Not to be confused with Predident Barack Obama's Senior Advisor, David Axelrod is a living legend in the world of jazz-funk and hip-hop. Some cite him as being the originator of trip-hop decades before it was labeled a genre.
Axelrod began his career in the early 60s as a producer for Capital Records working with artists such as Cannonball Adderley, Lou Rawls, David McCallum, and the Electric Prunes. From 1968-1980 he released 9 brilliant solo albums, but was frustrated that they never received the recognition or financial success they deserved. Not atypical of a brilliant musician that is not willing to dumb his music down for the masses, he sank into a episode a depression, torment, and substance abuse. It wasn't until 1996 when DJ Shadow released the trip-hop classic
Endtroducing that he was rediscovered among a new generation of DJs and producers. Shadow's powerful track "Midnight in a Perfect World" features a sample from Axelrod's song "The Human Abstract" off his 1969 album
Songs of Experience that made beat miners' heads spin. Since then, nearly all of his records have been re-released (but not this one) and Axelrod is finally getting the recognition and cash he deserves.
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