Main Stage - Live at Benicassim 2010, Spain

DJ Shadow

Island Records, San Francisco, USA

After his debut LP Endtroducing re-wrote the template of what hip hop could be, and championed emotive, cinematic instrumentals where blinged-up sexist MCs were threatening to take over, DJ Shadow became something of a saviour to b-boys and girls the world over. But since those heady days of 1996, fans of Endtroducing are still getting used to the idea that Josh Davis is not the torch-bearer they demanded - in fact quite the opposite. With his LPs The Private Press and The Outsider, his sound has proven to be as elusive and unpredictable as his name suggests. As well as collaborating with such artists as Cut Chemist, Dr Octagon, Quannum, and Mos Def, he also featured in the book Behind The Beat, which documented home studios of hip hop producers like Madlib, and J Dilla. DJ Shadow combines the best parts of a notorious perfectionist with a short attention span, and any new music is always met with enthusiasm from his loyal fans, despite confounding expectations. Here we catch a brief excerpt from his show at Benicassim 2010.