Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	62/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The A.V. Club	B−
The Daily Telegraph
The Guardian
The Independent
NME	5/10
Pitchfork Media	4.5/10
Q
Rolling Stone
Spin	6/10

The Less You Know, the Better is the fourth studio album by the American hip hop musician DJ Shadow, released on October 4, 2011 by Island Records. Like Shadow's previous efforts, the album's music relies extensively on sampling, and the samples used span many genres and time periods. The album sees Shadow exploring many genres and production styles, from fast-paced tracks prominently featuring guitars and scratching to slow tracks featuring pianos.

The album received mixed to positive reviews, with critics being divided over its mix of styles. General consensus among critics was that despite its shortcomings, the album was an overall solid effort and an improvement over The Outsider. The album's release was preceded by the singles "Def Surrounds Us / I've Been Trying" (2010) and "I Gotta Rokk" (2011), as well as the EPs I Gotta Rokk and I'm Excited (2011). Contributions to the album came from a wide range of artists including Talib Kweli, Afrikan Boy, Posdnuos, and Tom Vek.

After the release of his 2006 album The Outsider, Shadow brought his focus less on the production of new material. However, on March 7, 2009, he announced that he was working on music for a new album. Though no release date was given, he assured that "it [would] sound different from the last one". Speaking about recording sessions for the album, Shadow stated that "the hardcore work started just after Thanksgiving of 2009." He stated that he worked "at least eight-plus hours a day at least five or six days a week" and that the making of the album took about a year.

In the time leading up to the release of the album, Shadow would gradually release preview material from the album. The first of the new music to be revealed was a preview of the track "Def Surrounds Us", announced to be from his then-untitled fourth album. More material was revealed in an August 2010 gig in Antwerp, Belgium, where Shadow played some tracks he claimed to be from his upcoming album, though stating that the album was not yet ready and that he would continue working toward having it ready for his 2011 tour. The full version of "Def Surrounds Us", along with another track, "I've Been Trying", were also revealed by Shadow on Zane Lowe's BBC One radio show, followed by a limited single release featuring the two tracks.

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Wikipedia