DJ Shadow re-ignites with De La Soul-assisted 'Rocket Fuel,' the first single from his upcoming LP

DJ Shadow teams up with De La Soul to harness the positive grooves of old school hip-hop from a new-school perspective with “Rocket Fuel,” his first release since 2017’s The Mountain Has Fallen.

While the Califorina-based DJ-turned-producer earned a reputation for his found-sound audio collages in the ‘90s, “Rocket Fuel” represents 20 years of a musician honing his craft. Shadow still leans on the genre-centric concept of the sample, but conducts them alongside a myriad of original elements to paint a picture that’s entirely his own. The beat comes alive with a sizzling horn section, Shadow’s signature scratch-work and a commanding performance from the Grammy-nominated rap trio.

“It’s been a while since my last album The Mountain Will Fall, and the corresponding tour…and since the tour ended, I’ve been mostly silent,” DJ Shadow said in a press release. “This is because I’ve been focused and working on a ton of music. I usually try to avoid hyperbole, and I’m not super-comfortable hyping up my own stuff, but things are about to get pretty exciting.”

“Rocket Fuel” is the first track from DJ Shadow’s upcoming LP, which is expected to release later this year.