Unsigned Hype: DJ Shadow

The only solo artist featured in Unsigned Hype who was not a rapper was an eighteen-year-old DJ/producer from Davis, California. DJ Shadow, then known simply as Shadow, made his first major appearance in the June 1991 issue of The Source where his 90 minute tape "of slammin' hip hop" earned praise for the "beats, fat drum fills, [and] swift cuts". Consisting of "intricate mixes, remixes and original tracks of his own", DJ Shadow incorporates music from as far as Rakim to Jimi Hendrix. The Source recommend to "check him out for production, or if you seek new flavor for a remix". The "Coming Soon!!!" in Shadow's drawing represents the physical release of the demo tape as Hip Hop Reconstructions from the Ground Up, released in 1991 on cassette only. It is extremely rare; so much so that I can't find a download link for it or its individual songs anywhere.

An interview Shadow did with SLurg of Just Like HipHop (French article) expands well on Shadow's early history. David Funkenklein, later founder of Hollywood BASIC, was a writer at The Source, and was one of the two people Shadow sent his demo to (the other being Matty C, responsible for the Unsigned Hype column). After getting featured, Funkenklein offered Shadow a job at BASIC.
In 1991, DJ Shadow's first notable release came as a remix for the Lifers Group, a crew of rapping prisoners who warned about the troubles of a criminal life. The song is "Real Deal (Shadow Remix)", which features a simple drum loop throughout the rapper's verses and breaks out into a funky bassline during the hook - a much simpler sound compared to his work in the years to come. On the flipside, however, is a Shadow solo track by the name of "Lesson 4", a sequel to the classic Double Dee and Steinski "Lesson" series. It is a huge mix of various samples blended together so smooth you don't know someone is different until a few seconds after it happens. Shadow's production work gets its first display on a remix for Zimbabwe Legit, which features a crazy jazz sample and some ridiculous scratches. The following year, he released a "Basic Mega-Mix" on the B-side of a Rick Rubin remix.

In 1993, DJ Shadow signed to English label Mo' Wax, and released his first solo single, "In/Flux"/"Hindsight", which is the first definite showcase of Shadow's Endtroducing..... style of samples upon samples mixed together effortlessly. The next year, he released the four-track EP What Does Your Soul Look Like in 1994, with two of its songs appearing on Endtroducing...... That same year, he worked with now-longtime associates Blackalicious on their Melodica EP. His output over the next two years was limited to production on labelmate DJ Krush's album Meiso and appearances on Mo' Wax compilation albums.

Then in 1996 Shadow created the album Endtroducing..... using forgotten records he found in the basement of a San Francisco record store. It's considered his magnum opus and this is rightly so because it truly stands by itself as an instrumental hip hop album. Though releasing another album four to six years since, none will be able to match Entroducing....., and its importance I hope to cover in a post at some other point.

Below I've linked Shadow's available pre-Endtroducing..... work (or at least what I could find). Years of doing remixes, megamixes and production work for other artists seemed to be of worth for Shadow. It is no coincidence that Unsigned Hype's only non-rapper turned out to be as important as he is today.

Discography
1991: "Real Deal (Shadow Remix)" - Lifers Group
1991: "Lesson 4" - DJ Shadow
1992: "Doin' Damage in My Native Language (Shadow's Legitimate Mix)" - Zimbabwe Legit
1992: "Basic Mega-Mix" - DJ Shadow
1993: "In/Flux"/"Hindsight" - DJ Shadow and the Groove Robbers
1994: "What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part II)" - DJ Shadow
1994: "What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part III)" - DJ Shadow
1994: "What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part IV)" - DJ Shadow
1994: "What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part I)" - DJ Shadow
1994: "If You Find Earth Boring (U.N.K.L.E. Mix)" - U.N.K.L.E. (featuring [Answermachine Messages Of] – DJ Shadow and the Nashville Moog Ensemble)
1994: "Swan Lake" - Blackalicious (produced by Chief Xcel and DJ Shadow)
1994: "40oz for Breakfast" - Blackalicious (produced by DJ Shadow)
1994: "Rhymes for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind" - Blackalicious (produced by DJ Shadow)
1995: "Karmacoma (U.N.K.L.E. Situation)" - Massive Attack (featuring DJ Shadow)
1995: "Duality" - DJ Krush (scratches and drum programming by DJ Shadow)
1995: "Lost and Found (S. F. L.)" - DJ Shadow
1995: "89.9 Megamix" - DJ Shadow