DJ Shadow
Preemptive Strike

Is there a more important figure in the history of hip-hop than Josh Davis, better known as DJ Shadow? Probably not. Certainly, such an answer risks leading to generalizations, yet the temptation is strong, considering the monumental value of Endtroducing….. and the experimentation carried out by Josh between the mid-nineties and the beginning of the following decade.

The merit of this activity, supported by a passionate musical research, lies in having followed that “alternative” path that artists like DJ Cam had helped to outline. We are referring to the possibility of going beyond the boundaries of the genre to reach, thanks to an enhancement of the producer's role, an instrumental proposal that is fascinating and, above all, enjoyable even by those who do not chew bread and rhymes.

Josh Davis or hip-hop that opens up to the world: this could be the title of an essay on the Californian DJ. A central chapter would be occupied not only by the debut but also by Preemptive Strike, a collection published at the beginning of 1998 containing some singles that appeared between '93 and '97.

The presence of parts one and four of the suite “What Does Your Soul Look Like”, already included in the tracklist of Endtroducing….., should not mislead us: we are not in front of a greatest hits or a banal collection of outtakes, but a project conceived as a journey, a path that from the first steps taken by the producer arrives at the more mature tracks of recent times. All accompanied by a meditative and enveloping sound, close to that of the debut album.

The initial “Strike One” immediately projects us into a rehearsal room and lets us breathe that “work in progress” air that has always characterized a musician's work. Following are “In/Flux” and “Hindsight”, two tracks made in 1993. In the first, Shadow manages to harmonize sounds of all kinds on an engaging bass and drum groove; the second, on the other hand, stands out for its rarefied atmospheres, comparable to those of DJ Krush.

The four movements of “What Does Your Soul Look Like” perhaps represent the pinnacle of Josh Davis's discography. It moves from the hypnotic guitar loop of the second part (in my view wonderful) to the hip-hop derived 4/4 of the third, without forgetting the slow beats, romantic saxophones, and even the voice of Gianni Nazzaro, further examples of a prodigious diggin', occasionally surprising.

The compilation closes with the animated “High Noon”, divided between rock outbursts and synthesizers directly drawn from the eighties, and “Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul)”, a sort of extended version in which Shadow, besides slicing the organ sample differently, enjoys overlaying it with acid sounds that inject additional energy into the whole.

Interludes with chats exchanged among friends break the listening, moments that add a colloquial note to the record, almost as if we were conversing with the shy Josh and giving him our opinions on his latest productions.

The result, therefore, is positive: the "preemptive strike" launched by Shadow achieves its objectives, transporting the listener into a magical world where tensions accumulate only to be magically nullified. A world that goes beyond the boundaries of beatmaking and brings the operation closer to that of a "shadow" DJ composer, capable of assembling elements from different sources and transmitting them warmth, thanks to a crystalline talent, boundless culture, and an absolutely personal taste.

An undertaking to say the least admirable.