DJ Shadow single-handedly rewrote the book on what a DJ was capable of.

His 1996 release, “Entroducing,” mixed elements of rock, jazz, soul and funk with electronic and ambient music, making one of the most mind-blowing albums the genre has ever seen. And it’s unfortunate that every subsequent release will invariably be compared to it, but there’s just no avoiding it.

Through comparison or on its own merits, “The Outsider” just isn’t very good.

The first two tracks, “Outsider Intro” and “This Time (I’m Gonna Try It My Way),” raise hopes so high it’s unbelievable — could it be that DJ Shadow is back to doing what he does best? But those hopes are dashed as soon as the first guest rapper shows his voice.

Of the 18 tracks here, a dozen feature rappers. Of the remaining six, five are legitimate songs (“Droop-E Drop” is just an interlude). Of those, some are absolutely phenomenal, featuring the genre-bending DJ at his sample-happy best.

But the remaining 12 are barely even listenable. DJ Shadow provides extremely pedestrian beats for a vast array of famous rappers, and none of it is enjoyable.

“3 Freaks,” “Turf Dancing” and “Seein’ Thangs” scrape the bottom of the barrel, utterly uninspired hip hop from the likes of Keak da Sneak, Turf Talk and David Banner. Even Q-Tip’s normally dynamic presence seems flat and lifeless on “Enuff.” DJ Shadow somehow seems to have sucked the energy from every emcee on this record — an odd phenomenon, given the reputations of all parties involved.

Songs like “This Time (I’m Gonna Try It My Way)” and “Artifact (Instrumental),” on the other hand, are jaw-droppers. The songs are virtually flawless, and would provide the perfect soundtrack for nearly any activity imaginable. But a handful of songs can’t make an album, and this is no exception.

Sadly, at this point, DJ Shadow has made himself an “Outsider” in a world he helped create over a decade ago. It’s almost too much to hope for that the former genius will ever make a return to glory or release another career/genre defining album. And if subsequent releases follow the current downward slope, it seems to be too much to hope for that he will release even a halfway-decent album ever again.

Evan Thorne is a music critic for the Northern Star.