Reviews (page 6 of 13)
Есть пару крутых треков, старое техно
Meget cool og sej atmosfære på albummet og nogle helt vanvittige samples. Også helt vildt at det er fra 1996 så ekstra point for det
Incredible album really enjoyed it!
i listened before and i’m glad i relistened, the drum work on this album is immense, some amazing production on this, really nice sounding, laid back aesthetic sounding album, good to play in the background if you’re doing something, would recommend this it’s a nice listen
Twin Peaks sample on the outro track goes hard
Wild ride
pretty cool beats
Gewöhnungsbedürftig und sicher nicht für jede Gelegenheit passend aber die Kunst dahinter anerkennenswert, Samples im Hip Hop Style mit großer Handwerkskunst abgemixt. 7/10
Got to have on in the background.
groundbreaking…..i think
Sounds like a reconstructed, developed thoroughly Pharcyde album. Less silly. Amazing, Building Steam with a Grain of Sand is not only one of the best song titles ever but is exquisitely mapped out. The Number Song will also always get me. Hadn't listened to The Changeling before but the way it devolves and changes and balances is mental. Motifs echo throughout the albums - ghostly teardrops, clandestine peeking around corners. Strong 4.55.
Classic DJ Shadow
A lot of quality, but the problem with dance bands that have no themeing to their albums is they can overcompensate by making those albums too long
Ja nice deze, kende hem al. Ziek influential album
I get why this is part of the list. It’s kind of unique and gender. Bending this is different than most the rest of the rap and R&B that was out at the time I like a lot of it creative. I’m not sure what it really brings longer time.
Good train music! Loved the mixing, and the beats were good enough to draw you in. It felt fluid yet precise, well made and I found myself enjoying the sounds around me more through this album
Sample selection. Drum-forward. Innovative combinations of sounds - a floating female choir weaves through chopped-up funk grooves atop a skeletal piano scaffold. Experimental without being overly challenging, complex without being obnoxious, heavy at the right moments and leavened with classical in places, soul in others, or maybe that's some 70's Adult Contemporary hits... just really entertaining. Cool as ƒ€©k. Flirted with a 5 on this but it's not really on the same level as Aladdin Sane or Tears for Fears. On the other hand, I gave Fatboy Slim a 5, so maybe it is. Close, anyway. Maybe I shouldn't have given Fatboy a 5, this is easily as good.
Good sampling music - perfect for working or having on in the background but some of the songs have merit on their own and deserve your full attention
I was expecting a bit more hip hop on this album but it actually was pretty chill with mostly instrumentals. As with most instrumental tracks there are several that feature vocal samples id rather not have, but they aren't too bad. I like the random organ that pops up, and a few tracks titles and samples have a bit of humor to them, which was also a pleasant surprise. Favorite track "Organ Donor" 3.5/5
Goated
A few all time great instrumentals here...
Really enjoyed this. Great instrumental hip hop album. Amazing use of samples
surprisingly fun
Although the album was labeled as hip hop, it was surprisingly listenable.
Really cool to see a full DJ mix album on here. Although i don’t want to just rag on the Anglo centricity thing; DJ shadow got huge in England first so if you’re gonna put a DJ album on here, I guess he’s the one you know. Really awesome for ‘96. It’s just a dude jammin and I could listen to Lo fi forever.
Massively cool overall and a good bit to do with jazz, every bit as much as it has to do with hip-hop. A lot of its tropes have been long since worn out by lesser DJs and artists who can’t see the full potential of their beats and beds or don’t trust them and thus junk them up with too much. Vibey contrasts set the mood, often chill, occasionally sinister. “Midnight in a Perfect World” and the second “What Does your Soul look like?” (Vol 1) are among top cuts, though first (Vol 4) is also chill and groovy – what powerful simplicity and what a range of interesting sounds.
Such a damn cool album
Appreciated this. Not typically my go to.
Entroducing Poeh tijd voor een albumpje vol beats. DJ Shadow is een meesterproducer, en dat is terug te horen op vrijwel ieder nummer. Heel soms gaat het naar mijn gevoel nét iets te lang door, soms stopt het nét wat te snel, maar bij veel nummers is het perfect. Sicke drumbeats, ambient zweefgeluiden, ritmes, riedeltjes en patroontjes die er voor zorgen dat je je aandacht niet verliest. Rating: 8,5/10 Highlights: Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt, Organ Donor, Why Hip Hop Sucks in ‘96, Midnight In A Perfect World, Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain
Een heel album aan instrumentele beats, zonder hooks en zonder MC die het verhaal vertelt, voelt toch wel als een uitdaging. Niet perse een uitdaging om het te doorstaan, maar wel om het te beoordelen. Het ensemble aan jazzy beats kan je aandacht ook al snel ontglippen, doordat het zich prima schikt in de rol als achtergrondmuziek. Maar DJ Shadow weet het interessanter te maken dan dat, met een plaat die zich exact nestelt te midden de driehoek 'Hip Hop', 'Trip Hop' en 'IDM'. Silky instrumentals als 'Changeling', 'What Does Your Soul Look Like, Pt. 4', en 'Midnight In A Perfect World' nemen de luisteraar mee naar een dromerige wereld. Maar de plaat blijft hier niet in hangen, zoals veel andere sferische instrumentele albums dat wel neigen te doen. Ze worden verrassend smooth afgewisseld met steviger werk, waar razendsnelle techno en drum'n bass fills het bloed sneller laten stromen. Voorbeelden hiervan zijn de allesvernietigende 'Number Song' en het extreem intense 'Stem / Long Stem'. Ook de overheerlijke drums en mysterieuze ambiance in 'Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt' moeten genoemd worden. Een perfecte mood-setter zo aan het begin. DJ Shadow weet een unieke stemming neer te zetten door samples uit films, series en oude Italiaanse house muziek (Organ Donor sampled Giorgio Morodor op kenmerkende wijze) met elkaar te mixen. Strooi boven op deze intense geluiden een vleugje jazz en funk, en het luistert ook nog lekker weg ook. Ik vond het daardoor niet alleen een album dat net als een hoop instrumental Hip Hop gewoon aangenaam is om op de achtergrond aan te zetten tijdens het werken, maar hij was ook zeker in staat om op de juiste momenten de aandacht terug te grijpen. Bijzonder werkje, zeer bepalend voor de ontwikkeling van 'sampledalia', en eigenlijk van start tot einde vermakelijk. 8,5/10 Highlights: Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt What Does Your Soul Look Like, Pt. 1/Pt. 4 Stem / Long Stem Midnight In A Perfect World
super good background music
Excellent electronic music and some of the best sampling this side of Paul’s Boutique
Interesting loops and musicality in there, and not just repeated loops of a short phrase to get tired of immediately.
Vibe below midnight Relaxed but not without grit Music to melt with
I really like it. Great beats!
I liked this a lot. My wife did not. I think that's probably a pretty reasonable summary—it's noisy but I like the beats and sampling. I can see it being a very divisive listen though, and probably wouldn't put this on for others.
3.75 stars. I've revisited this album a few times for this project, each time seeking to find some stand out moments or songs, but I just end up vibing for the rest of the album. I think "Stem/Long Stem" and "What Does Your Soul Look Like" were particularly good? It speaks well of the album that all the songs flow together. It does have a certain charm with having a 90s simplicity to the mixing and editing, but still sounds modern.
More great background music
Interesante disco. En su mayoría un hip-hop instrumental super experimental, con un flow increíble por lo general. Algunos toques jazzeros también muy interesantes. Si bien tiene tramos extremadamente extraños, por lo general es super interesante, diferente a lo que se suele escuchar, y transmite una calma y sensación de paz al oirla de fondo que mola bastante.
Experiential
7/10. A little too much repetition but when I learned how it was made that made sense. Loved a lot of the beats though and put Mutual Slump and Organ Donor on the 5 Star playlist.
This was really quite good! I loved the way the layers built on each other in sometimes unexpected ways. Is that comment basic af? That’s how I felt! 8.5/10
Впечатляющий альбом в смысле того, как это всё сделано. Лучшая песня - The Number Song.
Endtroducing is one of a kinda. I’m not even sure what to say about it. 30 years later and I’ve still never heard anything it. A man telling a story through others voices. It’s probably the best background music I’ve heard. Music to put at while working. 8.8/10
A beat tape that aged so well it's hard to believe it came out almost 30 years ago. The vocal based samples and intricately crafted instrumentals sound timeless and vivid. A few tracks on here I enjoyed a bit less than most, but overall this project was a journey that I can see myself coming back to time and time again.
Interesting album that was intriguing to listen to. The variety of sounds and vibes was pretty unique. The off beat sections put off panic/unsettling feels. Overall solid.
ISCH DAS DE SAMPLE GUY JA building steam... findi sehr en coole uufbau s verlürt sich au immer wieder, findet denn aber wieder zum thema zrugg, sehr cool find funny wie d drums "glichet" bi changeling aber zum casual lose isch das doch huere müehsam hahaha oahh huere geil wenns bi stem echli los gaht, geili rhythmuswechsel joa organ donor nöd gad de banger aber funny titel es zieht sich schochli. aber es het trz immer wieder element wo intressant sind, aber 10, 15 min weniger hetts au tah und immer wieder chli creepy??
Very original, and bursting with ideas. Although it was not always stylistically my thing, DJ Shadow is amazing at his ability to create surprising and fresh arrangements. At times the album really grooved too and created interesting atmospheres.
I wouldn’t be more surprised if my 83 year old mother in law jumped out of Chris Rock’s birthday cake! I really enjoyed this album! It’s like background music in a classic video game. Grooving.
A game changer, a sampling masterpiece, a record without equal.
Was familiar but the whole thing is really impressive. Feels like a symphony
The first triphop album I got into when I started branching away from metal. Rinsed it dry, but can still hear the quality. It drags in parts, cant help but feel a lot of the interludes could have been cut, and each song trimmed slightly. Very good album, but just shy of great.
One of the most unique and interesting listening experiences. I think I would play this again while working, not every song but majority of them definitely need multiple listens. Just because of the ambience and complexity of the sampling I have to give it a 4.
A very good album to chill and ease into your Monday morning with. One of the more interesting DJ albums out there. Shadow does a remarkable job of representing multiple styles and weaving things together in ways that might sound conventional today but were mind-blowingly fresh for 1996. Furthermore the number of endless hours of listening to vinyl it required to just nab a few second sample here and a ten sample second there requires supreme patience and taste. I think way more effort was put into the creation of this album than you might think. Also as someone who has some experience with this method of production, props to Shadow for managing to create this with the technology available to him as an indie artist in 1996. Definitely the type of album that totally deserves to be on this list. This is the album that inspired the groundbreaking albums from Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Massive Attack, Radioplay, and countless other acts from 1996 up to now. For some that would be an indictment, but not in my view, as I enjoy the endless amount of diverse sounds and interpretations it has created. You can tell this came from someone who just loves music, of every type, from everywhere. My favorite tracks were "Building Steam With a Grain of Salt", "Stem/Long Stem (Medley)", and "Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain (Medley)
This has good associations for me. I remember downloading it from the uni halls FTP and also it was on a lot at the bouldering wall. Feels like it's aged pretty well
Good listening for the morning
Really good, but some songs get repetitive
Super solid beats. Can definitely trace the influences. Its pretty long but overall a good listen, will revisit in the future.
Felt more like a movie soundtrack than anything else, but a great one. Music made entirely of samples is certainly legit, and there are a lot of really interesting things going on here, but I am not quite at a 5. Curious to see how successive listens may change my rating.
Great chill-out album. The warm hiss of spinning vinyl permeates every moment.
I loved this album in the 90s. It was such an interesting new feel to have an album constructed from only samples. I'm not sure it has aged all that well. I love most tracks, but that's most likely because I loved them long, long before listening this time. I think there's a fairly clear line from this album to his later productions, but this isn't DJ Shadow firing on all cylinders, and many tracks feel a bit longer than they had to be.
Took sample craft to a.new level.
Я вообще не знаю что ожидать, вообще хз что это, по обложке ни че го не понятно. Лёгкое пиано на старте, это брейккор момент? :D да нет, не может быть. Ща поди рэп начнётся Хм, рэп-то не начинается. Чилл биточек, приятный. Груви! А мне понравилось. Не могу сказать что это тупо топ, пара треков было приятных, остальное всё так, на фон. Но хорошо
Remember this one from the late 90s and it was pretty important in terms of opening the door to more of the mixing and sampling subgenre of hip/trip hop. It’s mostly great as background vibe music but undeniably cool.
I’ll give it a 4 for being groundbreaking. But probably a 3 for my listening tastes. Was nice to work to in the background.
trippy, ambient, and abstract but not in a jarring or nonsensical way
Nice!!
Really cool album. Many songs I absolutely adore, but for me there are a few that drag a tiny bit
Amazing. Absolute classic and all bangers. Many good memories. Very long - over 2 hours.
ive got a pregnant snake
Yes, this is my jam. What they did here was awesome, and it's only not so mind blowing to me now because of all the copycats since then. This is the one of the best headphone albums of the early 21st century.
I want to go back in time and play this in my teenage bedroom with low lighting and incence burning...
Got into DJ shadow after watching Andrew Reynold's part in the Birdhouse skating flick called The End. "Organ Donor" stayed on my mp3 player for a long time after that.
Nice easy listening, great musical notes.
Wow. Should have known about DJ Shadow. Don't know why I didn't, but TBH, better late than never! Another good find by the 1001albumsgenerator. So yeah, shout out there. This genre skates on "my" tastes and is easy for me to like. Instead of one or two songs that crush it for me, I kinda feel like the whole album has a consistently high vibe and definitely will pay more attention to DJ Shadow's work (from whenever).
Je suis resté vraiment impressionné par cet album. J'étais vraiment sceptique à l'idée d'écouter du hip-hop instrumental, mais c'est tellement bien réalisé qu'on n'a pas l'impression qu'il manque du rap pour aller dessus. Définitivement à réécouter. 8/10
Interesting and unexpected. 4/5
chilled background noice that was very plesant. not what I was expeciong but a fun listen
# Playlist track - Organ Donor # Notes - Super solid album. - It's super experimental, so it kind of loses me at times, and it's definitely not the easiest thing to listen. Still super cool! - Incredible sampling.
Not really something I'd seek out, but I enjoyed it. Expert control of mood and atmosphere. I would probably only listen as background music, but it would handle that job well.
Influential only a couple songs that really pop
Enjoyed this one.
I had never heard of the artist or the album. But, I really enjoyed the creativity and power. I will definitely enjoy this one again.
This was cool and innovative, and surprisingly melodic. The samples were used as for inspiration, not dericvation.
Feels like I should be playing street pickup in the Bronx. Thx Aiden
Enjoyed the beats!
Ja virheetöntä niin sanottua chilling and wibing menoa heh.. Noh ei ei..Tästä löytyy tunnetta ja asiaa.. Vaikka loppuu kuin lökä pöksyyn ja unten maille.. Paras biisihän long stem 7 min soitto.. oikeassa oltiin.. Vaan sitoudutaan albumiin hassusti.. noh.. harmi..
ive tried listening to this a few times in the past and always stopped a few tracks in because i didnt think it was very interesting and i dont care how they made it. im not an instrumental hip hop fan but i actually really enjoyed it as background noise this listen. i can see myself coming back to this. im really not sure what to rate this but i enjoyed it enough to give it a 7
Good stuff
Heel afwisselend, knap, origineel
elämme epävarmoja aikoja. vanhat maailmat ovat muuttumassa epätahdista, uudet maailmat ovat sekaannuksessa ja mikä pahentaa tilannetta, supermies näyttää jääneen varhaiseläkkeelle... ONNEKSI ON DJ SHADOW....... SHADOWCASTER MASTER THE REAL MOTHERFUCKING GANGSTER ... ''For me, this is where electronic music began'' jaa no sitten olet vaan aivan vitun tyhmä henkilö, että peukut pystyssä täällä että kasvain saadaan irroitettua.. heh... one lineri, hullu roast... vain parempi ihminen keksii tollaista.. vittuun pois nää intermissionit voi helvetti sentään long stem
2-29-2024 This is such a cool idea. I'm glad Sarah included me in it. Mellow. This kind of stuff is cool. It doesn't "speak to me" but it's pleasant to listen to. Untitled is my FAVORITE ! LMAO "And they all got ass" Also, mutual slump -------------- Second listen started in the morning. First track hit me and I'm "primed to listen" I like it.
Quality. Great samples, beats, vibes.
Maravilla
This was actually cool. Completely composed out of samples, this is quite extraordinary. Will listen again.
Trance-like, jazzy techno
Nice groovy chill instrumentals. Pretty good
Masterpiece of texture and layering, of synthesizing for mood and vibe and incorporating many different elements (see “Organ Donor”). Opener is quite intriguing with near-minimalist piano setting a tense mood. “Stem/Long-Stem” and “Transmission 2” seem to want to be classical and ambient, respectively. A work – or composition – best judged as a whole, it feels like a hip-hop flavored genre of its own (made with hip-hop techniques), with lots of jazz influences and atmospherics, and ample ambient feels, too. Super influential and has held up on its own terms quite sturdily indeed. 100%-worth knowing and hearing.
Excellent instrumental album. In every song I was expecting a rapper to come in with some heat, but they never did. It was just sick beats on top of sick beats on top of sick beats.
Cool. But hard not to compare to later music. 3.5/5
Interesting Trip Hop. More instrumental than anything yet interesting enough to revisit.
"Building Steam with a Grain of Salt", "Stem / Long Stem - Medley" and "Mutual Slump" are the standout tracks.
cool
Enjoyed
Wasn't sure what to expect with a hip-hop instrumental album, but came out pleasantly surprised. The samples and genre fusing across this thing create some incredible beats that easily stand on their own without lyrics. It felt very Portishead at times, and old school at others. It really felt like an album that actually belongs on this list.
A great album to serve as background soundtrack while working or reading a book. With a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere. I will definitely listen to it again. Best Track: What does your soul look like pt. 1
DJ Shadow is absolute fire! I really love Nobody Speak (collab with RTJ who are also fire) so my eyes widened when I saw this album come up. Really enjoyed the album and look forward to more.
A bit of DJ Rekluse vibe.
Very 90s cybercafe
very good production but dragged on a little bit some filler songs favourite song was organ donor
Really liked this. Makes me want to research how people compare him to Dilla
I didnt think I'd like this when I got it, but Midnight in a perfect world specifically is hauntingly beautiful. That hooked me and I ended up delightfully surprised by the entire album. A surprise to be certain!
Not my thing but I enjoyed this album.
a very fine example of what this is
I'm not really a rap/hiphop fan, but this was surprisingly enjoyable. Nice variety and a tongue in cheek vibe.
I'm going with a solid 4.5. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would it just drug on a little bit in the middle for a few songs
Remember the album well. Very good.
确实是不错的采样主义
I kept asking myself why I liked this one, I don’t have an answer, but I did like it.
The vibes were perfect for the day.
Such interesting sound, very cool
I already knew and loved this album. But I haven't heard it in a long time and I was curious to see how well it holds up. Really well! I spotify-liked 4 tracks from the album, but I think the entire album has a great sound.
Really liked the concept, songs were unique and interesting
Aika hyvä 3.5/5 Oli kylll 3.75/5 Diggasin 🤌🏼
Since long time HipHop again. Nice album.
This album will forever remind me of the movie Dark Days. This is the perfect gritty urban soundtrack. The sampling is so seamless, it’s effortless. This was a landmark in instrumental hip hop and its impact is still felt.
Honestly great vibes
i can imagine that breakcore originated from this genre. it sounds like a slower, calmer version of breakcore. i love it, but it feels like it's missing an element in some songs. after reading other reviews i could see my opinion was somewhat shared too.
I'll often see praise for this being the greatest instrumental hip hop album of all time, and perhaps for good reason. DJ Shadow has an impressive ability for taking a typical sample and utilizing extensive production techniques at his disposal. To this extent, Endtroducing is like a bag of tricks that just keep coming. Where the UK was heavily invested in the world of trip hop during the 90's, America had DJ Shadow. And while not every track is the most impressive or mind-blowing, it displays a certain creative energy necessary to elevate the genre and industry practices as a whole.
I used to hate the way this album sounded so rough and underproduced, but I think it's part of the charm now and it adds authenticity.
good, innovative stuff that still sounds good in 2024, but quite long
I like the style but the result is not really that great. Stem/Long stem medley would really fit for a DOOM 2 MIDIs Organ donor is a favorite of mine.
I usually dislike hip hop but enjoyed dj Shadow. It was good chill music to have one while working
A solid chillout/triphop album - personal faves are Stem/Long Stem and What Does Your Soul Look Like. An excellent one to unwind after a long and stressful day.
Such a wide and wild mix of styles and genres! This album contained a lot of elements which I heard from Bonobo, Tycho and such. So Downtempo, Chillwave. I thought these things came up around 10 years later or so.
This is a remarkable album that rewards repeated listens. It’s complex, layered, playful and chilled at the same time. The samples are eclectic drawing from ambient, jazz, funk and film scores combined in sometimes surprising and unexpected ways. Definitely one to listen to on headphones!
Great album; stumbled across it almost 20 years ago and I'm still hooked in the first seconds. The composition and ambiance work on this album are noteworthy, it takes you to a journey with ups and downs, and I find the whole pretty coherent. There are obvious bangers (Stem/Long Stem for starters) and chiller parts that lean to trip-hop (and that the main clue that gives away the age of the record, you hear that you can smell the mid-'90s). The composition makes me think of progressive stuff I usually encounter in rock-related genres. And I can't imagine the work required to chisel such a record. Great work!
Went to college listening to it, I already knew one of the songs on it. Great album ! 7/10 based on what I like and enjoy.
Really interesting album.
Wasn't sure what to think of this album. It is cool. How cool? Still thinking about that. But the first song that came up randomly after the album ended was by Run the Jewels and those guys kick serious ass. So if DJ Shadow's weird brand of hip hop from the 90's helped clear a path for Killer Mike and El-P then that is a big deal. His sampling doesn't feel like sampling, it feels natural. And it's 100% sampling! I really enjoyed his songs with a harrowing or ominous sound - Building Steam with a Grain of Salt (that heavy but simple piano presence), What Does Your Soul Look Like Pt. 4 (that funky bass and weird vocal), Stem / Long Stem (that soft and heavy percussion along with different strings), Organ Donor (that organ - watch your back!), Midnight in a Perfect World (the gloomy vocals and piano). Not a perfect album by any means, but not average either. Feels like a 3.5 is in order but since I can't give that rating and I don't want to give it a 3, I rounded up.
Some very cool grooves and incredibly smooth samples - a great example of someone taking samples and making them sound like completely new songs. Favorite tracks: Building Steam With a Grain of Salt, The Number Song, Midnight in a Perfect World, Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain (Medley). Not rating it a 5 because it's basically high quality background music - plus there are a few samples I dislike (like the weird bullfrog vocal thing in What Does Your Soul Look Like, Pt 4), but it's a very good album that I can see revisiting.
Great start. I love instrumental music and have been trying to listen to more hip-hop this year. Took a couple tracks to get into what was being laid down, but I especially love the chill cosmic hang-out vibes of the second half. Can definitely see myself relistening to this album.
An incredible soundscape....Not heard anything like this before... very engaging
I’ve never heard of this artist or album before, but it was really nice. Well-created mix of samples.
Lots of horror-movie sounds and soundtrack samples worked into the beats give most of this album a wonderfully creepy vibe. “Midnight in a Perfect World” is, in my opinion, a respite from the gloom (and “Why Hip Hop Sucks in ‘96,” but that’s only 44 seconds long). I remember buying this when it first came out - don’t remember how I heard about it - but I was not prepared for its overall ominous tone. I came to love it and it holds up today.
Not what I'd have chosen for myself. That said, this was an album ahead of its time. I enjoyed several songs immensely; the rest was decent background music. Nice to stretch some boundaries with this.
I don’t know how to explain this other than…. Vibes
not usually one for instrumental hip hop but this is obviously a beautiful example it. still, I don't think this would ever be a repeated active listen for me, but i can certainly appreciate it. midnight in a perfect world is a banger though
90s techno teance feel
Unusually for an album of this length, this got better as it went along. By the end I was very into it indeed. This was the kind of thing that the Indie Kid of the 90s shunned, while the more out-there types got bang into it. Well I can see why now. It's superb working music, which, as mentioned previously, may not be a total compliment, but is extremely useful.
This one I know to be a classic, though I'm not really familiar with it or DJ Shadow. I think I listened once, expecting a cool hip hop beat tape, and was disappointed. The reality is, I don't think I understood it. This isn't really a "hip hop" project in that sense at all. Sure, it's a lot of sample-based beat making, and a few of these beats could work on a hip hop album, but as a whole this doesn't strike me as hip hop. Wikipedia says things like "trip hop" or "plunderphonics," which makes me think of The Avalanches or The Books. For me, taking away that genre expectation significantly improved the listening experience. I do really like this, the sample work is pretty impressive and enjoyable. Not something I personally would annoint as classic or essential based on my listen, but I have no awareness of the scene or context surrounding it, so I won't doubt it. And even without that awareness, it's a pretty great ride. Really enjoy the long tracks that just let the instrumental breathe. Favorite tracks: Best Foot Forward, Building Steam, Changeling, What Does Your Soul Look Like, Organ Donor, Napalm Brain. Album art: Definitely a classic cover, the kind I've seen a hundred times. Couple guys digging through crates at a record store, who can relate? Captures the spirit of sample-based work like this, and the blur and anonymity of the shot gives this an air of mystery. 4/5
Also ahead of its time. He also puts on an amazing live show
Unique and interesting. I’m here for it.
Totally amazing. I was under the impression DJ Shadow was an UK act, lol. This is something extraordinary.
this is the perfect album for doing background stuff. it meanders a little from time to time but overall I found myself vibing to this whole album as I worked through my day, good stuff
Oh what’s this? One of the best examples of sampling ever?!? I used to love this album back in the day so it was very nice to return to it. Drags a little in the middle but overall it’s terrific
Quite enjoyed this - still very fresh-sounding despite being nearly 20 years old. Like the repeated themes throughout. Will happily listen again.
I unfairly judged the cover and didn't think I'd like this album but there was a lot to like about it and some of the tracks were very much my vibe.
Honestly a great album, but it felt like it was missing something. It makes sense given how influential it was and the year it came out. Maybe if a rapper was paired with DJ Shadow or the songs were a little more complex like the Avalanches. Great homework album though
Enjoyed. 7/10
This holds up.
Dit album is een constante trip. Het feit dat het compleet gesampled is en dat er eigenlijk vrijwel geen origineel geluid in zit draagt naar mijn mening zo erg bij aan wat het vet maakt. Dit is dus echt een album waarvan ik meteen begrijp waarom het in de lijst staat. Het is vernieuwend voor de tijd, er zijn weinig albums die hier op lijken en het is muzikaal ook gewoon een ijzersterk album! Organ Donor is zeeeeeeeer herkenbaar - Camelo's Christening van Vilchezz pakt dat sampletje ook volgens mij. God, wat is dit toch een lekker album. Toch denk ik dat het voor mij een 4 sterren album is, ik zou het 4,5 geven als dat kon maar ik neig eerder naar de 4 dan naar de 5. Er zit toch te veel filler tussen en niet elk nummer is voor mij even speciaal. 4 sterren is wel ontzettend hoog though!
Instrumental hip hoptrip hopplunderphonics, sampledelia.
Experimental: the different sounds made it a very unique listen which I was slightly digging. Like nothing I have really listened to before which was I was wanting smth different to enjoy. Overall a solid listen and would recommend.
One of the albums that got me into instrumental hip-hop. I enjoy most of the album throughout and don't think there's much filler.
I think many who hear this in 2024, take this for granted because technology has come so far that you can produce this on your home computer. The painstaking detail and time used to layer and create on this is incredible. Smoke a joint, put your headphones on and sit back and enjoy this.
parking tickets listen to 2021 re-release tho; it's better
Really good instrumental hiphop album. It is a bit long, but the songs are pretty much all good, so its not to big of an issue. Works best in the background.
mágico misterioso divino
Instrumental hip hoptrip hopplunderphonics, sampledelia.
I should look into his catalog!
Very interesting one
I come back to this one every few years and really like it. It's not my normal style of music but this one really stands out.
It's alright, doesn't seem to stand out much, but good background music. Not quite sure what the artist is going for here.
Instrumental hip hoptrip hopplunderphonics, sampledelia.
Very good!!! The best way to describe it is if your friend hands you a flip camera and asks you to record some skate tricks. It’s ephemeral and has solid rhythm; each song has buildup. It’s just good music imo
Nice. Will listen to again.
Jaren 90 dance/electronisch
Old school sampling.
Lots of interesting textures and clever use of samples. Not my usual but I enjoyed this!
Def a mood
very confident album on the whole and despite the change in vibes between songs the whole experience was very smooth and not jarring. I like the mix of instrumentals and vocals Building steam with a grain of salt is cheeky and I love it Changeling and what does your soul mean to me are very soothing to me
Really original
Surprisingly great listen!
Not my style, but certainly a great album.
groovy AF. 4 stars.
decent
Good vibes
Love it
An album made entirely of sampled material…the first of its kind. Vibrant, heart pumping, and difficult to imagine how it’s so fully realized given it’s place in history.
- Even better than I remember it. Can't quite get to five stars, but its real close. - Maybe the best-composed plunderphonics album of all time? Shadow is really doing some incredible stuff here.
really good. rainy day vibes a lot of the time but great songs through and through.
Solid tracks. Seminal album for sure. 4.5/5
Encore du Hip-hop, mais pas degueu du tour
Enjoyed this one - a very important to the genre!
I like this a lot. Nice drum rhythm EDM. Cool samples and funky tracks at times 4.1
Wish I had known about this album 27 years ago! Great sampling choices and composition. He could have delved even more in places and gone full concept album, and I would have been even more pleased. Need this one for car trips.
Pretty good for background and/or focus. Wouldn't necessarily put this on just for fun, though.
Didn’t know what to expect, I’ve heard of this without really hearing it. Really enjoyed it, reminded me of the Byrne/Eno Bush of Ghosts with record scratches and breakbeats.
I like this album, I think DJ Shadow used sampling to create something artistic and different sounding. Having said that I thought the weird blast beat on stem was a strange choice. Overall I’m conflicted about sampling as it can be quite lazy and can alter my enjoyment of the original songs that were sampled. This album still gets a 4/5 as it has an interesting and mysterious atmosphere to it.
Some interesting stuff on here for sure. Will need to listen again some time.
very chill, all vibes, lets go highlights: -building steam with a grain of salt -changeling/transmission -what does your soul look like -midnight in a perfect world
Groundbreaking turntablism. I can't think of anything like it. Majestic.
Haven't listened to this whole album in years, forgot how good it was to have on while working. 3.5/5
I've heard a lot of buzz about this album on the 1001 albums subreddit, so I had really high hopes for this. I tend to enjoy music that employs a lot of sampling, and this album was no different. These songs were incredibly pleasant to listen to, and I thought they were incredibly well produced. It's really impressive that DJ Shadow built this entire album almost completely off of sampling and that he used minimal equipment to do it. I'll definitely listen to this album again soon.
The musics coming through me
Classic, always a pleasure to return to.
Chill
Wow I really liked this
It was quite a rollercoaster. But exactly what he does, experimental. I loved it, it was a unique experience for me and I like that. Quite a fun album
Ein Werk, wortwörtlich: das ist alles aus samples gebastelt. Was für eine Mammutaufgabe. Und was man erst alles dafür gehört haben muss. Bisschen lang vielleicht.
good album, enjoyed the tunes and mixes.
Really cool album. Never heard of DJ Shadow, crazy that this sound was produced in the mid 90s. Seems like it was also probably way ahead of its time (saying also cause I reviewed Gorrilaz yesterday). Some sick tracks, but I think my brain didnn’t appreciate as much as I wouldv’e if I heard it 20 years ago. Just oversaturated by lofi beats today. But still dank, 4 stars cause ik this piece was way ahead of its time.
A bit overrated and inconsistent but somehow still great
Some great parts, I knew more than I thought I would, catchy parts too
Great instrumentals. Never listened to hip hop/rap album with limited vocals but I enjoyed this one. Definitely a killer album with good energy.
Het neefje van de Propellerheads zo te horen. Maffe filmcitaten, hier en daar wat spionnenklanken, orgeltje ertussen. Het is wat minder uptempo, maar verder een leuke trip.
Vermakelijke verzameling van deuntjes en beatjes uit de triphoptijd. Het heeft niet dezelfde eeuwigheidswaarde als de albums die we eerder mochten luisteren, maar het is toch wel weer lekker relaxed. 3,5 ster, die ik maar weer eens naar boven afrond
Endtroducing.....a classic album of sampling-turntablist hip-hop.
Es un todo, los elementos se correlacionan de manera interesantísima y el tono de intriga del disco es excepcional. Es impresionante que sampleando se logre tal resultado. He escuchsdo discos instrumentales de hip hop pero llega un punto que cansan, este reslmente vive y es consciente de ello. El jazz las baterias impredecibles pero con groove, los elementos que se asoman, todo parecen detalles por un chef en un plato perfecto 8/10.
Nice
Thought it was fun, a bit of a mood really. Good for car driving tbh. Overall enjoyed it.
I didn't really know what to expect and wasn't that optimistic. But the the intro was cute and the album stayed interesting throughout. I liked it a lot.
Really enjoyed this, great use of sampling. I liked the jazzy, hypnotic feel of many of the tracks
So cool. Very little else to say.
Meanders a little bit but otherwise a very cool album!
It sounds like if lofi hiphop had a caffeine-induced 3 AM inspiration to do something which sounds like big beat and did it. And it's great. Surprising form someone who I discovered from Run the Jewels' "Nobody Speak".
Bardzo przyjemna muzyka do słuchania, spokojnie dzień może minąć przy tych utworach
I enjoyed it. Not what I would usually listen to, but it was good.
Wow, when Best Foot Forward started I thought I knew what to expect, but because I accidentally had shuffle on, Midnight In A Perfect World came on next, and that was nothing like I expected at all! What a beautiful song. Even going back and listening to the second track Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt this isn't the kind of hip hop album I thought it was gonna be. I had no idea about instrumental hip hop albums. The Number Song is really cool with that underlying guitar. Gives it a heavy rock / industrial feeling. Same with Stem/Long Stem. Transmission 2 has such a gorgeous intro. Honestly, I need to listen to this album a lot more. I bet it'd be great for a late night chill listen.
Started quite weak for me but ended very very strong, almost hypnotic. Teetering between 3 and 4 stars - and I think it's interesting and innovative enough to take the higher score. The album as a whole won't be entering my rotation, but a couple of key tracks that will do.
It’s a classic and most people’s intro to turntablism. Shadow set the bar with this album’s commercial success, ironically selling millions of CDs when the album is made of vinyl loops, for lo-fi hip hop. Listening back now though, seems kind of boring. Or maybe a soundtrack to a movie.
Pretty incredible how every major label producer spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time trying to replicate a sound generated by a dude with a sampler in a room.
3.5 stars. Chill mostly instrumental trip hop that feels like a precursor to Lo-Fi. Created entirely from samples high production quality. Impressive for a debut album. Personal favorite track was "Organ Donor."
1. “Best Foot Forward” 😃 2. “Building Steam With a Grain of Salt” 🔥 3. “The Number Song” 💎 4. “Changeling” 🔥 5. “Transmission 1” 👍 6. “What Does Your Soul Look Like, Pt. 4” 😃 7. “Untitled” 👍 8. “Stem / Long Stem (Medley)” 😃 9. “Transmission 2” 👍 10. “Mutual Slump” 🔥 11. “Organ Donor” 😃 12. “Why Hip-Hop Sucks In ‘96” 👍 13. “Midnight In a Perfect World” 🔥 14. “Napalm Brain / Scatter Brain (Medley)” 🔥 15. “What Does Your Soul Look Like, Pt. 1 (Blue Sky Revisit)” 😃 16. “Transmission 3” 👍 Overall rating: 🔥 Classic meter: 💮💮💮
Spännande! Instrumentala hip hop-beats gjorda helt på samples. Som ett soundtrack. Ofta big beat-igt på ett härligt sätt, drivna trummor. I 'Stem / Long Stem / Transmission 2' händer något. Trummorna fuckar ur på ett sätt, väldigt hype. 'Organ Donor' och 'Midnight In A Perfect World' också bra. Väldigt solitt album! Bästa låt: Stem / Long Stem / Transmission 2. Men mest för "Stem"-delen.
Alfa beats. Good lyrics.
I enjoyed all of it. Especially the number song. shoutout to orion
I normally don't care for instrumental albums but this was very enjoyable and kept me engaged. The drums were the highlight, great album.
4/5
Liked it a lot, some great beats. Really loved a couple of tracks, but others made me a bit nervous. 3,5/5
Man this was an enjoyable listen. It’s unlike pretty much anything I’ve heard before-it’s a weird feeling since it feels like music from another world where you can barely latch onto anything, but in a good way. The Melodies and musical segments hook you in and then they Fleet away into something else. The highlights are astronomical, and the interludes are still listenable. Not a universally playable album but for what it is it executes perfectly. Highlights are Building Steam, Changeling, and Stem.
Amazing album. I've heard of DJ Shadow before but never took the time to listen to any of his songs. The first track on the album blew me away. 4/5 worth a purchase!
Listened to this a lot when it came out, but not at all in recent years. It's technically impressive, but now seems a bit soulless.
I didn't expect to like this it's not really my genre. But I loved it! It's chilled out an powerful at the same time. I can imagine it as a backing track to an amazing dance routine (I'm almost choreographing it in my head). I think I will listen to this one again
I enjoyed this album for chill background office music
What a solid and exciting work. After decades, it still keeps its sharp and its passion
4.5
I followed up Grandmaster Flash’s pioneering of scratching and sampling with perhaps the peak with DJ Shadow’s “Endtroducing…” It’s really cool what Shadow was able to do with nothing but a collection of samples, but the collage lacks heart and soul too much of the time.
The first album ever comprised entirely of samples of existing works. Is this art? It’s a good question. Is it meta art? Is meta art just art? Also good questions. There are infinite ways to create original music, which can result in whole body, euphoric as well as wretched experiences. There are also infinite ways to create fully sampled music, and it’s a smaller set of infinity. Can it be just as enjoyable as original art? Yes, this is art. Yes, this is meta art, which is also art. Yes, this is just as enjoyable as “original” music because it is original. The process of choosing the samples, splicing them, layering them, looping them, and joining them together is original. Side note that surprised me: Lyrics Born is the guy on the cover wearing a wig. He was part of the Solesides Collective with DJ Shadow. Lyrics Born is great. Give his album, Later That Day . . ., a try. It’ll be worth your time.
Very cool, jazzy, instrumental hip-hop. Fun variety of tunes, definitely worth a listen.
Listened Before? N This was a surprise. A great vibe and very, very well executed instrumental hip hop album. Thoroughly enjoyed it beginning to end. I will be revisiting it ASAP. Maybe even right now! Added to Library? Y Songs added to playlist: Midnight in a Perfect World
9/10. dms weno y cohesivo. todas las canciones son buenisimas y varia entre weas mas hiphop y weas cmo midnight in a perfect world q suena como moby pero melhor.
I have owned this album for a very long time, but this was the first time I had listened all the way through. While I did find it an enjoyable listen, I am not sure I put it on a pedestal the same way that critics seem to have in the past. 3.5/5
This had a great beat and flow to it. Great for driving or working.
I have a soft spot for this type of music, think it takes real talent to produce. Brilliant stuff enjoyed majority
A good background listen
1. Best Foot Forward: intro using samples. 2. Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt: beat goes hard, vocal stems over it complement really well. 8/10 3. The Number Song: again crazy beat, breaktype goes hard. 7.5/10 3. Changeling: really nice track again, like the tempo changes. 7/10 4. Transmission 1: trippy interlude 5. What Does Your Soul Look Like - Pt 4. : 6. Untitled: interlude 7. Stem/Long Stem: this had some really hard parts in it. 8.5/10 8. Transmission 2: follow up on trippy interlude 9. Mutual Slump: casual banger. 7.5/10 10. Organ Donor: not my favorite one but still good. 6/10 11. Why Hip-Hop Sucks In '96: nice interlude 12. Midnight In A Perfect World: also really nice. 8/10 Overall great album with some seriously good tracks.
Fun fact: DJ Shadow's favorite holiday is Groundhogs Day.
Goes very hard but it's also very 90s. It feels very much like 90s hip hop remixes, which isn't a bad thing, but definitely has that feeling, so if that's not your scene you won't like it.
Listened to this all the time in college. Mostly holds up, though my tastes have changed
This is the progressive hip hop one w not a lot of words. very inspiring drums, played w tempo and signature a lot,
Listening at work and it works well as background music but is also interesting enough for intentional listening. Creates a nice mood to settle into, it propels you forward gently but with purpose.
very intersting electronic album, well used samples and it never gets stale
Real cool
Really quite enjoyed this, an interesting trip through well linked musical genres with some pretty funky grooves.
This was significantly more interesting than i expected. A ethereal tubular bells vibe mixed in with a bit of hip hop beat. It was quite atmospheric and there were enough cool tracks to make it worth listening to.
Me gusta mucho primero porque es muy relaxing todo el disco y segundo porque tiene mucha variedad en el uso de samples, desde cosas sacadas de temas de jazz hasta creo que algo de un tema de Nirvana.
Its a nice chill sample vibe
Now we're talkin'. This album was such a pleasure when it came out. I really enjoyed revisiting this classic.
4.5
Caught me by surprise. Lead off song had a very compelling hook. Heavy on percussion but a bit light lyrically. Absolutely spot on for the music around the drum line. Worthy of additional listens
Bit weird, not terrible
I liked this way more than I expected to. Normally I put shit on this sort of stuff but this kinda sucked me in. Apparently the whole thing is samples + an 808 (or similar) but the only tune I definitely recognised was Metallica's "Orion". Another bit sounded like one of the themes from FVII but I think this predates that. The whole album was probably too long, but that's just standard fare for electronica. I'd listen to some of this again for sure. A strangely high 4/5.
How to review an album like this! Something that’s so self-evidently influential, that it must have inspired every producer within a 15-year timespan afterwards… from Alchemist to No ID to Nujabes to Doom. It’s all there. I get why it’s on the list… it’s very significant. Supposedly it’s the album that got Radiohead to start sampling on OK Computer! It’s kind of the moment when it all crystallizes for hip hop… when sampling really takes on a life of its own, is coming into its own as an art. And I’m really happy that 1001 made me finally sit down and listen to this album… one I always said I’d get around to. It’s also really, really interesting to listen to still. There are things about it that are funny, like the skits (which hip hop is now replete with). There’s sentimentality… I can just picture a younger Nujabes listening to this and the gears start turning. And still, there are aspects of the production that are surprising, or feel like you haven’t heard it copied to death yet. All on an MPC60, which makes the record sound both familiar and yet like sonic unobtanium. It’s the way samples are supposed to sound to so many producers, because this is how they hear it in their heads, but it’s more truly lo-fi than all of that. Inspiring as heck. Even the super dated parts feel fresh on this album. Long live sampling! 4/5.
Sooo cool! You're watching in real time as sampling as an art form is being explored. Of course by 1996 sampling had been around for a little while, but this record feels like a much more mature version of hip hop. Some of these songs sound like they could have come out 10 years later! With records like these I always tend to feel like it's sort of a wasted opportunity. Where's the rapper?? Or at least the singer? Some of these tracks would be SO good with someone on them. That's probably just my personal taste but... I can't say I wasn't making up some lyrics in the car listening.
It’s not usually my taste, but there was a sense of mystery and uneasiness that is very powerful throughout the album. Perfect for doing homework or studying, as it has minimal vocals and relies more on instrumentals. I liked it more than thought I would.
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Building steam with a grain of salt, Changeling, Stem/Long stem, Organ donor
Hip-hop instrumental. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
Instrumental hip hoptrip hopplunderphonics, sampledelia.
Excellent stuff. Had written this off before I’d even heard it. This is the true beauty of the exercise!
Instrumental which I think is a first for this list. Great and very valmong for the most part
Never heard of it, liked it!
Great tunes
A classic, milestone album 4+/5
Notes - Instrumental sample-based hiphop album - Found sounds, vocal manipulation, unconventional drum sampling - Unique sound and mood - Samples pulled from albums found in used record bins - A lot of the songs use a sort of contrast of samples and sounds that shouldn’t go together but work in the context of the album - Kinda feels like this was the jumping off point of the whole lo-fi hip hop genre - Kinda reminds me of j dilla and nujabes Fav - Mutual slump - Really cool vibe with the super resonant drums and muted keyboard sample & noisy elements Least fav - Organ donor - I like the idea of using the organ but I think it sort of falls apart in the second half 4/5
This was such an influential album. Without DJ Shadow, the phenomenon that is Lofi Girl and the dozens of other "chill tracks to study to" YouTube imitators wouldn't exist. My studying days are long past but I turn to this kind of jam on a weekly basis to GSD. It's chill but driving, interesting but not distracting. The production quality is so good that my subconscious has something to listen to and I'm not going to get tripped up by anything problematic. Overall, it's just a great album.
I absolutely LOVED this record when it came out. It was mind-blowing. However, either my tastes have changed or the musical world has caught up with DJ Shadow because it felt a bit pedestrian. Strange. Still going to give it 4 for old time's sake, but if I was listening now, I think it might be a low 3.
Great background noise, great mixing, great alignment of different genres that share a beat. 4/5.
Hip hop? Jazz? Ambient? All three??? Will be very good on a night shift
Thought I would hate this. I was expecting it to be like an hour of Sandstorm by Darude. But I was pleasantly surprised. Loved that he samplemteal instruments and not all synths. Some real contemporary beats in here.
Hip-hop instrumental. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
Great record. Bought this on vinyl a few years ago. It’s an album to put on and let it wash all over you. A hip hop, sampling masterclass. Highlights: Building Stream With A Grain of Salt, The Number Song, Changeling, Mutual Slump
I've never really clicked with this album but I appreciate the heck out of it - the technical wizardry on display is astounding, and DJ Shadow conjures up some quite eerie vibes in impressive fashion
Super chill, be try experimental and samply. Really like it. Favs: Stem/Long Stem, Organ Donor, Napalm Brain/ Scatter Brain
So good. Sums up so much of the 90s - 4/5
Not one I would ever have chosen, but one I will definitely come back to! Might be better suited as background music for me, while studying or cycling, but enough to keep the interest if I'm listening "properly" too.
Quintessential Trip Hop Album, 4/5 Highlight- "Stem/ Long Stem"/"Transmission 2"
电子,****
Very interesting album. If you’re a hip hop fan it is a must. It is a prelude to all the sampling done from the late 90s to present. I can definitely see how this album has its thumbprints all over hip hop. The Number Song and Stem/Stem Long were my favorite songs.