In addition to having one of the largest personal record collections on the planet, hip-hop's DJ savior, DJ Shadow, is one of the most revered DJs around. And unless the bottom side of a rock has been your permanent address for the past ten years, you've already familiarized yourself with his catalog, including Endtroducing, The Private Press, the UNKLE side-project, a couple live mixes, and a few early 12-inch singles. Regardless of the type of release, Shadow is always able to school the population on the most influential sounds around.
Similar to Shadow's small distribution of the Diminishing Returns mix, Funky Skunk is a very limited release (edition of 450). The disc itself is an accompaniment to a package called Public Works for which Shadow collaborated with graffiti artist Shepard Fairey. The package is quite impressive, including several t-shirts and a book. But unfortunately, this particular disc is not an "official" studio album.
In lieu of a new studio release, however, Shadow has clearly been spending some time in the bedroom combining old and new hip-hop tracks into extensive face-melting concoctions. And once again we get to reap the benefits. Also similar to the first disc of Diminishing Returns, Funky Skunk takes its listener on an exhaustive hour-long voyage through the history of hip-hop. He briefly touches on some of the past rappers like Too Short, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, and even Young MC, while also incorporating newer artists like David Banner and longtime friends Lateef the Truthspeaker and Lyrics Born.
Funky Skunk opens with one of its highlights, "Baby Mama," by Three 6 Mafia, where Shadow has enhanced the bass and speed from the original to up the ante. Actually, the first ten minutes of the mix is pretty damn sick. When some of the older tracks are offered, it becomes immediately clear how far hip-hop and rap have come since the early '80s. Calling the rhymes and beats outdated is somewhat of an understatement, but their presence is essential and accurately documented here.
There's a good chance you'll be able to spot a lot of the songs in this mix. Unlike the usual Shadow construction, there's not a whole lot of focus on extreme rarities. Instead, Funky Skunk boasts songs from the more famed side of hip-hop. Many are enhanced with added touches of Miami bass and some are mixed with psych-rock elements. There is, however, no mistaking that Funky Skunk is a signature DJ Shadow creation.
If you're like me and you don't have a record collection that takes up a whole house, Funky Skunk does a stellar job of summing up many years of hip-hop in about an hour. Consider it a lesson of love from the man who took the genre in a new direction less than ten years ago. It's impossible to say whether or not this is indicative of what Shadow's new "in the works" album is to sound like, but I'm certain that whatever it is, fans will be patiently waiting.
1. Funky Skunk
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