Quite simply, Endtroducing… is a defining moment for instrumental hip-hop, and a miraculous crystallisation of sample-based composition as an unapologetically post-modern art form. DJ Shadow’s opus is a true labour of love, built from a wide array of disparate sounds gathered from the basement storage of the producer’s favourite Sacramento record store. The mood of Endtroducing… covers vast territories, from the mournful, near-horror-score intensity of ‘Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt’ to the explosive energy of ‘The Number Song’, and beyond into the slow-burning lusciousness of trip-hop classic ‘Midnight in a Perfect World’. Seminal material.