The N&G Listening Club V1 - Archive only

[LeSamourai]

I've heard Endtroducing roughly 3,258 times, and it was the record I bought in my order with my turntable for my first vinyl experience a little over a year ago. I bought the CD in 2001 (when I was in high school) after getting into Radiohead and reading something online about how the drums in "Airbag" were inspired by DJ Shadow. I was enraptured by the whole thing, but I particularly remember "Midnight in a Perfect World" evoking a mood that just transcended so much of the music I had heard. I'd play it in the car for my friends, but they'd just say stuff like "ha, your CD's skipping!" I did burn a copy for my dad though, which he kept in his car, so there's that!

From there, I was introduced to the Quannum Projects scene, UNKLE, and the turntablism and beat-making scene in general. As for Shadow, even if Endtroducing is my favorite, and I absolutely never got into The Outsider at all, I've quite liked to loved most of his other work, and I'm quite excited for his new one and feel like he's in a good place for an artist over 20 years into a productive career.

I'll sit down on the couch when I'm at home later and give the album the listen I can't now (I'm at work), and post my thoughts on that listen.

 

[Waitressboy]

I know I'm a minority, so don't kill me, but... I just don't get Endtroducing. I've tried zillions of times, but it makes absolutely nothing for me. It's admirable the impressive amount of work it took to do it, but as a finished product I just don't get it.
Or maybe "get it" is not the right word... It just doesn't provoke any emotion on me. Bummer.

 

[Lee Newman]

Fuck guys. I've heard the album probably a 100 times and I gueas I'll hear it one more time for the thread. I have an OG press of it bought when it released. I have a relationship with the album but it's never deeply moved me. It's an easy listen for sure and a easy one to throw on for a crowd and know it will jive. I always hear these super enlightened stories around it and just wonder what part of me must be dead inside.

Music hits everybody in a different way.

I don’t have any life affirming stories about it. I like @jaycee was wondering where all the good hip hop had gone, the end of the golden Era is still something that taints my view of the genre.

I was on the other side of my halcyon days, a six month old and a dissolving marriage will do that to someone. It was there with Trent to give me an escape.

More than all that though, it was just one of those albums... I can think of a dozen or so... Sgt Pepper, Axis, To Pimp a Butterfly, Kind of Blue.... it just made me realize music was so much more than I’d come to expect and like Punch Brothers & Moses Sumney, for me, a reminder there is always someone out there waiting for a chance to blow your mind.

 

[Lee Newman]

 

[Matt M]

Somehow I'd never heard this DJ Shadow and I can't get enough. Wondered around downtown the other day with it playing, it was perfect. Good focus music while working too. Gonna have to check more in this genre out.

 

[wenis]

this summer i went out to death valley, drove out to the dunes of tatooine and laid under the stars watching a meteor shower high on lsd as this record played.

this album has lived with me since I was about 14 or so after buying it randomly at best buy. I'm now 32 and think i've discovered the apex of it.

 

[Satchmo2go]

Glad to have found this thread. I bought the box anniversary set of Entroducing, but spun one side and went on about my biznass. I have a fondness for electronic type music and HH. Spinning now for my Friday happy hour. ITS PERFECT. and I think J Dilla donuts must go on next. Great segue.

 

[panino]

it's time to prop this conversation up again.
we've all had a week now to go back and listen to this record.
any new takes?

(and yes, it's still an amazing album for me!)

 

[djdavedk]

I like it best as background driving music. I generally don’t put it on in the house. Why do I own it on vinyl then?

 

[debianlinux]

It's less "noisy" than I remember it being; a more cohesive thing. The melodies in both Changeling and Organ Donor still irritate the hell out of me. I guess I never thought of it as a hip hop album before and looking through that lense it makes a bit more sense. I had always considered it more of a turntablism bordering on electronic album. It is turntablism and not a great showcase of that style. It's not electronic but this kind of cut and paste sampling is reminiscent of what was emerging in the late 90's and early oughts and I had lumped it in with that sort of genre.

Why Hip-Hop Sucks in '96 is the most directionless track ever considering the title.

Midnight in a Perfect World remains my favorite cut from the record. Oh look, it's actually representative of turntablism and actually pulls together the electronic feel that seems hob cobble elsewhere on the record.

Napalm Brain continues the proper electronic vibe without leaning on the turntablism. It's a solid piece of work that withstands the test of time.

Finally, What Does Your Soul Look Like Pt. 1 is a fantastic effort as well.

I guess, the really irritating bits have always overshadowed (pun intended) the truly brilliant pieces on the record for me.

 

[Waitressboy]

So is Endtroducing considered hip hop? I never thought about it like hip hop, I thought it was electronic. This is interesting, why some people take it as hip hop?

 

[panino]

So is Endtroducing considered hip hop? I never thought about it like hip hop, I thought it was electronic. This is interesting, why some people take it as hip hop?

it's the sampling, I guess.
I would consider it instrumental hip hop, in the same category of Donuts by Dilla

 

[Dtknuckles]

So is Endtroducing considered hip hop? I never thought about it like hip hop, I thought it was electronic. This is interesting, why some people take it as hip hop?

I wouldn't call it hip hop, but it does borrow a lot of ideas about what music is from hip hop. Sample and record digging culture, use of back beat, and funk baselines. It's kind got a hip hop ascetic using electronic techniques.

As far as turntable ism, I'm not really familiar with the techniques of how they create that type of music. This music seems entirely too complex to be created with just turntables. Yea I hear some scratching, but there must be a bunch of automated sampling going on behind that. How many elements can be controlled with two turntables?

@panino Dilla's stuff was created with samplers triggered by pads or controllers, right?

 

[debianlinux]

First off this is 1996 where a turntable was often a more accessible means of patching samples together than a computer. In fact, the oughts are the tipping point where everyone suddenly could splice sounds with computer aid. Secondly, most turntablists employ samplers and synths wherein they feed a sample using the table then begin to stretch, repeat or otherwise modify the sample through the synth. This was well before technology such as Final Scratch showed up but that flipped the concept around where the samples were in the computer and being controlled by the manual deck.

IIRC, DJ Shadow only used an Akai MPC60 and a couple SL-1200s to produce the entire album.

 

[debianlinux]

I was right:

DJ Shadow Used Turntable Pitch Control To Layer Samples on ‘Entroducing…..’

DJ Shadow’s objective was simple when he started working on his 1996 debut Entroducing…..“I definitely set out to do an entirely 100%…

medium.com

 

[Dtknuckles]

I was right:

DJ Shadow Used Turntable Pitch Control To Layer Samples on ‘Entroducing…..’

DJ Shadow’s objective was simple when he started working on his 1996 debut Entroducing…..“I definitely set out to do an entirely 100%…

medium.com

Humm...the thing I find difficult with this type of music is that it is more about technique rather than doing something entirely new musically. Most of what I hear on the album musically is pretty similar to already created styles, while yea there is a massive amount of technique and knowledge that go into it. I like and will listen to it, but I can find a lot of what it sounds like in other places.

 

[debianlinux]

Humm...the thing I find difficult with this type of music is that it is more about technique rather than doing something entirely new musically. Most of what I hear on the album musically is pretty similar to already created styles, while yea there is a massive amount of technique and knowledge that go into it. I like and will listen to it, but I can find a lot of what it sounds like in other places.

Are you sure? This was 1996 and was really novel. I would agree it has since been done better. Even the argument that since it's made of samples it can't be original doesn't hold water. The combination and juxtaposition of styles at this point had never been done so eloquently and cohesively. While I may be fairly critical of the album from a relative standpoint, from an absolute standpoint it's essentially unimpeachable.

 

[Dtknuckles]

Are you sure? This was 1996 and was really novel. I would agree it has since been done better. Even the argument that since it's made of samples it can't be original doesn't hold water. The combination and juxtaposition of styles at this point had never been done so eloquently and cohesively. While I may be fairly critical of the album from a relative standpoint, from an absolute standpoint it's essentially unimpeachable.

I'm not saying he didn't do anything new, but most of what he new was technique or how he put it together. Other than that it sounds like something an arranger could have put together with some musicians. Yea it wouldn't have the same patched together aesthetic that is created by the variance in they way the samples were originally recorded, but how much does that add to the listening experience. If it adds a lot for the listener then great, I just don't think it adds much for me.

It's interesting that he brings up PE in the article. They were taking elements that sounded like noise and stitching them together make something that sounded more musical. I find that more interesting and innovative.

 

[Believer101]

In Australia not many rural indigenous get a chance to record music and push it out to the masses so I thought id show you an album most of you wouldn't of heard. Its done by skinny music (Gurrumul's is also on this label and is very popular) which is one of the very few labels who are making the effort. I believe this band also toured alongside queen of stone age for a while so if you attended on them concerts recently you might know these songs.

It is a short album of 5 songs (Double that if you count extended + a live track) so give the 5 tracks a listen and let me know how you feel about it.

It isn't hiphop. It is basically country rock I think.

Enjoy!

Support the little guys!

The Hunter, by Lonely Boys

10 track album

lonelyboysngukurr.bandcamp.com

 

[Teeeee]

In Australia not many rural indigenous get a chance to record music and push it out to the masses so I thought id show you an album most of you wouldn't of heard. Its done by skinny music (Gurrumul's is also on this label and is very popular) which is one of the very few labels who are making the effort. I believe this band also toured alongside queen of stone age for a while so if you attended on them concerts recently you might know these songs.

It is a short album of 5 songs (Double that if you count extended + a live track) so give the 5 tracks a listen and let me know how you feel about it.

It isn't hiphop. It is basically country rock I think.

Enjoy!

Support the little guys!

The Hunter, by Lonely Boys

10 track album

lonelyboysngukurr.bandcamp.com

I dig this. The first song reminded me of Young Fathers mixed with Just a Band. I wouldn't call this country rock either. Although I see where you are coming from on it. This is unlike most music I've heard before. Really cool stuff. Thank you so much for sharing!