 DJ Shadow began his music career in 1989 as a disc jockey for the University of California , Davis campus radio station KDVS . He had previously experimented with a four @-@ track recorder in his high school years to create music utilizing samples , having been inspired by other sample @-@ based music such as It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back ( 1988 ) by American hip hop group Public Enemy . His KDVS work impressed A & R representative Dave " Funken " Klein , leading him to sign DJ Shadow to the Hollywood BASIC label to produce music and remixes . DJ Shadow 's output during this period – including the 17 @-@ minute long " Entropy " and his work with the Solesides crew – brought him to the attention of British musician James Lavelle , who then signed DJ Shadow to his Mo ' Wax label . 
