Pitchfork

DJ Shadow's Endtroducing... is one of Pitchfork's top 10 albums of the 1990s. Last year's deluxe edition reissue got a KO rating from us. So when California turntablist Josh Davis says he's working on a new album-- the follow-up to 2002's The Private Press-- we get excited. Very excited.

Shadow, known for his darkly cinematic hip-hop, may be on the verge of a musical about-face. It seems he's getting crunk on his new record.

Posting on his official web site recently, Shadow said, "Stylistically, it's very different from The Private Press. Some have said Press was an inward-looking album. If that's true, than [sic] this album is the opposite, and that suits me just fine. I've also stopped worrying if my changing taste in music costs me fans; life's too short to live in anyone's box, especially if that box is constraining your shine."

Shadow expects to complete the as-yet untitled album soon. No word on a firm release date, but fans can listen to the single "3 Freaks", featuring Bay Area rappers Keak Da Sneak and Turf Talk, on Shadow's web site. The video for the single is also available for viewing and a remix of the track is forthcoming. To put it mildly, "3 Freaks" is indeed a departure from the library to the sweaty club. Also, check out the picture of Shadow and David Banner in the site's Album Update section! (Then check out the photo of the orchestra.)

Shadow has also announced two English tour dates for this summer, with more to come later. Writes Shadow, "After the album comes out I'll probably tour, so you can expect the site to be hopping with tour date information this summer. I don't think, however, that the tour will be on the scale of the 2002/2003 Private Press 'In Tune and On Time' tour. The risk is that I get stuck in a 'BIGGER! BETTER!' kind of mentality, when really I think the time is right to scale back and concentrate on putting a show together that highlights what I'm doing now, rather than an exhaustive retrospective."

Oh, the pain! Dates:

06-23 London, England - Wireless Festival
06-24 Leeds, England - Wireless Festival