There’s a new trend going around with rock stars creating their own wines.  I think the Grateful Dead might have the been the first out of pure novelty.  But Tool’s Maynard really took it to the next level by quitting the band to focus on his grapevines full time in the Arizona desert.  Once Maynard did it…and did it well, it opened the floodgates.  Primus’ Les Claypool has his own wine.  Kiss.  Madonna.  Foghat.  But the strangest one has to be the new trend of heavy metal wines.  Ratt and Warrant now have their own wines, too.  Though there is amusement in Warrant’s Big Cherry red or Ratt’s “out of the cellar” Cab.  If you didn’t grow up in the 80s, you won’t get that.  When one rock star did it, it was a novelty.  When a handful do it, it becomes a cliche.  Wine isn’t like a t-shirt where because you like the band, you buy the product.  Wine has a specific purpose.  It’s its own art form.  You can merchandise it and expect for people to take you seriously.  Maynard faced a ton of criticism when he released his own wine.  Now, if you had one mild radio hit, you’re suddenly qualified to own a winery.

DJ Shadow is like a wine maker of music.  People think that mixing songs is something that doesn’t qualify as a real music.  That DJs aren’t real musicians.  It’s not true.  DJs are in some respects more talented than your average guitar player.  It’s not about playing a riff.  Anyone can do that in a matter of seconds.  But creating a song out parts doesn’t just take creative talent, it takes brains.  You have to look at music like a scattered puzzle of a million pieces.  The DJs decode this puzzle and reassemble it into cohesive new songs.  Have you ever done a 1000-piece?  Now imagine it’s a 1,000,000-piece puzzle.  That should give you a little clue about how hard it is.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By DJ Shadow:

1.  Blood on the Motorway (The Private Press)

2.  Midnight in a Perfect World (Entroducing…)

3.  The Number Song (Entroducing…)

4.  This Time (The Outsider)

5.  You Can’t Go Home Again (The Private Press)

6.  Six Days (The Private Press)

7.  High Noon (Pre-Emptive Strike)

8.  Building Steam With a Grain of Salt (Entroducing…)

9.  Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul) –  (Pre-Emptive Strike)

10.  Giving Up The Ghost (The Private Press)

11.  The Tiger (The Outsider)

Buy DJ Shadow’s new album, The Less You Know the Better….now!