Devil's Workshop vinyl

DJ Format has long been a master of cut-and-paste production, most frequently crafting barnstorming funk and hip-hop fuelled club cuts made almost entirely out of samples lifted from dusty old records. He's applied the same techniques on Devil's Workshop, his new instrumental album, but this time he's opted for a stranger selection of source material and an undeniably cinematic feel. While calling it "DJ Shadow's Endtroducing for the 21st century" would be a bit of a stretch, the producer's combination of eccentric musical snippets (you'll find elements repurposed from folk, psychedelic, jazz, rock, spoken word, easy listening, Mod and weird soundtrack records), low-slung basslines and head-nodding hip-hop beats is certainly in the same sonic ballpark. As a result, it's Format's most detailed, considered and impressive work to date.