DJ Shadow at Mansion Miami December 14

DJ Shadow says, "Listen." From '90s sample-heavy hip-hop to millennial hyphy experiments, he has been predicting for 20 years the next phase of rap music. But now the 40-year-old experimental hip-hop DJ-producer (born Joshua Paul Davis in San Jose, California) has just released a multidisc, career-spanning, glow-in-the-dark retrospective box set titled Reconstructed: The Definitive DJ Shadow. It is, according to the official product description, "limited to 500 copies worldwide" and "each set is individually signed by DJ Shadow and includes eight discs and one 12-inch vinyl record," as well as "two brand-new tracks, including the pop masterpiece 'Listen,' featuring legendary vocalist Terry Reid." Of course, the retail price is a bank-busting $270. But it's totally worth it. Because as the Cali legend himself explains in his project statement: "It's never an easy task to sum up a career in one release, but this box comes pretty close. This is the definitive, final document of the sound I'm most known for." Still, whether you shell out three Benjamins for the box set, it will remain impossible to fully understand the Shadow till you "Listen" live. So don't miss this Friday's Reconstructed mini-tour stop in South Beach. It's gonna be definitive.