The Less You Know, The Better (Deluxe Edition)

Rather than its feature-heavy predecessor, The Outsider, DJ Shadow’s fourth album most closely recalls his 1996 debut, pairing dizzying drum programming with dynamic sample collages. The rhythms and moods often stray far from conventional hip-hop territory: “Run for Your Life” is a double-time jazz-fusion maelstrom, while “Border Crossing” borrows the blast beats and slashing guitars of heavy metal. Folk and psych rock fuel the record’s shadowy emotional undercurrent, while beat-juggling bangers like “I Gotta Rokk” show off the turntable wizard’s talents at their most electrifying.