In the wake of the recent SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, several tidbits of info about Activision’s still enigmatic DJ Hero have surfaced, including the names of a few high-profile turntablists who may be lending their music and likenesses to the game.
Last we reported on Activision’s DJ Hero, I expressed a half-serious (okay maybe more than half) wish that what I presumed to be the game’s hip-hop-centric playlist would include more than a few songs by Will Smith. Fellow Escapist Tom Endo, displaying music taste clearly superior to mine, wasn’t seeing things the same way. “Sure, there will be some hip hop tracks on there, but I guarantee they’ll have some serious turntablism going as well,” he said. “DJ Shadow is definitely under Universal and for me that alone is worth the price of admission.”
Mr. Endo might be getting his wish, as it looks like DJ Shadow, among a few other turntablist notables, will be featured in the game. Activision hasn’t confirmed anything yet, but, at the recent not-so-secret Metallica show at SXSW last week put on to promote Guitar Hero Metallica, Shadow himself showed up and played a set in front of a giant DJHERO.com banner. Soon afterward, The Daily Swarm confirmed with a “source involved in the game’s development” that Shadow would be in the game, along with DJ Z-Trip. Also purportedly involved are Beastie Boys DJ Mix Master Mike and French dance music kings and wannabe robots Daft Punk.
“There are some things brewing that I’m not at liberty to reveal yet, but that are exciting and very different for me,” Shadow last said about his newest projects. DJ Hero would indeed be something “very different” for the DJ famous for pioneering instrumental, sample-based hip-hop listened to by music snobs too cool for Will Smith.
As for the DJ Hero website that Shadow was promoting at SXSW, it didn’t reveal much about the game itself aside from the fact that it’ll be coming to PS3, 360 and Wii.
