I have recently purchased this album and have played it endlessly. To me, this album is all about the drums. As a DJ, when choosing records, other parts such as hooks or vocals would always come first; however, in this piece everything seems to come after the drums. If you are a fan of either Hip-hop or Electronica -- or even Rock, this album could change your perspective on the potential of a drum. For mainstream music, the appearance of the artist as a DJ or it containing samples might lead some skeptics to believe that this album may have an underground aesthetic.

According to one of my best friend's wise words, "Endtroducing" was a quintessential release of 1996 - not only for the hi-level brekbeats it brought, but for the incredible melting pot of samples brilliantly used and their ensemble result - thanks to the author's very unique research that included Northern Soul, Rare Grooves & Old School Funk tunes from the sixties and seventies.

The quality of the breakbeats present on this masterpiece suggests an abyssal disparity between the musical backgrounds of the contemporary and the old school artists ("Endtroducing" suggests something like the 'introduction of something from the past', already ended - like something brought from the old times, though through a nowadays bold perspective.

It can be easily figured out on the comparison between the old breakbeats formed by instrumental kicks, snares and hi-hats, created by those Funk bands with the more recent drum machine sequences used since the eighties with the purpose of simulating the original ones. It's not difficult to realize the higher complexity and the artistic level of the older ones.

"Endtroducing" is a sort of a testament of these ancient habilities those rare grooves & Soul-Funk bands had whose fragments were re-constructed magnificently by the multi-talented DJ Shadow.

While the contemporary tecnologies seems to offer an unimaginable amount of possibilities, we realize more than ever the importance of the very essential aspect of our environment: the musical culture.

This is one of the greatest moments in the history of contemporary music. And it has little to do with the undoubtful influence of the record. Apart from that, "Endtroducing..." is simply perfect, right from the beginning to the gorgeous end.

I know "Endtroducing..." almost by heart but it never fails to impress me. It all started when I heard "Midnight In A Perfect World" (probably my favourite Shadow track ever), which almost brought tears into my eyes. The whole album devastated me. Its crushy beats and grand samples still give me shivers I expect from music. It's a total masterpiece, cult classic, essential and absolutely immortal. Haven't heard it yet? I don't think so, but if yes - buy a copy immadietaly.

I've been listening to this album for nearly 10 years now and it still sounds fresh and exciting every time I listen to it. Changeling is my favourite piece on the album because it starts with a slow keyboard sample before going into a deep bass and drum rhythm and just as I'm feeling relaxed, the most melancholy and uplifting guitar riff starts to play over the top. Other highlights are "Mutual Slump" with its Björk "Possibly Maybe" sample and "Midnight In A Perfect World."
A truly stunning album.

Midnite and Grain of Salt are my favorites, but the album is a bit unoriginal. This is a problem I have with all hip hop, but it is nice to hear something relaxing every now and then such as this. I like it overall. I think Josh Davis has a problem with moving on though. New material must be hard to come up with after his concept here.

Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the first album created completely from samples, Endtroducing to this day remains one of my all-time favorite releases, one that I'll simply never get tired of hearing. DJ Shadow's production is incredible, as is his ability to create a soundscape that reflects so many different styles of music. Hip-hop, jazz, soul, rock, and ambient electronica seamlessly blended together into a musical masterpiece... a definite must-have, for anyone.

Endtroducing wasn't the first record built out of samples. It wasn't the first instrumental hip-hop record. It wasn't the first record to gain critical success despite being primarily the work of others. DJ Shadow openly declares himself an apostle of sample culture, name-checking as many legendary hip-hop producers as you like. He makes no attempt to disguise what he's doing.

Endtroducing is an album that solidifies beyond all doubt the artistic power of sampling. Using pieces of other people's music in your own compositions was not born with the sampler and neither was it with hip-hop's trick of looping the best bits of other people's music to create dancefloor explosive. However, Dad rockers everywhere will forever protest against sampling, labelled it theft. They're wrong. Endtroducing buries the argument. Music is art, and art is expression. How you get there is irrelevant provided the art is worth interpreting.

If there's a theme to Endtroducing, it's one of mortality. Almost all the samples on Endtroducing are taken from forgotten horror film scores, long-dead jazz records and ancient funk. With the occasional exception, most of the sounds will be new to you. All of this is forgotten today- Shadow has borrowed from obscure sources that history will not acknowledge. But unlike so many other samplers, Shadow has respect for these tracks. Endtroducing is an album that showcases music we'd never otherwise hear, simply because it wasn't big enough at the time to impact into the history books. In thirty years time most of our favourite records of today will probably be discarded in a similar way, and all the stars and egos at the top now will have been forgotten. The contextless dialogue snippets borrowing from recorded interviews and films strengthen this theme- we witness snatches of scenes and moments and thoughts long since buried in the sands of time. Endtroducing is about respect for the people who paved the way for today's zeitgeist.

But forget that- Endtroducing is exhalted so highly because it's brilliant. It sounds gorgeous- built out of the most emotive fragments of the entire career of a musician. It sounds like a post-modern film noir score: saxaphones, strings, violins, pianos, scratchy guitars meld in with staple hip-hop rhythms, Shadow's thick, enveloping basslines and the deftest of synth touches. The low-key production gives it an ageless quality, a smokey, rich texture. It's not just the sound either: we hear pieces of music from far removed sources meeting under a new context and gelling together as the players never would have imagined. It's melancholy, spooky, sad, reflective and chilled. It gently massages your mind, never conjuring overt emotions but suggesting whatever you want it to.

Endtroducing is quite simply an album built out of the love of music: the love of finding and sharing gems and obscurities, the love of preserving the work of people who won't get their due acknowledgement, and the sheer love of making great music, no matter what the techniques. If you love music, then you should own it because it's one of the best records you'll ever hear.

Another ploy by our friend Josh Davis “DJ Shadow” to steal funds from seemingly unsuspecting fans, beware. Possibly the worst thirty dollars I’ve ever spent. When I heard of the re-release I was stoked the package sounded great, New Liner Notes Booklet, Alternate Takes, Demos, B-Sides but the price was a bit steep. I figured its DJ Shadow you can’t go wrong, right? Wrong. The second disc is a shoddily compiled list of tracks already released on singles Demos lasting no longer than a minute and a half and Alternate takes no different than the originals less scratching and samples. Don’t get me wrong I’d pay thirty dollars for just Endtroducing by itself its quite possible one of my favorite albums of all times but adding this second disc is just an insult to all Shadow fans and himself. In giving the booklet a once through I notice an advertisement for the new book entitled Endtroducing. The book is dedicated to the recording of Shadow’s first full length. Is that not the most pretentious thing you’ve ever heard? Makes me wonder what’s next the DJ Shadow the movie? Man I haven’t been this heated since the release of Private Press.

Possibly my favourite album on earth. Brilliant tracks. Such tracks as 'What Does Your Soul Look Like?, and 'Midnight In A Perfect World' are true examples of what instrumental hip hop is all about.

If for some reason you don't have this, get it!

Some of the best hip-hop/experimental tunes from the other side of the world have been made by DJ Shadow. Cynical, dark yet captive and calm at the same time this is one of the best albums ever to be made in the US - part of its musical charm is that it is not too famous as it allows only a few dedicated music hunters to share a common interest.