DJ Shadow

There are tons of great DJ Shadow concert bootlegs floating around on disc and vinyl, but the stunning clarity and seamlessly mixed content of the official In Tune and on Timeput all the rest to shame.

This 20-track, 78-minute CD (packaged with a 24-track DVD) is culled from a performance at London's Brixton Academy during the 2002 Private Press tour. Shadow's set draws from his entire career, and there're lotsa flips on the original scripts -- some subtle, some extreme -- to keep longtime fans happy: There's hyperkinetic jungle gymnastics that juice up Private Press' "Walkie Talkie"; an inspired mash-up of U.N.K.L.E. tracks "Drums of Death" and "Lonely Soul"; early singles "What Does Your Soul Look Like? (Part 3)" and "In/Flux" augmented by harder beats, scratches and alternate samples without destroying their beautifully blunted vibe; and Shadow taps the MPC for a fully live, expertly rendered version of the ever-tricky "Organ Donor."

For most DJs, technical wizardry and the art of songcraft are mutually exclusive pursuits, but not in Shadow's world, which makes this disc -- like practically anything else he puts out -- essential listening.