Josh Davis was born on 1 January 1973 in Hayward, California. He is best known, as a precursor of sampling, DJ, producer and musician under the name DJ Shadow.

He starts very early to work with samples. This allows him to get quickly discovered by the director of a radio in San Francisco (KMEL). There, he make several remixes which reach the ears of James Lavelle, then boss of the label Mo’Wax.

He works under the tutelage of Mo’Wax to produce several maxis which let discover the sound which will become his trademark, involving rock, soul, jazz, funk samples, and scratches, covering a deep and powerful rhythm.

In 1996, he releases his first album Endtroducing. The composition of the album, based solely on samples made him join the Guinness Book of Records. This album will probably remain one of his major works.

Then, in conjunction with his solo projects, he works on collective projects such as U.N.K.L.E. in 1998, on which you can hear Thom Yorke or Richard Ashcroft of The Verve and Mike D of the Beastie Boys. You can also see him participating in projects with Cut Chemist, DJ Krush, Massive Attack, DJ Q-Bert…

The track Six Days is extracted from the album The Private Press that was released in June 2002. To make the clip of the song DJ Shadow asked Wong Kar-Wai, who no longer needs to be introduced. The expressionist atmosphere of the clip perfectly fits this great song full of spleen.

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DJ Shadow Official Website
DJ Shadow Official Myspace
Six Days by Wong Kar-Wai Live on Youtube
Further information on Wikipedia [en]
Buy The Private Press on Amazon.com

Jón Þór Birgisson, Georg Hólm and Ágúst Ævar Gunnarsson form the group Sigur Rós in January 1994, the day of the birth of Jónsi’s sister: Sigurrós, which means Victory Rose.

They are quickly gaining in popularity at local level which allows them to produce an album with the icelandic label Bad Taste. This album, entitled Von introduces their post-rock, ambient sound.

In 1999, with the release of their second album Ágætis byrjun, they export their music and are particularly welcomed by international critics, especially in the United Kingdom.

Two significant elements of that group’s sound are the falsetto of Jónsi and his special way of playing the electric guitar with a cello bow which produces an aerial and fluid sound. He took this technique from Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin guitarist, who used to play Dazed and Confused live this way.

It is also interesting to note that when they are playing live, they are frequently joined by the classical fourtet Amiina which brings another dimension to their music.

The track Von, which is on the album of the same name, is not sung in icelandic, but in vonlenska. An imaginary language, composed entirely of syllables without meaning. The group defines it as “a form of vocal gibberish that fits with music“.

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Sigur Rós Official Website
Sigur Rós Official Fansite
Sigur Rós Official Myspace
Sigur Rós Von Live on Youtube
Further information on Wikipedia [en]
Buy Von on Amazon.com

Seu Jorge, born Jorge Mário da Silva on June 8, 1970; is a brasilian musician, composer and singer. He grew up in a favela of the city of Belford Roxo near Rio de Janeiro.

He is universally regarded as the rebirth of Brazilian samba-pop influenced both by Jorge Ben Jor, Gilberto Gil as well as Milton Nascimento.

The album Cru, from which is extracted this track, was published in 2005. Unlike his songs with samba-pop sounds, this one let us meet a softer, more intimate, Seu Jorge.

“Nel mio cuore los guardo del mio amore fa
Una grazzia che é nata dal tuo modo di amare
Un sorriso nel’ochi, un álito di fiore
E le labbre bagnate di cello, con sapore di vino
Nel deserto umano, núvola di sogno su di me

Nel tuo corpo io voglio viaggiare e perder me
Dopo vado a explorare i luoghi che incontreró
Il tuo profumo guidando il mio toco
Come un dotto
Le mie mani con te mescolate sono ballerine
In questo tuo mondo pieno
Che adesso posso avere.”

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Seu Jorge Official Website
Seu Jorge Official Myspace
Buy Cru on Amazon.com

The Beach Boys is born in 1961 in Hawthorne, in the suburb Los Angeles. It is composed of three brothers: Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson; their cousin: Mike Love, and their neighbour: Al Jardine.

Their first track Surfin’, written by Brian (who will become the main composer and leader of the group) and Mike, is released in December 1961. It becomes a great success and step up to the second place in Los Angeles. It helps the band being spotted by Capitol Records.

From 1962 to 1965, they released 6 albums which all rank in the top 10 sales in the USA. The Beach Boys are then considered as the only American group able of competing with the British flood led by the Beatles.

The competition between Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney pushed the two men to excel and the successes keep coming. While John Lennon and Paul McCartney write Revolver to answer to the album Today!, Brian Wilson is focusing its efforts to surpass Rubber Soul with his album Pet Sounds that will be his masterpiece.

The year 1966 marks the beginning of the decline in the group as it was formed. Brian Wilson begin working on an ambitious project: the album Smile. The other group members are reluctant to this project and start questionning his leadership role.

Brian Wilson can’t handle the stress of road travel, composing, producing and maintaining a high level of creativity. His mental problems become more present and he stays in his bed, paranoid and obese. In 1983, Dennis Wilson, after an abuse of drink, drowned accidentally. Then in 1998, the group loses Carl Wilson died of lung cancer. Al Jardine then left the group. Mike Love remains the only member of the original band.

The 90 years are also punctuated by trial between Brian Wilson and Mike Love mainly about Beach Boys’ song copyrights.

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Beach Boys Official Website
Lonely Sea on DailyMotion
Further information on Wikipedia [en]
Buy Surfin’ USA on Amazon.com

Cody ChesnuTT, American musician coming from Atlanta in Georgia, had all the chances on his side to start a career as a musician. His father was the manager of several local bands, which opened many doors, and he started shows when he was only 13 years old.

In his twenties, he founded the group Crosswalk. A contract with a major is in preparation. But things go wrong, the contract was never signed, and the other members of Crosswalk dropped him.

At the beginning of the millennium, he decide to isolate himself in his bedroom, which he renamed for the occasion: “The Sonic Promiseland”. Armed with several instruments, a single microphone, and a 4-track recorder, he began an introspective marathon.

He produce a double album of 36 low-tech musical sketches. These tracks, with a scratching sound like saphir on vynile disc, are drafts,sufficient to themselves. She’s Still Here is part of this album, it is a magnificent track full of sweetness and spleen.

“Drink my drink, im thinkin it over
she’s still here, I use to be sober
and I’ll bet, she might as well be dead
she’s stickin around, I don’t know
get’s so excited even when the wind blows
so if she’s gonna stay, the steps im taking now
can really be the walk we take together
here, while I think it over…”

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Cody ChesnuTT Myspace
Further information on Wikipedia [en]
Buy The Headphone Masterpiece on Amazon.com