Items12The creator’s order
  1. 1Donuts (2006)Donuts (2006)Released 1 Jan 2006Crafted by J Dilla on an Akai MPC3000 and Boss SP-303 from his hospital bed in Los Angeles, Donuts is the ultimate monument of sample-based music. Across 31 miniature sonic collages, Dilla loops, stutters and flips obscure 1970s soul records into an emotionally devastating, triumphant farewell.0
  2. 2Endtroducing..... (1996)Endtroducing..... (1996)Released 1 Jan 1996Constructed almost entirely from sampled vinyl records using an Akai MPC60, DJ Shadow's debut created cinematic trip-hop and instrumental rap. Midnight in a Perfect World and Building Steam with a Grain of Salt layer melancholic piano loops and jazz drums into a nocturnal masterpiece.0
  3. 3PeteStrumentals (2001)PeteStrumentals (2001)Released 1 Jan 2001The Soul Brother Pete Rock stripped away vocals to showcase his warm, brass-heavy boom-bap production. Lush horn chops, dusty upright basslines and smooth Fender Rhodes chords turn tracks like Pete's Jazz and Give It to Y'all into masterclasses of golden-era swing.0
  4. 4Shades of Blue (2003)Shades of Blue (2003)Released 1 Jan 2003Granted complete access to the legendary Blue Note Records master tape vaults, Madlib remixed and reinterpreted classic jazz cuts by Donald Byrd, Horace Silver and Wayne Shorter. Infusing dusty hip-hop breakbeats with modal jazz improvisation, it remains a relaxed, smoky classic.0
  5. 5Deadringer (2002)Deadringer (2002)Released 1 Jan 2002Ohio producer RJ Rice, known as RJD2, crafted an exuberant blend of Motown soul, funk guitars, cinematic horns and scratching. Ghostwriter and The Horror combine infectious, euphoric melodies with thunderous drum chops that rival the best pop songwriting.0
  6. 6Cosmogramma (2010)Cosmogramma (2010)Released 1 Jan 2010Flying Lotus pushed instrumental hip-hop into hyper-dimensional cosmic jazz and glitch electronics. Featuring live contributions from Thundercat's dizzying basslines, Ravi Coltrane's tenor saxophone and Thom Yorke, it treats the beat scene as a spiritual, afrofuturist odyssey.0
  7. 7Music by Cavelight (2004)Music by Cavelight (2004)Released 1 Jan 2004Ninja Tune cornerstone Blockhead, renowned for his work with Aesop Rock, delivered an expansive, melancholic instrumental epic. Melodic acoustic guitars, sweeping strings and downtempo hip-hop beats turn tracks like Sunday Seance and Insomniac Olympics into rich urban journeys.0
  8. 8Modal Soul (2005)Modal Soul (2005)Released 1 Jan 2005Tokyo visionary Nujabes merged nostalgic jazz piano chords with warm, boom-bap drum programming. Tracks like Feather, Reflection Eternal and Luv(sic) Pt. 3 radiate serene warmth, pastoral peace and emotional intimacy that defined the global lo-fi hip-hop aesthetic.0
  9. 9Special Herbs, Volume 1 & 2 (2002)Special Herbs, Volume 1 & 2 (2002)Released 1 Jan 2002Operating under his Metal Fingers moniker, MF DOOM assembled an iconic library of raw, unpolished beat sketches named after botanical herbs. Looping vintage cartoon soundtracks, quiet-storm soul and obscure 1980s synth chords, DOOM demonstrates pure crate-digging genius.0
  10. 10Smokers Delight (1995)Smokers Delight (1995)Released 1 Jan 1995Leeds DJ George Evelyn, recording as Nightmares on Wax, created the ultimate British chill-out hip-hop landmark. Infusing dub basslines, soul samples and breezy Rhodes electric piano chords into sluggish boom-bap breakbeats, it established the sound of mid-1990s trip-hop.0