In 1998, at the height of their hype, DJ Shadow and his Mo'wax label head James Lavelle collaborated on UNKLE, unveiling a bursting, bombastic, sometimes unwieldy debut. Combining their powers with that of collaborations with Badly Drawn Boy, The Verve's Richard Ashcroft fresh off the release of Urban Hymns, Radiohead's Thom Yorke in the afterglow of OK Computer, amongst others. Popular record now remarks that on release their effort slightly collapsed under its own weight (of expectation, as much as anything else) but it is honestly one of my favourite records.
This week, No Magic revisits Psyence Fiction, along with its collaborators, offcuts and side effects. Sentimentally, it presented some of my favourite artists of the moment in a bold, new musical context. It delivered more of DJ Shadow's classic sound right when we were hungriest for it. It's also interesting, because while it was released shortly after the seminal records of its participants, their contributions predate them. These last little artifacts of work from before legacies were cemented. 20 years later, the stand-out tracks sure as hell stand out.
A collection of music rich in cinematic hum. Plenty of other new tunes to enjoy as well. Don't forget to follow @nomagicradio on your social media outlet of choice.
Playlist
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Being Water by Lali Puna on Being Water (Morr Music) -
Landslide by Beirut on Landslide (4AD) - Break
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The Great Pixley Train Robbery by Cass McCombs on Tip of the Sphere (Anti) -
Bury by The Sunset Beach Hut on Bury (Self Released) -
Setting Sun by Howling Bells on Howling Bells (TeenAgeRiot) - Break
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Nursery Rhyme / Breather (feat. Badly Drawn Boy) by UNKLE on Psyence Fiction (Mowax) -
Body Rap by Badly Drawn Boy on The Hour of Bewilderbeast (XL) -
Everybody's Stalking by Badly Drawn Boy on The Hour of Bewilderbeast (XL) - Break
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Bad Blood by Working Men's Club on Bad Blood (Melodic) -
Baby Come Down by Alessandro Alessandroni on Background Disco (Four Files) -
Body Chemistry by The Drums on Body Chemistry (Anti) - Break
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Bloodstain (feat. Alice Temple) by UNKLE on Psyence Fiction (Mowax) -
Building Steam with a Grain of Salt by DJ Shadow on Endtroducing… (Mowax) -
Bitter Sweet Symphony (James Lavelle Remix) by The Verve on Deep Cuts (Virgin) - Break
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Feet by Fat White Family on Feet (Domino) - Break
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Lonely Soul by UNKLE on Psyence Fiction (Mowax) -
Rabbit in your Headlights by Atoms for Peace on Live at Studio Coast, Tokyo (Self Released) -
The Other Side (feat. Tom Smith, Philip Sheppard) by UNKLE on The Road: Part II / Lost Highway (Songs for the Def) - Break
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To Believe (feat. Moses Sumney) by The Cinematic Orchestra on To Believe (Ninja Tune)