DJ Shadow - Funky Skunk (Public Works, 2006)

DJ Shadow
Funky Skunk
Public Works
2006

Rating: 7.5 malodorous rodents out of 10

In between his “official” studio releases, DJ Shadow often puts out limited-edition mixes to help quench the thirst of us rabid fans. This material differs from his more original compositions and rely much more heavily on their source material, but still maintain that unique quality that tells even the most casual fan that Shadow has had his hand in it’s creation. At their basest form they are glorified mix tapes, but his ability to mesh disparate sounds together into a cohesive and highly listenable package is second to none as far as I’m concerned.

If you’ve followed along with his releases at all, you know how great the “Brainfreeze”, “Product Placement” and “Diminishing Returns” discs are; but this most recent album, “Funky Skunk”, may be the best of all. Limited to 450 copies and produced in conjunction with Shepard Fairey and Obey, this disc mostly focuses on hip-hop. Both old and new are well represented - you’ll hear Three Six Mafia, Too $hort, Birdman, David Banner, and god knows what else, all mixed in amongst snippets of obscure funk, psych rock, booty bass…shit, he even uses part of a Terry Gross interview from NPR. In a word, it’s brilliant. It may not be the easiest album to come across, but spending a little extra time searching it out will prove well worth your time.