DJ Shadow’s official site has always been ahead of the internet’s learning curve. So it’s nice to see that the legendary Bay Area turntablist’s Q&A feature is back up and running, and divulging some insider information. He still can’t name samples, for fear of lawsuits, but there’s still lots to reveal, including his love of James Brown marginalia and the MPC line.
In July 2008, Shadow attended a Christie’s auction looking for some of the Godfather of Funk’s more esoteric memorabilia while on the Hard Sell Tour with Cut Chemist and Kid Koala. But he didn’t want to buy just anything, but rather a treasured item from Brown’s classic 1966-1977 years. And he found what he was looking for.
"There was a plaque dedicated to Brown from then-governor Jimmy Carter," Shadow answered in response to a reader’s query on the auction," that says, ‘Thanks for your help with heroin addiction — 1972.’ Brown recorded ‘King Heroin’ in 1972, and lived in Atlanta at the time…so it was natural that he and Carter would connect. Indeed, some weeks later, I stumbled across an actual newspaper article and photo whereby Carter presented Brown with the very same plaque I now own."
Shadow also held forth on his love of the MPC 60 and MPC 3000, which he used to make practically everything from his Solesides work to 2002′s stunning The Private Press. (That’s one on his shirt in the picture above.) He eventually abandoned the MPC as a compositional tool after that effort, but the parting was hard but necessary.
"I felt that if I refused to rely on the MPC and learn new techniques my music would change, for better or worse, and change was what I craved most," Shadow confessed in an earlier exchange. "I can tell you that while I certainly value the things I learned while away from my trusty MP, there were also a lot of things I missed. And the MPC line has evolved quite a bit since the 3000, obviously. So I do plan on bringing some form of MPC technology back into the mix, at least on certain tracks."
But as much as he loves the MPC line, the world-beating producer is no longer interested in using it as a crutch.
"I don’t think I could ever go back to relying on it completely," Shadow added, "but it is simply the easiest way I have found to quickly get a groove going. Compositionally, the inherent limitationsof the MPC force you to stay grounded to the feel of the track rather than tinker endlessly with plug-ins and the like, and I find that having boundaries does tend to produce faster results."
Photo: Wikipedia/Flickr/Daigo Oliva
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