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Endtroducing.....
Two men look through vinyl records at a record store.
Studio album by
DJ Shadow
ReleasedSeptember 16, 1996 (1996-09-16)
Recorded1994–1996
StudioThe Glue Factory (San Francisco)
Genre
Length63:23
LabelMo' Wax
ProducerDJ Shadow
DJ Shadow chronology
Endtroducing.....
(1996) 		Preemptive Strike
(1998)
Singles from Endtroducing.....
  1. "Midnight in a Perfect World"
    Released: September 2, 1996
  2. "Stem"
    Released: October 28, 1996
  3. "What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 1)"
    Released: January 12, 1998
  4. "The Number Song" / "Painkiller"
    Released: February 23, 1998

Endtroducing..... is the debut studio album by American music producer DJ Shadow, released on September 16, 1996, by Mo' Wax. It is an instrumental hip hop work composed almost entirely of samples from vinyl records. DJ Shadow produced Endtroducing over two years, using an Akai MPC60 sampler and little other equipment. He edited and layered samples to create new tracks of varying moods and tempos.

In the United Kingdom, where DJ Shadow had already established himself as a rising act, Endtroducing received praise from music journalists at the time of its release, and reached the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart. It was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry. Mo' Wax issued four singles from the album, including the chart hits "Midnight in a Perfect World" and "Stem". It took considerably longer for Endtroducing to find success in the United States. After promoting the album and returning to his hometown of Davis, California, DJ Shadow devoted his time to creating new music. During this period, interest in Endtroducing began to build among the American music press, and it peaked at number 37 on the US Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.

Endtroducing was ranked highly on various lists of the best albums of 1996, and has been acclaimed by critics as one of the greatest albums of the 1990s. It is considered a landmark recording in instrumental hip hop, with DJ Shadow's sampling techniques and arrangements leaving a lasting influence. In 2020, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Endtroducing 329th on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Background

[edit]
Two men stand behind a set of turntables in 1997.
DJ Shadow (left) with Mo' Wax label head James Lavelle in 1997

As a high school student, DJ Shadow experimented with creating music from samples using a four-track recorder,[1] inspired by sample-based music such as It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988) by the hip hop group Public Enemy.[2] He began his music career in 1989 as a disc jockey for the University of California, Davis campus radio station KDVS.[3] His KDVS work impressed A&R representative Dave "Funken" Klein, who signed him to the Hollywood Basic label to produce music and remixes.[2] DJ Shadow's output for Hollywood Basic, including the 1993 single "Entropy" and his work with the SoleSides crew, brought him to the attention of English musician James Lavelle, who signed DJ Shadow to his Mo' Wax label.[4]

DJ Shadow's first two singles for Mo' Wax, "In/Flux" (1993) and "Lost and Found (S.F.L.)" (1994), utilized samples from "used-bin" vinyl records, blending elements of hip hop, funk, soul, jazz, rock, and ambient music.[5] The singles were acclaimed by the British music press, and soon DJ Shadow and other Mo' Wax artists came to be viewed as leading practitioners of a nascent genre that the press termed "trip hop"[6][7] – a name coined by Mixmag journalist Andy Pemberton in June 1994 to describe "In/Flux" and similar tracks being played in London clubs.[8][9] In the summer of 1994, DJ Shadow started producing his first album.[10] He completed around half of the record, but Mo' Wax opted to instead issue the finished music as a single – "What Does Your Soul Look Like" – the following year.[10][11] As a result, DJ Shadow began work on his debut album anew.[10] He was intent on capturing the same feel of his three Mo' Wax singles, and chose the title Endtroducing..... for the album as "it signified the fourth and final chapter in a series of pieces that I was doing for Mo' Wax with a certain sound, a certain tone, a certain atmosphere."[12]

Production

[edit]
An electronic musical sampler and drum machine.
The Akai MPC60 was used heavily in the production of Endtroducing.

DJ Shadow began production on Endtroducing in 1994 in his California apartment, before moving to the Glue Factory, the San Francisco home studio of his colleague Dan the Automator.[13] Shadow strove to create an entirely sample-based album.[2] His setup was minimal, with only three main pieces of equipment: an Akai MPC60 sampler, a Technics SL-1200 turntable and an Alesis ADAT tape recorder.[2] He used the MPC60 for almost all composition.[14] DJ Shadow bought it in 1992 at the suggestion of DJ Stretch Armstrong, who recommended it as a more advanced alternative to the "industry standard" sampler at the time, the E-mu SP-1200; according to DJ Shadow, the SP-1200 "had been around for like four years, the sound was well established, and it had some real audio limitations in terms of the bit rate and stuff".[14]

DJ Shadow sampled vinyl albums and singles accumulated from his trips to Rare Records, a record shop in his native Sacramento, where he spent several hours each day searching for music.[15] His routine is depicted in the 2001 documentary film Scratch.[16] The Endtroducing album cover is a photograph taken at Rare Records by B Plus, showing producer Chief Xcel and rapper Lyrics Born (the latter wearing a wig), who like DJ Shadow were members of the SoleSides collective.[15][17][18] ABB Records founder Beni B (wearing a baseball cap) is also seen in the full version of the photograph, which appears in the album's liner notes.[17]

Endtroducing samples music of various genres, including jazz, funk, and psychedelia, as well as films and interviews.[19] DJ Shadow programmed, chopped, and layered samples to create tracks.[20] He opted to sample more obscure selections, making it a rule to avoid sampling popular material.[2] Though he also used samples of prominent artists such as Björk and Metallica,[21] DJ Shadow said that "if I use something obvious, it's usually only to break my own rules."[2] Minor vocal contributions were provided by Lyrics Born and another SoleSides member, rapper Gift of Gab,[22] as well as DJ Shadow's then-girlfriend Lisa Haugen.[23] He finished recording Endtroducing in early 1996.[10]

Composition

[edit]
"Midnight in a Perfect World"
The low-tempo track "Midnight in a Perfect World" establishes a nocturnal mood through its diverse array of samples.[24]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

DJ Shadow describes his albums as "really varied", and said of Endtroducing: "I feel like 'Organ Donor' sounds nothing like 'The Number Song' which sounds nothing like 'Midnight' and on and on."[25] He said he was often depressed during the production of the album and that his "feelings of self-doubt and self-esteem come through in the music."[26][27]

Endtroducing is opened by "Best Foot Forward", a sound collage of record scratches and hip hop vocal samples.[24] "Building Steam with a Grain of Salt" is built around a looped piano line sampled from Jeremy Storch's "I Feel a New Shadow",[28] with various other musical elements entering throughout the track, including samples of an interview with drummer George Marsh,[28] a women's choir, bass fills, electronically altered drum kicks, and funk guitar.[19][29] "The Number Song" uses multiple drum breaks and vocal samples of count-offs.[30] "Changeling" deviates from the previous uptempo tracks, incorporating new-age sounds and gradually building toward a "sublimely spacey" coda.[24][31] It segues into the first of three "transmission" interludes placed throughout the album, each featuring a sample from the 1987 John Carpenter film Prince of Darkness.[32] "What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 4)" layers wordless chants over a looped bass groove, creating what Paste's Mark Richardson describes as an "uneasy" techno soundscape.[33] Track six is an untitled interlude featuring a man reciting a monologue about a woman and her sisters over a funk backing.[34]

The two-part "Stem/Long Stem" begins the second half of Endtroducing. John Bush of AllMusic called the track a "suite of often melancholy music, a piece that consistently refuses to be pigeonholed into any musical style."[35] The first half, "Stem", sets strings against a recurring sequence of erratic drum beats, before giving way to the more ethereal "Long Stem",[24] followed by "Transmission 2". "Mutual Slump" features "dreamy" female spoken vocals and prominent samples of Björk's "Possibly Maybe".[23][36] The sparse "Organ Donor" juxtaposes an organ solo and a drum break.[24] "Why Hip Hop Sucks in '96" is a brief interlude featuring a repeating G-funk-esque beat, over which a voice shouts "It's the money".[24][37] DJ Shadow composed the track to express his dissatisfaction with the state of commercial hip hop music in the mid-1990s.[37]

"Midnight in a Perfect World" mixes a soulful vocal line with a slow drum beat.[24][38] It samples the bassline from Pekka Pohjola's "The Madness Subsides",[39] as well as elements of David Axelrod's piano composition "The Human Abstract".[40][41] "Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain" progresses slowly, starting with a bassline and a drum loop, then gradually increasing in tempo as additional instrumentation enters the mix.[24] The track eventually reaches its climax and deconstructs itself, leaving a single string sample playing by its conclusion.[29] Endtroducing ends "on an up note" with "What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 1 – Blue Sky Revisit)", which is anchored by warm saxophone and keyboard hooks.[33] A third and final "transmission" closes the album with the spoken words "It is happening again", sampled from the David Lynch television series Twin Peaks.[42]

Release

[edit]

Endtroducing was released by Mo' Wax on September 16, 1996, in the United Kingdom.[43][44] In the United States, it was issued by Mo' Wax and FFRR Records on November 19, 1996.[43][44] DJ Shadow promoted the album through various interviews and press appearances.[45] The record spent three weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number 17,[46][47] and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry in 1998.[48] It also charted at number 75 in the Netherlands.[49] "Midnight in a Perfect World" was previously issued as the album's first single on September 2, 1996,[50] and it was later released to American college and modern rock radio stations in January 1997.[51] It peaked at number 54 on the UK Singles Chart,[47] while its music video, directed by B Plus, received much airplay on MTV's electronic music program Amp.[21] "Stem" was released as the album's second single on October 28, 1996,[52] reaching number 74 in the UK and number 14 in Ireland.[47][53] "What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 1)" followed on January 12, 1998,[54] charting at number 54 in the UK.[47] A fourth and final single – a double A-side release featuring producer Cut Chemist's remix of "The Number Song" and DJ Shadow's remix of the synth-pop band Depeche Mode's "Painkiller" – was issued on February 23, 1998.[55]

Describing the time spent promoting Endtroducing as "some weird rollercoaster ride", DJ Shadow was dismayed by the lack of reaction upon returning to his hometown of Davis, compared to the attention he had received within the British music scene.[45] He felt he had been manipulated by the press and his record label and "went from being angry to being depressed" over the perceived lack of control he had over his life.[45] DJ Shadow found himself compelled to produce new tracks such as "High Noon" as outlets for expressing his turbulent feelings at the time.[56] Following this period, interest in his work grew in the US; newspapers ran stories on Endtroducing and DJ Shadow received several phone calls a day, enough to convince him to hire a manager.[45] Endtroducing eventually entered the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart and peaked at number 37 on the listing in April 1997.[57]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarStar[58]
Alternative Press5/5[59]
Christgau's Consumer GuideA+[60]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[61]
The GuardianStarStarStarStarStar[62]
NME8/10[63]
Pitchfork10/10[64]
Rolling StoneStarStarStarStar[65]
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarStarStarStar[66]
Spin9/10[31]

Endtroducing received critical acclaim.[5] Alternative Press praised the album as "an undeniable hip-hop masterpiece" showing "DJ Shadow remembers that sampling is an art form",[59] while Q reviewer Martin Aston described it as "a cinematically broad spectrum so deftly layered that the sampling-is-stealing argument falls flat".[67] David Bennun from The Guardian said the record was "not only one of the most daring and original albums of recent times, but also one of the loveliest",[62] and in Melody Maker, he wrote: "I am, I confess, totally confounded by it. I hear a lot of good records, but very few impossible ones... You need this record. You are incomplete without it."[68] Robert Christgau commented in Playboy that Endtroducing consists of "not so much songs as compositions",[69] and also claimed that while listeners unfamiliar with the album's style of music would not find its tracks as powerful, "they are so rich and eclectic, and spun out with such a sense of flow, that this album establishes the kind of convincing aural reality other British techno experimenters only fantasize about."[70] Author and rock critic Greil Marcus penned a glowing review of the album in Artforum, where he called it "absolutely modern – which is to say ambient-dreamy and techno-abstract" and "quite brilliant throughout".[71]

Entertainment Weekly critic Jon Wiederhorn likened Endtroducing to "a surreal film soundtrack on which jazz, classical, and jungle fragments are artfully blended with turntable tricks and dialogue snippets" and said that it "takes hip-hop into the next dimension."[61] Tony Green of JazzTimes commended DJ Shadow's "unerring ear for motif and texture",[72] and Simon Williams of NME called him "both slyly knowing and brilliantly naive, fusing the dramatic and the deranged to his own sweet end."[63] Spin's Sia Michel said that the album "practically folds you into its symphonic fantasia, the coming-of-age story of a 24-year-old bunk-bed dreamer."[31] Rolling Stone journalist Jason Fine found that while Endtroducing occasionally lapses into less interesting "moody atmospherics", "even in the record's mellowest moments, Shadow's allegiance to the hard beats of hip-hop saves him".[65]

Endtroducing appeared in numerous publications' lists of the best albums of 1996. The album topped year-end lists by Muzik and OOR,[73][74] and placed second in Melody Maker's.[75] It was voted fourth place in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll for 1996.[76] Robert Christgau, the poll's creator, named Endtroducing the best album of the year.[77] The album also ranked in the top ten of year-end lists by The Face,[78] the Los Angeles Times,[79] Mojo,[80] NME,[81] and Vox.[82]

Legacy

[edit]

Endtroducing has appeared in critics' lists of the greatest albums. Publications such as Pitchfork,[83] Q,[84] Rolling Stone,[85] Slant Magazine,[86] and Spin[87] have placed it on their lists of best albums of the 1990s. Robert Christgau named it among his 10 favorite albums from the decade.[88] NPR listed Endtroducing as one of the 300 most important American records of the 20th century,[89] and Time selected the record as one of the "All-Time 100 Albums" in 2006.[90] It was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[91] In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked Endtroducing number 329 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[92]

Guinness World Records cited Endtroducing as the first album created entirely from samples.[93] AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it "not only a major breakthrough for hip-hop and electronica, but for pop music."[58] It was a driving force in the development of instrumental hip hop music, inspiring numerous DJs and producers to create sample-based works.[94] Tim Stelloh of PopMatters cited it as the "benchmark" for the genre.[95] Will Hermes called Endtroducing "trip-hop's crowning achievement" in Spin,[96] and Jeff Weiss of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it defined American trip hop.[97] Music journalist Trey Zenker described it as a "plunderphonics masterpiece" in an essay for Tidal,[98] while Turk Dietrich of the American experimental music duo Belong said that it was a nearly unrivaled masterwork of sampledelia.[99] Endtroducing inspired the British rock band Radiohead to edit and loop drums on their 1997 album OK Computer.[100] Several artists sampled on Endtroducing, including David Axelrod and British rock band Nirvana, praised the album.[101][102] DJ Shadow expressed surprise at the album's stature: "After the record, I'd always bump into these world-class producers who'd say, 'Yeah, Endtroducing – what a great piece of production.' I just did it on one sampler in a tiny little studio."[87]

Andy Battaglia of The A.V. Club suggested that the influence of Endtroducing may have had a negative effect on the album itself, saying that it "has been partially diluted by the symphonic beat-collage culture it helped spawn."[103] The acclaim set high expectations for future releases by DJ Shadow,[104] and he expressed his dissatisfaction with being expected to "repeat Endtroducing over and over again".[105] Nonetheless, DJ Shadow clarified that he views the album in a positive light: "People always seem to suggest that there's this pressure, and that Endtroducing is some kind of albatross, and I've just honestly never felt that way. I think that I have a healthy enough respect for the lineage of the music and how rare it is that you can connect with an audience. If that will always be 'the record' then so be it, that's cool."[106] By April 26, 2005, Endtroducing had sold more than 290,000 copies in the US alone.[107]

Reissues

[edit]

A deluxe edition of Endtroducing was released on June 6, 2005.[24] It includes a second disc, Excessive Ephemera, comprising alternate takes, demos, B-sides, remixes, and a live track, as well as new sleeve photographs and notes about the making of the album.[107][108][109] A second deluxe edition commemorating the album's 20th anniversary, the Endtrospective edition, was released on October 28, 2016, featuring Excessive Ephemera, the remix album Endtroducing... Re-Emagined, and additional sleeve photographs and notes.[110][111] A 25th-anniversary reissue was released on September 24, 2021. The reissue was remastered at half speed at Abbey Road Studios from DJ Shadow's original DAT recording.[112]

Track listing

[edit]
Endtroducing..... track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Best Foot Forward"Josh Davis0:49
2."Building Steam with a Grain of Salt"
  • Davis
  • Jeremy Storch
6:40
3."The Number Song"Davis4:40
4."Changeling" / "Transmission 1"
7:51
5."What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 4)"
  • Davis
  • Ray Smith
5:08
6.UntitledDavis0:24
7."Stem/Long Stem" / "Transmission 2"
9:21
8."Mutual Slump"
4:02
9."Organ Donor"Davis1:57
10."Why Hip Hop Sucks in '96"Davis0:43
11."Midnight in a Perfect World"
4:57
12."Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain"Davis9:23
13."What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 1 – Blue Sky Revisit)" / "Transmission 3"
7:28
Total length:63:23

Samples credited in liner notes[43]

  • "Building Steam with a Grain of Salt" contains samples of "I Feel a New Shadow", written and performed by Jeremy Storch.
  • "The Number Song" contains samples of "Orion", performed by Metallica.
  • "Changeling" / "Transmission 1" contains samples of "Invisible Limits", written by Peter Baumann, Christopher Franke, and Edgar Froese and performed by Tangerine Dream.
  • "What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 4)" contains samples of "The Vision", written by Ray Smith and performed by Flying Island.
  • "Stem/Long Stem" / "Transmission 2" contains samples of "Love Suite", written by Patrick Campbell-Lyons and Alex Spyropoulos and performed by Nirvana.
  • "Mutual Slump" contains samples of "Possibly Maybe", written by Björk Guðmundsdóttir, Marius de Vries, and Paul Hooper and performed by Björk.
  • "Midnight in a Perfect World" contains samples of "Sower of Seeds", written and performed by Baraka; and "The Madness Subsides", written and performed by Pekka Pohjola.
  • "What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 1 – Blue Sky Revisit)" / "Transmission 3" contains samples of "The Voice of the Saxophone", written by Jimmy Heath and performed by the Heath Brothers; and "All Our Love", written and performed by Shawn Phillips.

Personnel

[edit]

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[113]

Production

Design

  • B Plus – photography
  • Barney Bankhead – photography
  • Will Bankhead – photography, sleeve design
  • Ben Drury – sleeve design

Charts

[edit]
Weekly chart performance for Endtroducing.....
Chart (1996–2019) Peak
position
Belgian Mid Price Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[114] 29
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[49] 75
European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)[115] 54
Scottish Albums (OCC)[116] 27
UK Albums (OCC)[46] 17
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[117] 1
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[118] 3
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[119] 6
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[57] 37

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for Endtroducing.....
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[120] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Platinum 300,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]

Bibliography

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Endtroducing.....

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Endtroducing..... is the debut studio album by American hip hop producer , released on September 16, 1996, by the British independent record label . The album is an instrumental hip hop record composed almost entirely of samples from over 60 vinyl sources across genres including , rock, funk, and , with no original recordings or live . It holds the as the first album made completely from samples, a milestone certified in 2001. DJ Shadow, born Joshua Paul Davis in 1972, produced Endtroducing..... over approximately two years, beginning in 1994 in a small apartment in , where he sourced samples through crate digging at local stores like Rare Records in Sacramento. He primarily used an MPC60 sampler—acquired in 1992—for editing, layering, and sequencing the material, supplemented by basic recording gear such as a Yamaha four-track cassette recorder early on and later an Alesis ADAT multitrack system during mixing at The Glue Factory studio in . The album's 16 tracks, including standouts like "Building Steam with a Grain of Salt," "Organ Donor," and "Midnight in a Perfect World," form a cinematic, collage-like that blends moody atmospheres with upbeat rhythms, drawing from influences like and . Upon release, Endtroducing..... received widespread critical acclaim for elevating sampling to a legitimate artistic form and blurring boundaries between hip hop, , and electronic music, with publications like awarding it five stars and praising its innovation. It achieved commercial success by entering the , peaking in the Top 20 and spending ten weeks in the listings before being certified gold by the for sales exceeding 100,000 copies. released four singles from the album—"Midnight in a Perfect World," "Stem," "What Does Your Soul Look Like (Parts 1 & 2)," and "Organ Donor"—two of which charted modestly in the UK. The album's legacy endures as a landmark in sample-based production, influencing producers such as and the beat scene, while its reissues—including a 20th-anniversary deluxe edition in —have sustained its cultural impact and vinyl collector appeal. Its cover art, featuring a blurred image of vinyl crates photographed by Brian "Estn" Cross, has become iconic, symbolizing the crate-digging ethos central to its creation.

Development

Background

Josh Davis, known professionally as , was born in 1972 and raised in , where he developed an early passion for hip-hop, , and electronic music during his teenage years in the late . Influenced by artists such as , whose innovative sampling on tracks like "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" demonstrated the power of repurposing obscure sounds, Davis began experimenting with turntables and records from his father's collection, including works by and , whose rhythms and breakbeats laid foundational grooves for much of hip-hop. Other key inspirations included , , and producers like Prince Paul, , and , whose beat-making techniques encouraged Davis to explore hip-hop's creative boundaries beyond traditional rap vocals. Electronic elements, such as those from Kraftwerk, further shaped his sound, blending them with 's rhythmic drive from 's post-1966 innovations. By the early 1990s, while attending the , in , Davis had formed a distinct sampling philosophy centered on narrative-building, viewing samples not merely as beats but as elements in a larger story that pushed hip-hop toward progressive, atmospheric compositions. He described sampling as a "collage of mistakes," where disparate fragments—like a snare from one record and a kick from another—could coalesce into emotionally resonant narratives, often requiring extended periods of solitary work to achieve depth. This approach was honed through college DJing on local radio station KDVS and early crate-digging at shops like Recycled Records in Davis, where he acquired affordable gems such as James Brown's and Herman Kelly's "Dance to the Drummer's Beat" for just a few dollars each in 1987. Davis's breakthrough came in 1991 when, at age 18, he released the track "Lesson 4" on Hollywood BASIC and earned a feature in The Source magazine's "Unsigned Hype" column for his innovative beats and . This exposure led to demo submissions to labels like and collaborations, including production work with rapper on the album Sleeping with the Enemy (1992). In 1993, British label founder , impressed by Davis's remix of Zimbabwe Legit's "Doin' Damage in My Native Language," signed him to the newly formed Records, resulting in the release of the single "In/Flux" that same year under the moniker DJ Shadow and the Groove Robbers. The deal provided creative freedom and an advance, allowing Davis to refine his vision; subsequent collaborations with Lavelle on UNKLE's The Time Has Come EP (1994) and DJ Krush on "Duality" further solidified his instrumental hip-hop style. Settling deeper into the Bay Area scene around 1994–1995, Davis gained access to rare vinyl through frequent trips from Davis to Sacramento's Rare Records, a shop whose vast basement collection of obscure LPs became a primary source for his samples, as documented in the 2001 film Scratch. This period of exploration, combined with Mo' Wax support, directly informed the conceptual direction of his debut album, emphasizing sample-driven narratives drawn from hip-hop's golden era while venturing into uncharted sonic territories.

Production

The production of Endtroducing..... spanned from 1994 to 1996, primarily taking place at The Glue Factory studio in after initial work in 's apartment. , whose real name is Josh Davis, handled the entire production solo using minimal equipment, centered on the Akai MPC60 sampler as the primary tool. The MPC60's key limitation was its 13-second total sample storage capacity (or about 12.5 seconds in stereo), which Davis circumvented through techniques like resampling elements in mono to extend effective length, chopping samples into shorter segments, and layering multiple passes by adjusting turntable pitch control to align tempos without additional hardware. No live instrumentation was employed; instead, all sounds derived from samples sourced from more than 60 vinyl records, including obscure library music (such as David Axelrod's 1969 track "The Human Abstract") and spoken word elements (like dialogue from the 1995 film ). Davis emphasized layering and editing to build tracks, isolating individual elements like piano or vocals to prevent clutter, then sequencing them with fades for seamless transitions and rhythmic variation by alternating between similar sounds (e.g., kicks and snares) across MPC60 pads. The album was completed in relative isolation over approximately 1.5 to two years, with final mixes—limited to basic adjustments in volume, panning, reverb, and delay—transferred to DAT tapes using an Alesis ADAT system for storage and archiving of takes.

Musical content

Composition

Endtroducing..... is an instrumental hip-hop album that incorporates , trip-hop, and ambient elements, featuring no original vocals but utilizing sampled snippets to enhance its atmospheric quality. The record's genre-blending approach draws from hip-hop's rhythmic foundations while integrating electronic and experimental textures, creating a that transcends traditional boundaries. This fusion results in a moody, introspective listening experience defined by layered instrumentation rather than lyrical content. The album's composition revolves around innovative sampling techniques, where DJ Shadow treats samples as primary compositional tools to construct entirely new narratives from fragmented sources. Recognized as the first full-length album created solely from pre-existing recordings, it employs hundreds of samples sourced from vinyl across genres like jazz, funk, psychedelia, and film dialogue. These elements are meticulously edited and layered using an Akai MPC60 sampler, forming a collage-like structure that emphasizes emotional depth over linear progression. Key stylistic features include heavy basslines that anchor the tracks, orchestral swells derived from classical and jazz samples, and rhythmic complexity achieved through chopped breaks and pitch manipulations. Individual tracks prioritize mood and atmosphere, eschewing conventional verse-chorus formats in favor of evolving soundscapes that build tension and release. For instance, "Building Steam with a Grain of Salt" layers accelerating percussion and swelling strings to evoke escalating urgency, mirroring the album's broader emphasis on sonic immersion. The overall flow forms a cohesive journey, with seamless transitions guiding listeners through a thematic exploration of and urban isolation, unified by recurring motifs of melancholy and discovery. This narrative arc, woven from disparate samples, fosters a sense of emotional continuity across the record.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1"Best Foot Forward"Davis0:49
2"Building Steam with a Grain of Salt"Davis6:40
3"The Number Song"Davis4:40
4"Changeling" (includes hidden track "Transmission 1")Davis7:52
5"What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 4)"Davis5:08
6"Untitled"Davis0:24
7"Stem/Long Stem" (includes hidden track "Transmission 2")Davis9:17
8"Mutual Slump"Davis4:02
9"Organ Donor"Davis1:57
10"Why Hip Hop Sucks in '96"Davis0:43
11"Midnight in a Perfect World"Davis4:57
12"Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain"Davis9:23
13"What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 1 – Blue Sky Revisit)" (includes hidden track "Transmission 3")Davis7:28
All tracks are written by Josh Davis (DJ Shadow). Hidden "Transmission" tracks are short interludes. The original CD release lists additional split segments, totaling 28 tracks on some players, but the above reflects the standard grouped listing.

Release and commercial performance

Release

_Endtroducing..... was released on September 16, 1996, in the United Kingdom by the independent label , with the United States edition following on November 19, 1996, distributed by . The album was issued in multiple formats, including , double vinyl LP in a sleeve, and , with the initial pressing on catalog number MW059 limited to standard black vinyl. The cover artwork featured a black-and-white photograph by Brian Cross (also known as B+) depicting two men sorting through vinyl records at the now-defunct Rare Records store in , emphasizing the album's sample-based origins. The lead single, "Midnight in a Perfect World," preceded the album's launch, issued on September 2, 1996, in the via as a 12-inch and . Promotion centered on grassroots efforts through 's Headz compilation series, which showcased instrumental hip-hop and tracks from label artists including , building anticipation ahead of the full release; Shadow also supported the album with DJ tours across the and , though the label operated on a constrained marketing budget that prioritized niche outlets over mainstream advertising. In the , distribution faced hurdles due to the album's experimental, instrumental style and limited appeal beyond underground hip-hop circles, resulting in minimal initial radio support and slower despite A&M's involvement.

Charts

Upon its release in 1996, Endtroducing..... achieved moderate chart success internationally, reflecting its niche appeal within instrumental hip-hop and trip-hop scenes. In the , the album debuted and peaked at number 17 on the Official UK Albums Chart, spending a total of 10 weeks on the listing. , it did not enter the but reached a peak of number 37 on the Heatseekers Albums chart in April 1997, indicating emerging interest among independent and emerging artists. The album's lead single, "Midnight in a Perfect World," peaked at number 54 on the UK Singles Chart and charted for 2 weeks. The album's enduring legacy led to long-tail charting, including a re-entry on the UK Official Vinyl Albums Chart in October 2021 following the 25th anniversary reissue, where it peaked at number 12 and accumulated 45 weeks overall on that format-specific listing.

Certifications

In the United Kingdom, Endtroducing..... was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in February 1998 for sales of 100,000 units. This certification was upgraded to platinum in 2024 for 300,000 units, reflecting sustained popularity and the impact of reissues. In Canada, the album was certified gold by Music Canada on October 1, 1997, for sales of 50,000 units. Reissues, including anniversary editions, have contributed to ongoing sales.

Reception

Critical reception

Upon its release in 1996, Endtroducing..... garnered widespread critical acclaim for its groundbreaking sample-based construction and atmospheric depth, with reviewers highlighting DJ Shadow's innovative approach to instrumental hip-hop. It ranked fifth in NME's 1996 critics' poll, reflecting strong endorsement from the British music press. Select magazine placed the album at number 17 on its year-end list of best albums of 1996. Spin later recognized its influence by including it in the 90 greatest albums of the 1990s. However, not all responses were positive; The Wire dismissed it as an "expendable piece of shit," arguing it paled in comparison to contemporaries on the Ninja Tune label. In retrospect, the album's reputation has only solidified, with modern critics hailing it as a landmark in that pioneered a cinematic, mood-driven style of production. A 2021 25th-anniversary retrospective in Louder Than War described it as an "evergreen of the musical landscape," emphasizing its boundary-ignoring vitality. Treblezine's 2024 review called it a "seamless and sublime listen" that "changed music forever" through meticulous crate-digging and techniques. The Music review underscored its enduring achievement, noting how sampling provided "both solid foundations and fantastic frills." Aggregating contemporary scores, Album of the Year reports an average of 92/100 from 13 critic s, underscoring its high-impact status. While lauded for , some early critiques pointed to its vocal-sample sparsity and dense, non-linear as barriers for non-hip-hop listeners, creating a "disconcerting" yet immersive experience.

Accolades

Endtroducing..... has received widespread recognition from music critics and publications, earning placements in several prestigious lists of the greatest albums. In Rolling Stone's 2020 edition of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, the album ranked at number 329. included it at number 14 on their Top 100 Albums of the list in 2003, praising its innovative use of sampling. ranked it number 49 on their 150 Best Albums of the list in 2022. The album was featured in The Guardian's 1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die series in 2007, highlighting its dreamlike composition from forgotten samples.

Legacy

Cultural impact

Endtroducing..... played a pioneering role in the development of hip-hop and trip-hop, serving as the first album composed entirely from samples, a feat recognized by the Guinness Book of Records. Released in , it blurred boundaries by layering obscure vinyl fragments into atmospheric soundscapes, influencing the hazy, aesthetic of trip-hop while expanding hip-hop's instrumental possibilities beyond traditional beats and rhymes. This approach inspired subsequent artists, including , who incorporated its experimental layering into psychedelic hip-hop productions; , whose beat-making echoed its rhythmic collages; and , who adopted similar sample-driven for works. The album's reliance on over 60 uncleared samples ignited legal and ethical debates surrounding sampling practices, highlighting tensions between artistic innovation and copyright enforcement. himself has criticized stringent clearance requirements, arguing that they render the art form "illegal and dangerous" by demanding disproportionate royalties—such as 50% ownership for a single brief sample—thus stifling creativity and principles. These discussions, amplified by high-profile lawsuits like those over , positioned Endtroducing..... as a catalyst for broader conversations on equitable licensing and the transformative nature of sampling in hip-hop. As a cultural symbol of crate-digging culture, Endtroducing..... embodied the era's obsessive hunt for forgotten vinyl in dusty record stores, transforming "lost souls" of obscure , , and into a postmodern . This of urban was showcased in the 2004 documentary Scratch, where demonstrated his digging routines amid hip-hop's roots. Academically, the album is studied in for its techniques, which layered disparate elements to create narrative depth, profoundly impacting electronic music production after 2000 by popularizing sample-based composition as a legitimate creative method. In post-2020 discourse, Endtroducing..... remains relevant in discussions of AI sampling , cited as a benchmark for fully sample-derived works that parallel debates on authorship, authenticity, and untraceable data in AI-generated music. Its legacy underscores the need for balanced policies that preserve transformative practices amid technological advances, ensuring sampling's role in endures.

Reissues

The album has seen several reissues and remasters since its original 1996 release, often featuring enhanced audio quality, additional content, and special packaging to commemorate anniversaries. A notable early expanded edition arrived in 2005 as a two-CD deluxe set on Island Records, pairing the original album with a bonus disc of demos, alternate mixes, and previously unreleased material titled "Excessive Ephemera," curated by DJ Shadow to provide insight into the album's creative process. In 2011, issued a 180-gram double vinyl reissue, produced in collaboration with the original label, offering improved audio fidelity through updated pressing techniques while maintaining the tracklist of the standard edition. The 20th anniversary editions in 2016, released October 28 via Universal, expanded significantly on the 2005 deluxe format with a three-CD digipak (including the original album, the "Excessive Ephemera" disc, and a new "Endtroducing... Re-Emagined" collection of remixes by artists such as and ) and a six-LP ; these versions also featured digital expansions with the additional content available on streaming platforms. Marking the 25th anniversary, a remastered edition was released on September 24, 2021, via , with audio remastered at from the original DAT tapes and half-speed mastered for vinyl; the gatefold double LP included a 12-page booklet with new from , and a bonus 7-inch single featured Cut Chemist's of "The Number Song." In 2024, another half-speed mastered double LP remaster from was issued on April 5 via Universal Music Catalogue, specifically addressing surface noise and quality inconsistencies in prior vinyl pressings while incorporating the full tracklist, including "What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 4)," which had been omitted from some earlier LP editions.

Credits

Personnel

DJ Shadow, born Josh Davis, served as the primary artist, producer, mixer, and engineer for Endtroducing....., crafting the album almost entirely from samples using an Akai MPC60 sampler. provided assistant engineering support during the recording process. handled A&R duties for the label. The album features no major guest appearances, relying instead on extensive sampling for its vocal elements, with sampled artists credited in the liner notes. Artwork credits include sleeve design by Ben Drury and Will Bankhead, photography by B+ (Brian Cross), and montage photography by Barney Bankhead.

Track listing

No.TitleDuration
1"Best Foot Forward"0:49
2"Building Steam with a Grain of Salt"6:40
3"The Number Song"4:40
4"Changeling"7:51
5"Transmission 1"0:52
6"Stem"2:26
7"Long Stem"2:03
8"Transmission 2"0:13
9"Mutual Slump"4:06
10"Organ Donor"1:57
11"Why Hip-Hop Sucks in '96"0:43
12"Midnight in a Perfect World"4:57
13"Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain"9:23
14"What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 1 – Blue Sky Revisit)"5:08
15"Transmission 3"0:35
16"What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 4 – Blue Sky Reprise)"4:01

References

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