Live! In Tune and on Time is DJ Shadow’s first live album recorded in London at the Brixton Academy in 2002. This album features tracks from his past albums as well as other tracks and samples from his work with UNKLE and Quannum.
DJ Shadow’s music will be well known to a lot of people who haven’t heard of him or aren’t necessarily in to hip/trip hop or turntablism genres due to the, now, very commercial track, “Blood on the motorway” which o2 used in a large number of their adverts (it has now been used in a number of films and computer games).
The work of DJ Shadow is widely regarded as being incredibly innovative and he is known as the godfather of instrumental hip-hop, bringing together elements of hip hop, ambient music, rock, soul, R&B. A vinyl junkie and a mad sampling perfectionist, his records break down boundaries for the trip hop genre, and have won over an impressive following of fans eager to hear something fresh in this field.
This DVD captures DJ Shadow’s startling visceral and dynamic performance. Also included are on-the-road footage from various countries, vox pops with fans, and a montage of crowd stills. Extra material includes this sampler battle between DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, and DJ NuMark at the Myan Theatre, L.A.
Conclusion
It is a great live performance with only a couple of tracks lacking the energy of the original performance. The DVD is well shot, with a good mix of Shadow, audience, kit and trippy visuals that gel extremely well with the music. I can’t recommend this enough its a masterclass in breakbeats, hip-hop and ambient music – in tune and on time.