DJ Shadow

The Less You Know the Better Island****

It's 15 years since Josh Davis dropped Endtroducingon the world, and its scope and scale still casts a shadow on today's experimental beat-makers. Nothing Davis has released since has hit the same heights (this is his first album since 2006's patchy The Outside), but he remains a serious player. Some of the tracks on The Less You Know the Better(especially Enemy Lines) are on kissing terms with his debut, but there's much more than reminders of past glories to wow about, thanks to Davis's rich tapestry of edgy, sonic invention. Warning Calland Give Me the Nightsare angry and twitchy, while Stay the Course(with Posdnuos of De La Soul Talib Kweli) is a hip-hop roots hurrah. There are class contributions from Afrikan Boy ( I'm Excited) and Little Dragon's ubiquitous Yukimi Nagano ( Scale It Back). Shadow is back in business. See djshadow.com

Download tracks: Stay the Course, Scale It Back, Warning Call