Trip-hop production mastermind DJ Shadow has just released a brand new track, Swerve. Clearly taking his cues from the heady trap beats that 2015 has really pushed forward, it’s a seductively dark, dirty track to bring you into 2016.
Opening on a slinky boom-bap beat, the track quickly spreads out and opens up into some stellar experimental layering and looping. From aggressive marching drum beats to siren synths and beyond, Shadow toys with sound, delivering a watery, flexibile atmosphere that’s entirely impossible to predict. Melding chunky, industrial distortion with spacey effects and a pitch-shifted vocal sample, the spaces between the layers are decorated by rhythmic intricacies in a head-on way that brings artists like Tipper and Squarepusher to mind.
DJ Shadow’s last album, The Less You Know, The Better, came out back in 2011. In 2014 he released the three-track Liquid Amber EP for free, to celebrate the launch of his new label imprint, also titled Liquid Amber. It’s exciting to see where his sound is progressing to next – the artist has revealed that a new album will be out next year, although we don’t have any details including a title or release date. Back in November, DJ Shadow tweeted that he was on his 124th day in the studio – so we can only assume that something pretty damn monumental is on its way.
Earlier this year, DJ Shadow graced our shores with an immediately-legendary joint vinyl DJ tour with Cut Chemist. Check out our review and photos from the event.
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