Joshua Paul Davis, better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ, songwriter, and record producer who was born on June 29, 1972. Endtroducing, his debut studio album, is….. published in 1996.
In order to create portions and phrases for his compositions, DJ Shadow manipulates samples, utilizing uncommon and rarely-heard fragments of music. Several of his songs contain dozens of samples drawn from a variety of genres and influences, such as jazz, rock, soul, funk, experimental music, and electronic music. For his song “Duality,” which he co-wrote with DJ Krush, Shadow sampled American composer David Axelrod’s “The Warnings” (Part 1). The piano for Pekka Pohjola’s “Sekoilu seestyy” was originally recorded for the song “Midnight in a Perfect World” from 1996’s Endtroducing. Although Shadow now employs fewer samples than on his earlier albums, his 2006 album The Outsider contains a number of examples. In his song “Seein’ Thangs” with David Banner, a synthesizer and vocals from Cecilia’s “Crimson Red” are featured, while in “Outsider Intro,” a fragment from Ron Geesin’s “Concrete Line Up” from the 1973 album As He Stands is heard.