Disc 1
Volume 1: Best of the KMEL Mixes (1991)
1. Part One
2. Part Two
Disc 2
Volume 2: Best of the Remixes and Megamixes (1990-1992)
01. Eric B. & Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit Em (DJ Shadow Remix)
02. DJ Shadow - Best Of The Megamixes (Part 1)
03. Poor Righteous Teachers - Shakiyla (DJ Shadow Remix)
04. DJ Shadow - Bubble Gum Beat
05. DJ Shadow - Best Of The Megamixes (Part 2)
06. TKA - Give Your Love To Me (DJ Shadow Remix)
07. Cutty Ranks - Stopper (DJ Shadow Remix)
08. Jungle Brothers - Jimbrowski (DJ Shadow Remix)
09. Latee - No Tricks (DJ Shadow Remix)
10. DJ Shadow - Best Of The Megamixes (Part 3)
11. 3rd Bass - Wordz Of Wisdom (DJ Shadow Remix)
Disc 3
Volume 3: Best of the Original Productions (1990-1992)
01 - Shadow T-Mor Beat
02 - DJ Shadow’s Theme (Original Version)
03 - Sampler Phone Message
04 - The Source Is Serious Business
05 - Make It Critical
06 - Track The Groove
07 - Rock Lesson
08 - Genesis Beat
09 - Shadow’s Legitimate Mix (Alternate Version)
10 - Preacher Beat
11 - Cult Of Brutality
12 - Beat For Paris
13 - UMC’s Drop
14 - Ms. Chauncey
15 - Do You Remember
16 - Lesson 5
17 - Ain’t That A Bitch
18 - Reverse Beat
19 - Oras Intro
20 - Lesson 4 (Alternative Version)
21 - Closing Credits
22 - Zen Outro
Disc 4
Bonus Disc: KMEL Mix #4 (1991)
1. KMEL Mix #4
Link1Link2Link3Link4
Several hours of Shadow’s formative work is included in this limited set. Recorded between 1989 and 1992 in bedrooms, dorm rooms and friend’s attics, Shadow’s passion and sweat is evident in every mind-bending minute of breakbeat madness. Remixes, mega-mixes, original tracks…all made for the sheer love of music.
Armed with just a Yamaha MT-100 4-Track cassette recorder, a stack of vinyl and an overwhelming belief in the progressive emergence of Hip-Hop music, DJ Shadow stitched together hours of musical thought. Some sketches were elaborate and articulate, others brief and oblique. The common thread is experimentation, but not without adhering to the basic principles of what made Hip-Hop so revolutionary, ie: Have fun. Say something important. Add on to the culture, but let your own voice be heard. These volumes reveal what Shadow was saying at a time when only a few could listen…until now.
”The 4-Track Era Volume 1: Best of the KMEL Mixes (1991)”:
“The Best of the KMEL Mixes,” features two of the five mixes Shadow recorded for the pioneering Bay Area urban station in 1991. Broadcast during a time when rap was simply not allowed to dominate mainstream playlists, Shadow’s mixes were among the first all hip-hop programs (without the inevitable transitions into R&B and crossover) to air in the Bay. Extremely eclectic for the time, artists like De La Soul and the Geto Boys sit along side mid-school obscurities like Almighty & KD Ranks, and Shadow frequently mixes in original breaks (something very few DJs were attempting at the time). Unheard by all but a few since airing over 15 years ago, here’s your chance to revisit “Lesson 4-era” Shadow in full glory.
”The 4-Track Era Volume 2: Best of the Remixes and Megamixes (1990-1992)” :
Entitled “Volume 2: Best of the Remixes and Megamixes,” this collection of work spanning from 1990 to 1992 focuses on Shadow’s first steps into full-fledged production. Classics like Eric B and Rakim’s “Let The Rhythm Hit ‘Em” and Jungle Brothers’ “Jimbrowski” are given the full cut-and-paste treatment, all performed with turntables and a multi-track cassette recorder; no samplers or computers are used. Included in this volume are tracks from the infamous “Reconstruction” tapes, which led to Shadow’s first big breaks into the broader hip-hop scene (including the Source Magazine article which led to commissioned works from Hollywood BASIC Records’ Dave Funkenklein, which directly led to interest from Mo’ Wax). In some cases, the remixes were created for the fun of it; others, such as Poor Righteous Teachers’ “Shakiyla,” were made at the behest of A&R men, hopeful that the result would amount to remix gold (admittedly a difficult task given the sonic limitations of cassette tape!) And then there’s the megamixes, earlier examples of the technique eventually realized and broadcast on Bay Area radio (see Volume 1 of this series); Ice Cube meets Brand Nubian, T La Rock meets Freshco & Miz, and N.W.A. meets 3rd Bass, all for your sonic amusement!
The 4-Track Era Volume 3: Best of the Original Productions (1990-1992):
This is the one all hardcore Shadow fans have been waiting for! Following on from Volume 1: Best of the KMEL Mixes and Volume 2: Best of the Remixes and Megamixes, Volume 3 reveals, for the first time ever, eighteen of Shadow’s earliest original compositions. NOTHING ON THIS CD HAS EVER BEEN AVAILABLE, ANYWHERE, until now.*
While in High School, Shadow saved up and purchased a $300 4-Track cassette recorder. For the next several years, this would be the only method available for Shadow to record, and he made the most of it by committing tons of ideas to tape, several of which eventually saw release: tracks like debut “Lesson 4” for Hollywood BASIC, “The Legitimate Mix” for African MC’s Zimbabwe Legit, and part of his Solesides bow “Entropy” were all realized during these pivotal years. Now, for the first time, Shadow has hand-picked some of his favorite moments and compiled them for this EXCLUSIVE DJShadow.com/ ShopDjShadow.com release. (Have we made it clear yet? You can’t get this disc ANYWHERE ELSE.)
Among the highlights:
-The original “DJ Shadow’s Theme,” with multiple breaks and cuts colliding for a playful but intricate mission statement.
-An alternative mixdown of “Lesson 4.”
-The follow-up to “Lesson 4,” “Lesson 5” which was intended to showcase 45s only (this is 1991 we’re talking about, folks!!).
-Several beats for early MC collaborators T-Mor and Paris.
-“The Source Is Serious Business,” Shadow’s entry into a (never released) compilation commissioned by the Source Magazine of all “Unsigned Hype” column winners.
Need we continue? Volume 3 delivers the most comprehensive glimpse ever into Shadow’s early musical ideas. Shadow reports that many tracks have been lost forever (such as “Gangsta Jazz,” immortalized over the telephone on a Radio Sole skit), and still more have yet to be located. So with Shadow facing forward and gearing up to work on his next album, it is unlikely that there will ever be a more definitive document of his 4-Track era than this.
*(Okay, so “DJ Shadow’s Theme (Original Version)” came out on a cassette attached to copies of NME 10 years ago, but c’mon. Has anybody ever seen that???)
The 4-Track Era Bonus Disc KMEL Mix #4 (1991):
The 4-Track Era Bonus Disc is a 4-track Era Box Bundle Exclusive, and includes a previously unreleased KMEL radio mix. A must-have for the Shadow faithful.
