sudden passages of tranquility that use each other to great effect through the contrast they produce. Playing like a modern day classical piece this is diverse and dark. Also like the best music it rewards repeated (even continuous) listening!

Can we start giving half stars? Its really worth 4 and a half......, 12 Dec 2006
I probably should have done this review earlier, but it just seems the right time to get people to listen to properly GOOD music (dance music seems to have gone down the drain a bit).
Josh Davis has come up with another winner here, in a sense that this album is quite removed from Endtroducing. As reviewers have said already (and i agree), this is a more "song"-orientated album, allowing you to skip to a favourite song, whereas endtroducing was more an album to listen through in one go.
The reason i give it 4 (but 4 1/2 in my heart), is because of the two dud tracks slap bang in the middle of the album (namely 'Right thing' and' Monosylabik'). Definitely not DJ Shadow quality.
This shouldn't detract anyone from the rest of the album though, as it is brilliant. I can't pick out any stand-out track really, but i am drawn to 'you can't go home again' and 'six days'.
Definitely an album to get especially if, like me, you're stuck at university and surrounded by cheesy music 24/7. Otherwise, get it anyway. No disappointments included.

Worthy celebration of the joys of music, 14 Mar 2006
Read the liner notes: This is abstract post modern music. It's not supposed to convey any messages. It's apolitical and completely without ego. Rather it's a celebration of modern popular music and the position it holds in modern society. Mr. Davis writes that there should be something here to make everyone smile. I think he succeeded there, there is something for everyone. Unfortanately, this is the albums major downfall. The versitility makes for a fractured listen, and there's no guarantee that you'll like every track.

Me, I like pretty much all of it. However, I usually skip past the tedious old skool hip hop of Un Autre Introduction and Walkie Talkie, and Mashing on the Motorway grinds a bit, (the obscenities are funny but anachronistic) but the remainding tracks are pure quality. Letter From Home and Fixed Income make for a suitably ominous opening, setting a mood that is perfectly complimented by my personal favourite, Six Days. It's the song that made me by the album in the first place, and it's easily as good as anything on Endtroducing, if not better.

Ah, Endtroducing, the album to which this will ALWAYS be compared. So how does it compare? Well, it's more song based. Endtroducing flowed beautifully to create an overall satisfying listening experience. With the Private Press, on the other hand, it's easier to dip in, listen to one or two songs, without missing the bigger picture. As an analogy, I'd liken Endtroducing to a stream you kayak down. The Private Press is more like a series of picturesque ponds in a landscaped garden. They should all be judged on their individual merits.

As such, there are some brilliant pieces of music on here. Everyone WILL find something they like about it, but very few people will like all of it. A fractured masterpiece then, like Electric Ladyland or The White Album for the B-Boy generation.

still waiting......, 28 Jan 2006
After such a highly acclaimed fist solo album in Endtroducing... which showed Josh Davis to be amongst the greatest and experimental of producers a follow up LP was eagerly anticipated and to an extent demanded by an over-awed audience .

'The Private Press' is as an album as experimental as its predecessor but feels like a selection of individual tracks (ranging from staggering to just plain daft) put together to fill an album just to stifle a demand . Since its release many of the tracks have been tinkered with (see The Private Repress) by a whole host of producers and made more appealing to differing tastes which would suggest that the bones are there but the flesh is missing . The album suffers for a lack of flow between tracks which was Endtroducing's greatest strength , something I'd expected would have come naturally from someone from a 'DJ' background .

If you've newly discovered Shadow from Endtroducing... my advice would be to source the 'In tune and on time' CD/DVD and buy that instead .

Awesome, 23 Jul 2004
Buy it now

Six Years... Six..., 25 Jun 2004
It's really not a bad album and I would give it 3 and 1/2 stars if I could...
I don't know but I like to see that artist has progressed in some way when his new album comes out, but I find substance of 'Private Press' too similar to stuff on'Endtroducing'('Giving Up The Ghost' can easily be mistaken for a track from that album), but I guess you can't expect an artist to change his style every time he makes a new album and to make a great album too, can't you?.
More on, in comparison to 'Endtroducing' there are some tracks that seem more user friendly and I'm sure MTV audience will be very pleased, but they lack on uniqueness and depth. Like 'Six Day War' which sounds good, but is an ordinary trip-hop treat and one with a message on morality of war too, how highly original...
I must say that I actually liked 'Monosylabik' and 'Mashin On Motorway', that have some creativity and good groove in them but probably won't make you dazzled and hungry for more.
In my opinion there are some pretty cool tracks on this album too, like 'Mongrel' and 'You Can't Go Home Again' and 'Blood On The Motorway' is o.k.
All in all 'Private Press' is a good album, and still better than majority of hip hop albums that record companies serve to the massess and DJ Shadow is a very interesting figure on the today's stagnant scene, and he did push the boundaries of the genre once before, so go ahead and try it, and please don't expect it to be 'your ordinary hip hop DJ' he is something more.

Not very good..., 18 Jan 2008
I bought this album because I like both the respective artistes involved. The prospect of a brilliant fusion of rap and metal is there..but it just does not gel very well in practice! They don't seem to meet each other on what should be common ground- crazy vocal sound bites from Patton should be looped ad infinitum over heavy beats, scratches and screaming guitars! But the music is pedestrian, vocals trite, and samples from films poorly chosen! Guess i'll just have to live with my imaginary version of this album. If only there was a remix album to save the venture..

Attack plan 1, 27 May 2005
Are you a fan of Mike Patton? If not avoid this album, you will hate it. I love Mike Patton (not in the conjugal sense) and I love this album. Ive Listened to many of Patton's project and as far as I am aware this is his first foray into Hip-hop. Ive followed Bungle, tomahawk, Fantomas and even his disturbing adult songs for voice album (Im still not sure if it is avant-garde genius, or just a bit of a joke on the fans). As always His vocals are amazing and well used, the beats are stuttered but still hold a pattern. Its not easy listening which is why I like it. Lots of tracks, some quite short. If Mr Bungle were a Hip-hop band this is the album they would have made, instead its the X-ecutioners got lucky and had the honor of working with this musical work-horse. Will the man ever stop producing wacked out music for people who want to hear music they must listen to. Keep up the good work Mr Patton. an album for the fans. (If you like this album buy 'The No Music' by 'Themselves'.

mike patton is god, 10 Mar 2005
being a big mike patton fan and buying many of his cd's,i saw this recommended on amazon and had a look to be honest im not really into rap music but this is no rap album this is mike patton at his most insane,buy it,buy it, otherwise you might live to regret it

More Goodage From Mikey-P, 19 Feb 2005
This is an captivating new addition to my cd collection. the varied hip hop back beats from the X-ecuitioners mixed with Mike Pattons insanly varied vocals make for a very interesting cd.

INtroducing Entroducing..., 07 Oct 2005
A melodic masterpiece, an emotional rollercoaster ride that allows all moods to be catered for. Tracks like 'organ donor' and 'midnight in a perfect world' grab the first time listener. Only after this early stage do the darker, more emotive songs develop for the purchaser, and the true colours of this record are truly portrayed. DJ Shadow can only be envied by DJ's and adored by fans.
A definate neccesite as far as out-there records go.

Deluxe reissue of 1990s classic..., 14 Jun 2005
'Endtroducing' was deemed an auto-classic upon its release in 1996, so is welcome in this new expanded deluxe-edition - where it now sounds as great as ever & comes with a bonus-disc of related works & rarities. Fans of 'Endtroducing' will no doubt buy this for the bonus-disc, including excerpts from a Steve Lamacq radio-show - perhaps there ought to be a similar deluxe reissue of 'Pre-Emptive Strike', as only much of the 'High Noon' single from 1997 isn't here?

'Endtroducing' didn't come from nowhere - Josh Davis built on the singles collected on 'Pre-Emptive Strike' & several releases compiled on 2000's 'Solesides Greatest Bumps' which included Latryx, Blackalicious, The Gift of Gab & Shadow himself on tracks like 'The Third Decade, Our Move' & 'Count & Estimate.' The cover of 'Endtroducing' encapsulates the album's approach- Shadow taking a myriad of sources-samples and fusing them with his own blend of electronica and hip-hop into something new. As a sampledelic work, it's up there with the greatest - Depeche Mode's 'Black Celebration', Public Enemy's 'It Takes a Nation of Millions...', De La Soul's 'Three Feet High & Rising' & 'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts' by Eno/Byrne. Shadow's samples were elclectic, including snatchs of tracks like 'Rainbow Chaser' by Nirvana (the British psychedelic act), Fleetwood Mac's 'Brown Eyes' & a mass of obscure cuts that are still of debate/note by those intrigued. The documentary 'Snatch' (2001) captures this ethos well...

Shadow wanted to take hip-hop foward, while looking back to its utopian roots from the early 80s (think Bambaata's sampling of Kraftwerk on 'Planet Rock' or the film 'Wild Style'), and against the dominant mode of gangsta-rap- which ultimately won, so you end up with obvious-samples by 50 Cent, Will Smith or whoever and a diluted version of the genre (hence the track 'Why Hip-Hop Sucks in '96').

'Endtroducing', loosely a concept-album concerned with 1999/the future, is packed with classics- 'The Number Song', the electronic-jazz of 'Changeling' (the 1990s equivalent of 'On the Corner'? & not unlike Tangerine Dream!), the classical-nodding 'Organ Donor' (even better in the 'overhaul'-version on Disc-2), the epic 'Stem/Long Stem' (up there with Orbital's 'The Box'), the euphoric 'Midnight in a Perfect World' & the the multi-part 'What Does Your Soul Look Like?' (the complete versions of which are found on 'Pre-Emptive Strike').

The dance-genre (a loose, general tag I know) is not renound for producing classic-albums - due to fashion and the fact it's often based around singles, the dance-music longplayer classic is often seen as elusive. But 'Endtroducing' is counter to that view, which I don't completely buy, and a release to rank alongside such classics as 'Blue Lines', 'Maxinquaye','Surfing on Sine Waves','Every Man & Woman is a Star','Snivilisation','Dubnobasswithmyheadman' & 'Supermodified.' 'Endtroducing' has certain preceded and influenced many acts too - Unkle, South, Rjd2, Clouddead, Cannibal Ox, The Charlatans, Radiohead, The Verve, Amon Tobin etc. It's also one of the key albums of the 1990s, a highlight alongside 'Dust','O.K. Computer','Wrecking Ball','Loveless','Laughing Stock','Zaireeka','Liquid Swords' etc. In short, a deluxe-version of an album that no one should be without...

From out of the shadow, the future...and it was astounding, 11 Jun 2005
Widely acknowledged as a genuine landmark on its original release in 1996 DJ Shadows Endtroducing is given the trendy re-mastering treatment. If ever an album deserved it though it's this one, an album that provided a discernible link between hip hop and more tasteful and critically rarefied genres like classical and ambient.
The tracks were built utilising samples , possibly from many of the vinyl treasures stretching to some distant vanishing point on the albums cover, and take in a head bending array of music- funk, soul, ,jazz even rock - as well as the aforementioned ambient. It also takes in narrated samples from all over the place, movies, TV etc and provides some cognitive interest and strange empirical resonance.
It's a painstaking work of awesome ambition and listened to now it sounds even more groundbreaking , the loops and breaks dropped in and arranged with a sense of instinctive genius.It,s difficult to dissect and categorise and evaluate individual tracks but "What Does Your Soul Look Like" has an elegiac quality that puts it in the same bracket of some of Ennio Morricones and Michael Nymans finest work while "Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt " is as beguilingly weird and wonderful as it's title suggests.
The second extra disc feature alternative mixes, half realised takes on songs that are sometimes drum loops minus overdubs and hollow demos that don't really add much to the original for the most part unless you are a real muso type desperate for a window into a musicians creative process. Some of the mixes are good though. "Stem "is intercut with the legendary De Niro/ Pacino encounter from "Heat" while versions of tracks by Peshay, Cut Chemist and Quannum are all worth investigating. There is also a twelve minute live section from a 1997 show in Oxford.
It's the main album originally released on "Mo Wax" that makes this an essential purchase. In a way it's...gasp, almost a concept album. A series of transmissions from a possible future .Now whether that future ever came to pass or indeed is still waiting to happen, well ... I dunno do I .Ones things for sure this is a record that will never date, never become so much tedious mulch .It still sounds astounding. It always will.

Some of DJ Shadow's finest moments, 26 Oct 2008
OK, yes, a few of these songs have been readily available on other releases. But that aside, I would go as far as to say that Preemptive Strike contains some of Shadow's greatest moments.

As epic as Entroducing is, this collection pushes the envelope even further. What Does Your Soul Look Like part 2 is nothing short of vast in scale with its dramatic strings, crashing drums and mournful vocals. In contrast, part 3 is delicate and minimal, a meandering flute and tinkling piano taking centre stage. Every defining characteristic of Entroducing (delicate ambience, long patient pauses, impeccable drum breaks, slow, smoothly paced song dynamics) is taken that bit further in these songs. Despite being a collection of separately composed tracks, the album flows surprisingly well, with Organ Donor and High Noon as the perfect closers.

Put simply, Preemptive Strike is an absolute must for any fan of Entroducing.

Buy Entroducing and Private Press first., 04 Nov 2005
Im pretty new to DJ Shadow, though i had quite thoroughly listened to Endtroducing and Private Press before obtaining this. Personally i found the centerpiece "What does your soul look like" a little dull, a fleshed out version of "What does your soul look like, pt4." on Endtroducing.
However, everything else is hugely entertaining, the highlights for me being the unforgettable "Organ Donor" and the sublime "High Noon"

My advice however is: Buy Entroducing and Private Press first.

Great Tracks but we've been given this before!, 24 Jan 2002
For those of you who don't already have Endtroducing, stop now, click off this page and buy that now.

For those of you who are still here I can tell you now this album is more shadow, which is a VERY good thing - however, I personally feel just a touch "fobbed off" by this release - you ownly really get 5 new tracks (Two parts of "What does your soul look like" are simply mirrored from Endtroducing) and the remix of Organ Donor is nothing too new and groundbreaking. However, there are three tracks on this album that are up there with his best - High Noon, an upbeat guitar driven track and What does your Soul look like parts 2 & 3 are nothing short of amazing...

Worth it for these three tracks alone but shurley this is an EP relase rather than a full album?

Another excellent Dj Shadow release., 13 Sep 2001
Though more of a subtle and moody album, and as such less commercial that Dj SHadow's first album proper, this compendium of vinyl releases is utterly indespensible to a fan. The songs meander and rely more on phrases evolving than on making the trip-hop tunes of 'Entroducing', but it's more emotional and, you suspect, more honest than that ever was. If you thought 'What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 4)' on 'Endroducing' was good, wait until you hear all of it. The only downer if the lack of the 'High Noon' b-side 'Devil's Advocate' and the other lost Dj Shadow gem 'Third Decade, Our Move', but these would probably throw the mood out anyway. All in all an excellent album from one of the greatest musical minds of the past ten years.

What is it about this?, 13 Jun 2001
This album probably has a hidden meaning its so deep. I dont know what hidden message their might be, perhaps something religious judging from WDYSLL. Hidden meanings aside, it is a fantastic album, less disjointed than Endtroducing. It flows so well, offering an unbelievably chilled style, finishing with Organ Donor. Whilst Organ Donor is probably the "least good" track, it is an absolute classic, as has been said, it is a more exciting track. But all the tracks are exciting once you have got into them. All his tracks get better the more you listen to them. My advice, listen to them, and listen to them in their entirety. If you dont think its boring, listen harder... you hear what I mean? Listen a few hundred more times. Right, now you will enjoy the album like I do.

The debut LP from the formidable scratching DJ, Kid Koala fulfils the fevered critical and public response that greeted his "live" sets and remixes/collaborations with Money Mark, DJ Vadim and Handsome Boy Modelling School. Koala describes his LP as having been "hand-cut": this is music that was made by manipulating his vinyl and record decks--much of it in real-time. A radical approach but Koala is a virtuoso DJ and can use his turntables to generate delicate melody and subtle shades of meaning. "Barhopper 1" is a lurch of drunken, ambient jazz with a nostalgic (perhaps culled from 1950s Hollywood) mix of voices that discuss love, drinking and dating etiquette. The result of the LP is similarly playful, even psychedelic--a collage of spoken-world samples and beatnik and bar-room jazz textures. Koala seems to have created fresh artistic ground for the DJ-musician and made a warm, easy-to-like LP and quite possibly a classic. --Tony Marcus

Insight, foresight, the clock on the wall reads a quarter past midnight..., 10 Jul 2007
I first got into electronic music a while ago, and frankly couldnt have asked for a better induction. I was recomended this by a friend when I said I liked the electronic stuff on Kid A and he told me that most of it was influenced by this man.
He was right, Shadow is a genius. His skill with a drum machine is matched only by his skill with a sampler and his talent for mixing, perfectly capturing an ever shifting mood with changes of tempo, time signature, key, instruments and genre. Its all captured here, like a beautifully preserved insect in a peice of amber. Jazz, soul, blues, and that ever present loaded-gun backbeat, tying every interesting sample and gorgeous melody together into an amazingly cohesive journey of beats.
It is, like the best albums, prismic and ever changing. Nothing is repeated, and everything is brilliant, but specifically, the best examples of its genuis are The Number Song, Stem/Long Stem, and the stunningly beautiful Midnight In A Perfect World. However, unlike The Private Press, you really have to lsten to it all, right through. You simply cannot skip tracks. the thought of missing anything...well...
Anyway, I would personally reccomend this to anyone new to electonic music, and when you're done here (as if you will ever be 'done' with Endtroducng) I reccomend The Private Press, anythng by Massive Attack (Mezzanine, Protection) and then for the unltimate in trip-hop, Dummy by Portishead.
Rejoice, brothers. Go forth and preach the gospel of the beat...

One of the most influential albums ever!, 12 May 2007
Ok, not too many adjectives can describe how good this album is, but it is important to point out how influential this album is. Basically there would be no Ok Computer (not just Kid A) without Endtroducing and they are considered to be two of the best albums ever, so it's logical to suggest that Endtroducing is better, something I always try and explain to Radiohead fans.

This is simply brilliant, I would not change a thing about the album and track 4, "Changeling" is just stunning. Buy it please.

Record breaking, 12 Mar 2007
Superb from start to finish - Shadow in his finest hour. The first album to be made entirely from samples. Sounds derivative? Buy it, listen and learn. May take you a few playings to get your head round some tracks, but don't worry you've heard most of it all before as ironically this is now one of the most sampled albums around, certainly by advertisers and tv execs. If you get a chance to see him live don't miss it..

good background music?? Not inspired, sorry, 09 Sep 2006
i dont know what to say about this really. I read the reviews like you are now and got the impression that this was some kind of undiscovered gem from way back in the day that id overlooked. Dont get me wrong this is a good album but its not inspiring like the reviews suggested, there is so much of this sort of music out there, this is no different. On first impressions there is one track that stands out as worthy of its acclaim and thats track 8. This track made me stop what i was doing and made me listen and thats what i am looking for, thats what i classify as inspiration. As for the rest of the album it went unnoticed as a collection of breaks and samples playing in the background, just like so many others albums ive owned in the past. Reminded me of King Kooba and other mellow breaks etc. I guess just not what i expected despite having listened to it here on amazon!



Electronic Excellence, 11 Apr 2006
I always find it strange when people talk about their favourite track on this album. The whole "experience" is what makes this album so good. There is not one stand out track: the whole thing plays like one continuous stand out track! The onslaught of almost maddening beats give way to sudden passages of tranquility that use each other to great effect through the contrast they produce. Playing like a modern day classical piece this is diverse and dark. Also like the best music it rewards repeated (even continuous) listening!

Can we start giving half stars? Its really worth 4 and a half......, 12 Dec 2006
I probably should have done this review earlier, but it just seems the right time to get people to listen to properly GOOD music (dance music seems to have gone down the drain a bit).
Josh Davis has come up with another winner here, in a sense that this album is quite removed from Endtroducing. As reviewers have said already (and i agree), this is a more "song"-orientated album, allowing you to skip to a favourite song, whereas endtroducing was more an album to listen through in one go.
The reason i give it 4 (but 4 1/2 in my heart), is because of the two dud tracks slap bang in the middle of the album (namely 'Right thing' and' Monosylabik'). Definitely not DJ Shadow quality.
This shouldn't detract anyone from the rest of the album though, as it is brilliant. I can't pick out any stand-out track really, but i am drawn to 'you can't go home again' and 'six days'.
Definitely an album to get especially if, like me, you're stuck at university and surrounded by cheesy music 24/7. Otherwise, get it anyway. No disappointments included.

Worthy celebration of the joys of music, 14 Mar 2006
Read the liner notes: This is abstract post modern music. It's not supposed to convey any messages. It's apolitical and completely without ego. Rather it's a celebration of modern popular music and the position it holds in modern society. Mr. Davis writes that there should be something here to make everyone smile. I think he succeeded there, there is something for everyone. Unfortanately, this is the albums major downfall. The versitility makes for a fractured listen, and there's no guarantee that you'll like every track.

Me, I like pretty much all of it. However, I usually skip past the tedious old skool hip hop of Un Autre Introduction and Walkie Talkie, and Mashing on the Motorway grinds a bit, (the obscenities are funny but anachronistic) but the remainding tracks are pure quality. Letter From Home and Fixed Income make for a suitably ominous opening, setting a mood that is perfectly complimented by my personal favourite, Six Days. It's the song that made me by the album in the first place, and it's easily as good as anything on Endtroducing, if not better.

Ah, Endtroducing, the album to which this will ALWAYS be compared. So how does it compare? Well, it's more song based. Endtroducing flowed beautifully to create an overall satisfying listening experience. With the Private Press, on the other hand, it's easier to dip in, listen to one or two songs, without missing the bigger picture. As an analogy, I'd liken Endtroducing to a stream you kayak down. The Private Press is more like a series of picturesque ponds in a landscaped garden. They should all be judged on their individual merits.

As such, there are some brilliant pieces of music on here. Everyone WILL find something they like about it, but very few people will like all of it. A fractured masterpiece then, like Electric Ladyland or The White Album for the B-Boy generation.

still waiting......, 28 Jan 2006
After such a highly acclaimed fist solo album in Endtroducing... which showed Josh Davis to be amongst the greatest and experimental of producers a follow up LP was eagerly anticipated and to an extent demanded by an over-awed audience .

'The Private Press' is as an album as experimental as its predecessor but feels like a selection of individual tracks (ranging from staggering to just plain daft) put together to fill an album just to stifle a demand . Since its release many of the tracks have been tinkered with (see The Private Repress) by a whole host of producers and made more appealing to differing tastes which would suggest that the bones are there but the flesh is missing . The album suffers for a lack of flow between tracks which was Endtroducing's greatest strength , something I'd expected would have come naturally from someone from a 'DJ' background .

If you've newly discovered Shadow from Endtroducing... my advice would be to source the 'In tune and on time' CD/DVD and buy that instead .

Awesome, 23 Jul 2004
Buy it now

Six Years... Six..., 25 Jun 2004
It's really not a bad album and I would give it 3 and 1/2 stars if I could...
I don't know but I like to see that artist has progressed in some way when his new album comes out, but I find substance of 'Private Press' too similar to stuff on'Endtroducing'('Giving Up The Ghost' can easily be mistaken for a track from that album), but I guess you can't expect an artist to change his style every time he makes a new album and to make a great album too, can't you?.
More on, in comparison to 'Endtroducing' there are some tracks that seem more user friendly and I'm sure MTV audience will be very pleased, but they lack on uniqueness and depth. Like 'Six Day War' which sounds good, but is an ordinary trip-hop treat and one with a message on morality of war too, how highly original...
I must say that I actually liked 'Monosylabik' and 'Mashin On Motorway', that have some creativity and good groove in them but probably won't make you dazzled and hungry for more.
In my opinion there are some pretty cool tracks on this album too, like 'Mongrel' and 'You Can't Go Home Again' and 'Blood On The Motorway' is o.k.
All in all 'Private Press' is a good album, and still better than majority of hip hop albums that record companies serve to the massess and DJ Shadow is a very interesting figure on the today's stagnant scene, and he did push the boundaries of the genre once before, so go ahead and try it, and please don't expect it to be 'your ordinary hip hop DJ' he is something more.

Not very good..., 18 Jan 2008
I bought this album because I like both the respective artistes involved. The prospect of a brilliant fusion of rap and metal is there..but it just does not gel very well in practice! They don't seem to meet each other on what should be common ground- crazy vocal sound bites from Patton should be looped ad infinitum over heavy beats, scratches and screaming guitars! But the music is pedestrian, vocals trite, and samples from films poorly chosen! Guess i'll just have to live with my imaginary version of this album. If only there was a remix album to save the venture..

Attack plan 1, 27 May 2005
Are you a fan of Mike Patton? If not avoid this album, you will hate it. I love Mike Patton (not in the conjugal sense) and I love this album. Ive Listened to many of Patton's project and as far as I am aware this is his first foray into Hip-hop. Ive followed Bungle, tomahawk, Fantomas and even his disturbing adult songs for voice album (Im still not sure if it is avant-garde genius, or just a bit of a joke on the fans). As always His vocals are amazing and well used, the beats are stuttered but still hold a pattern. Its not easy listening which is why I like it. Lots of tracks, some quite short. If Mr Bungle were a Hip-hop band this is the album they would have made, instead its the X-ecutioners got lucky and had the honor of working with this musical work-horse. Will the man ever stop producing wacked out music for people who want to hear music they must listen to. Keep up the good work Mr Patton. an album for the fans. (If you like this album buy 'The No Music' by 'Themselves'.

mike patton is god, 10 Mar 2005
being a big mike patton fan and buying many of his cd's,i saw this recommended on amazon and had a look to be honest im not really into rap music but this is no rap album this is mike patton at his most insane,buy it,buy it, otherwise you might live to regret it

More Goodage From Mikey-P, 19 Feb 2005
This is an captivating new addition to my cd collection. the varied hip hop back beats from the X-ecuitioners mixed with Mike Pattons insanly varied vocals make for a very interesting cd.

INtroducing Entroducing..., 07 Oct 2005
A melodic masterpiece, an emotional rollercoaster ride that allows all moods to be catered for. Tracks like 'organ donor' and 'midnight in a perfect world' grab the first time listener. Only after this early stage do the darker, more emotive songs develop for the purchaser, and the true colours of this record are truly portrayed. DJ Shadow can only be envied by DJ's and adored by fans.
A definate neccesite as far as out-there records go.

Deluxe reissue of 1990s classic..., 14 Jun 2005
'Endtroducing' was deemed an auto-classic upon its release in 1996, so is welcome in this new expanded deluxe-edition - where it now sounds as great as ever & comes with a bonus-disc of related works & rarities. Fans of 'Endtroducing' will no doubt buy this for the bonus-disc, including excerpts from a Steve Lamacq radio-show - perhaps there ought to be a similar deluxe reissue of 'Pre-Emptive Strike', as only much of the 'High Noon' single from 1997 isn't here?

'Endtroducing' didn't come from nowhere - Josh Davis built on the singles collected on 'Pre-Emptive Strike' & several releases compiled on 2000's 'Solesides Greatest Bumps' which included Latryx, Blackalicious, The Gift of Gab & Shadow himself on tracks like 'The Third Decade, Our Move' & 'Count & Estimate.' The cover of 'Endtroducing' encapsulates the album's approach- Shadow taking a myriad of sources-samples and fusing them with his own blend of electronica and hip-hop into something new. As a sampledelic work, it's up there with the greatest - Depeche Mode's 'Black Celebration', Public Enemy's 'It Takes a Nation of Millions...', De La Soul's 'Three Feet High & Rising' & 'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts' by Eno/Byrne. Shadow's samples were elclectic, including snatchs of tracks like 'Rainbow Chaser' by Nirvana (the British psychedelic act), Fleetwood Mac's 'Brown Eyes' & a mass of obscure cuts that are still of debate/note by those intrigued. The documentary 'Snatch' (2001) captures this ethos well...

Shadow wanted to take hip-hop foward, while looking back to its utopian roots from the early 80s (think Bambaata's sampling of Kraftwerk on 'Planet Rock' or the film 'Wild Style'), and against the dominant mode of gangsta-rap- which ultimately won, so you end up with obvious-samples by 50 Cent, Will Smith or whoever and a diluted version of the genre (hence the track 'Why Hip-Hop Sucks in '96').

'Endtroducing', loosely a concept-album concerned with 1999/the future, is packed with classics- 'The Number Song', the electronic-jazz of 'Changeling' (the 1990s equivalent of 'On the Corner'? & not unlike Tangerine Dream!), the classical-nodding 'Organ Donor' (even better in the 'overhaul'-version on Disc-2), the epic 'Stem/Long Stem' (up there with Orbital's 'The Box'), the euphoric 'Midnight in a Perfect World' & the the multi-part 'What Does Your Soul Look Like?' (the complete versions of which are found on 'Pre-Emptive Strike').

The dance-genre (a loose, general tag I know) is not renound for producing classic-albums - due to fashion and the fact it's often based around singles, the dance-music longplayer classic is often seen as elusive. But 'Endtroducing' is counter to that view, which I don't completely buy, and a release to rank alongside such classics as 'Blue Lines', 'Maxinquaye','Surfing on Sine Waves','Every Man & Woman is a Star','Snivilisation','Dubnobasswithmyheadman' & 'Supermodified.' 'Endtroducing' has certain preceded and influenced many acts too - Unkle, South, Rjd2, Clouddead, Cannibal Ox, The Charlatans, Radiohead, The Verve, Amon Tobin etc. It's also one of the key albums of the 1990s, a highlight alongside 'Dust','O.K. Computer','Wrecking Ball','Loveless','Laughing Stock','Zaireeka','Liquid Swords' etc. In short, a deluxe-version of an album that no one should be without...

From out of the shadow, the future...and it was astounding, 11 Jun 2005
Widely acknowledged as a genuine landmark on its original release in 1996 DJ Shadows Endtroducing is given the trendy re-mastering treatment. If ever an album deserved it though it's this one, an album that provided a discernible link between hip hop and more tasteful and critically rarefied genres like classical and ambient.
The tracks were built utilising samples , possibly from many of the vinyl treasures stretching to some distant vanishing point on the albums cover, and take in a head bending array of music- funk, soul, ,jazz even rock - as well as the aforementioned ambient. It also takes in narrated samples from all over the place, movies, TV etc and provides some cognitive interest and strange empirical resonance.
It's a painstaking work of awesome ambition and listened to now it sounds even more groundbreaking , the loops and breaks dropped in and arranged with a sense of instinctive genius.It,s difficult to dissect and categorise and evaluate individual tracks but "What Does Your Soul Look Like" has an elegiac quality that puts it in the same bracket of some of Ennio Morricones and Michael Nymans finest work while "Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt " is as beguilingly weird and wonderful as it's title suggests.
The second extra disc feature alternative mixes, half realised takes on songs that are sometimes drum loops minus overdubs and hollow demos that don't really add much to the original for the most part unless you are a real muso type desperate for a window into a musicians creative process. Some of the mixes are good though. "Stem "is intercut with the legendary De Niro/ Pacino encounter from "Heat" while versions of tracks by Peshay, Cut Chemist and Quannum are all worth investigating. There is also a twelve minute live section from a 1997 show in Oxford.
It's the main album originally released on "Mo Wax" that makes this an essential purchase. In a way it's...gasp, almost a concept album. A series of transmissions from a possible future .Now whether that future ever came to pass or indeed is still waiting to happen, well ... I dunno do I .Ones things for sure this is a record that will never date, never become so much tedious mulch .It still sounds astounding. It always will.

Some of DJ Shadow's finest moments, 26 Oct 2008
OK, yes, a few of these songs have been readily available on other releases. But that aside, I would go as far as to say that Preemptive Strike contains some of Shadow's greatest moments.

As epic as Entroducing is, this collection pushes the envelope even further. What Does Your Soul Look Like part 2 is nothing short of vast in scale with its dramatic strings, crashing drums and mournful vocals. In contrast, part 3 is delicate and minimal, a meandering flute and tinkling piano taking centre stage. Every defining characteristic of Entroducing (delicate ambience, long patient pauses, impeccable drum breaks, slow, smoothly paced song dynamics) is taken that bit further in these songs. Despite being a collection of separately composed tracks, the album flows surprisingly well, with Organ Donor and High Noon as the perfect closers.

Put simply, Preemptive Strike is an absolute must for any fan of Entroducing.

Buy Entroducing and Private Press first., 04 Nov 2005
Im pretty new to DJ Shadow, though i had quite thoroughly listened to Endtroducing and Private Press before obtaining this. Personally i found the centerpiece "What does your soul look like" a little dull, a fleshed out version of "What does your soul look like, pt4." on Endtroducing.
However, everything else is hugely entertaining, the highlights for me being the unforgettable "Organ Donor" and the sublime "High Noon"

My advice however is: Buy Entroducing and Private Press first.

Great Tracks but we've been given this before!, 24 Jan 2002
For those of you who don't already have Endtroducing, stop now, click off this page and buy that now.

For those of you who are still here I can tell you now this album is more shadow, which is a VERY good thing - however, I personally feel just a touch "fobbed off" by this release - you ownly really get 5 new tracks (Two parts of "What does your soul look like" are simply mirrored from Endtroducing) and the remix of Organ Donor is nothing too new and groundbreaking. However, there are three tracks on this album that are up there with his best - High Noon, an upbeat guitar driven track and What does your Soul look like parts 2 & 3 are nothing short of amazing...

Worth it for these three tracks alone but shurley this is an EP relase rather than a full album?

Another excellent Dj Shadow release., 13 Sep 2001
Though more of a subtle and moody album, and as such less commercial that Dj SHadow's first album proper, this compendium of vinyl releases is utterly indespensible to a fan. The songs meander and rely more on phrases evolving than on making the trip-hop tunes of 'Entroducing', but it's more emotional and, you suspect, more honest than that ever was. If you thought 'What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 4)' on 'Endroducing' was good, wait until you hear all of it. The only downer if the lack of the 'High Noon' b-side 'Devil's Advocate' and the other lost Dj Shadow gem 'Third Decade, Our Move', but these would probably throw the mood out anyway. All in all an excellent album from one of the greatest musical minds of the past ten years.

What is it about this?, 13 Jun 2001
This album probably has a hidden meaning its so deep. I dont know what hidden message their might be, perhaps something religious judging from WDYSLL. Hidden meanings aside, it is a fantastic album, less disjointed than Endtroducing. It flows so well, offering an unbelievably chilled style, finishing with Organ Donor. Whilst Organ Donor is probably the "least good" track, it is an absolute classic, as has been said, it is a more exciting track. But all the tracks are exciting once you have got into them. All his tracks get better the more you listen to them. My advice, listen to them, and listen to them in their entirety. If you dont think its boring, listen harder... you hear what I mean? Listen a few hundred more times. Right, now you will enjoy the album like I do.

Please sir, can I have some more?, 03 Feb 2004
Its always the same - an album gets hyped to a stage that no artist can realistically match. Yeah, there may be comparisons with Shadow and RJD2 but those boys provided quality product over numerous tracks. At a little over half-an-hour long, with numerous vocal samples, you can't help but feel a little ripped-off when buying this 'album'. Its great in parts but a few more tracks, offering a truer showcase of Kid's skills, would've been a better reflection of this artist's abilities.

So beaten, cut and scratched that it hurts.... in a good way, 17 May 2003
Well what can i say, eh? The first time i heard/saw kid koala's musical artistry was when i witnessed the video for 'fender bender'. This was quite a while ago, maybe about 2 or 3 years ago. i finally got around to buying the album early this year, solely on hearing that one record which, as a rule, i never do- i have to listen to at least 2 or 3 tracks by an artist before i venture out and get the record or whatever. so, i had no idea what i was gonna be in for. from the first track, i got the impression this could be a well cool record, and, while 'strut hear' only clocks up to about a minute, it sets the base for the rest of this sweeeeeet album. if you wanna hear music being completely butchered up, here's a start to your collection, a fantastic and eclectic array of dirty scratching, crazy cuts and some excellent samples. just one warning.... don't play 'irregular chickens' loud on yer stereo- halfway through, it scared the hell outta me first time i played it! (you'll get what i mean when you buy it). BUY THiS iF YoU WANT To LiSTEN To THE SoUND oF oNE MAN WRECKiNG MUSiC. AND THAT'S NoT A BAD THiNG iN THiS CASE.......... i just can't wait 'til i get 'Nufonia Must Fall' as well now and appreciate mr koala's artwork, seein' as i'm a graphic artist as well as a really keen music enthusiast (and, eventually, music artist.... i'm gettin' there!)

Those Wacky Canadians Never Disappoint!, 29 Mar 2001
if you like good beats, lots of scratching, and have a good sense of humour, this one's for you.

kid koala is a genius!

(be warned that this album is not for everybody, and at times the scratching can become a bit much)

Scratchtastic, 15 Mar 2001
Ignore words like 'novelty' when they are bandied around about the Kid. His scratching is at times breathtaking and his samples are an inherent part of the musical cutting & pasting. The man is truly a hex on the decks and the most ablist of any turntablist.

If you like your music with melody and harmony then stear clear because there is little of that in here. However, the beats and scratches more than make up for it. To use the word dj doesn't do justice to his prowess on the decks. Someone like Judge Jules is a dj, Kid Koala is a record artist (I think that's the most pretentious thing I have ever said, so sorry about that, but I still stand by it). Essentially what I'm saying is Kid Koala = good, inventive, different, challenging; Jules and his ilk = bad, derivitive, tedious, obvious.

He gets sound out of vinyl that no-one else would try and perhaps this is where he annoys other reviewers. The scratch is more important sometimes than the melody or the beat and there is a possible accusation of style over content. However, when your style is this good the only problem with content is that there's not enough - and sadly this album checks in at well under an hour. I'll take quality over quantity every time and Kid Koala delivers high calibre stuff in a short space of time.

This record pushes the boundaries of what djs should do, not in terms of mixing, but with what you can make the vinyl actually do for you. This album has wit and skill coming out of every pore. Try it and you might bow down at the altar of the scratch.

this cd is useless, 08 Jan 2001
I have heard kid koala live and he was amazing so i thought i would buy his album AS YOU DO, when listening to it i was very dissapointed, instead of some dope scratching and phat beats it was just weird noises like something outta the jungle you can't even listen to it without thinking you have been ripped off.