The Argus: Brighton Festival Thumb

The popularity and influence of DJ Shadow – aka Josh Davis – cannot be overstated. Judging by the number of people queuing up for this talk, plenty were happy just to hear him speak.

He outlined his formative years, from his beginnings toiling away with belt-driven turntables to plundering lost vinyl in dusty record stores in his home town of Davis (like his surname), in California. The forgotten records he unearthed, spanning funk, soul, punk and jazz, helped shape his rich sound.

“Music was the only language I spoke,” he said of his initial encounters with those working in music, remarking pointedly to an audience made up of Great Escape music industry delegates, “People were amused by my enthusiasm”.

It's an enthusiasm that's transported him through Endtroducing – one of the most influential hip-hop records of the past 15 years. In his words, it has stood the test of time. “The US hasn't moved forward [musically] in ten years,” he remarked, while outlining his aversion to the industry machine.

“It was fashionable in the 1980s to like everything,” he said when discussing James Lavelle's [boss of Mo' Wax] dismissal of music he hated, which helped DJ Shadow evolve. This fashion trait seems relevant now; fewer artists appear comfortable to concede they might not like a particular style of music.

During question time, Davis was challenged on his DJ Shadow show at the Brighton Dome Concert Hall from the night before, which involved the man himself performing in a spherical structure. After reasoning his argument for it, he said: “I would be lying if I said there wasn't an element of being hidden that appealed to me.”

This aspect of mystery has been enticing music lovers into his world since 1996, and long may it continue.