Even if you’re not familiar with the concept of sampling  in music (extracting a sound recording for use in a new music composition), you’ve definitely heard it. Thousands of artists — from Kanye West to Michael Jackson to Vanilla Ice — rely on samples to create their tracks. While sampling was first used extensively in hip-hop and then electronic, this type of music has sort of evolved into a genre on its own. Here are some of my favorite albums that use the method as a primary compositional tool.

1. DJ Shadow — “Endtroducing”

When it comes to sampling, Josh Davis, aka DJ Shadow, is the reigning king. While Davis holds a reputation as one of the finest vinyl-only DJs, this Californian is known primarily for his massively influential debut album, “Endtroducing.” To find material for “Endtroducing,” DJ Shadow spent hours every day over the course of two years searching for obscure long plays, extended plays and singles in Sacramento’s many record stores. Davis was then equally methodical in splicing and stitching together samples from those hundreds of records. The resulting “Endtroducing” received almost universally perfect acclaim and sits as the most important album of all “sample-based music.”

2. Madlib — “Piñata Beats”

Fast forward 18 years after “Entroducing’s” release: Otis Jackson, aka Madlib, another California hip-hop producer and DJ, released “Piñata,” a collaborative album with Gary, Indiana-based MC Freddie Gibbs. “Piñata” is one of my favorite hip-hop records of the decade, but for the purpose of this column, I wanted to focus on the instrumental version, “Piñata Beats”. Here, Madlib applies his veteran production skills to make some left-field beats. Madlib fuses snippets from jazz, R&B and many other genres, creating very airy and atmospheric instrumentals. “Piñata Beats” is ideal for hip-hop fans looking to diversify their music tastes.

3. Panda Bear — “Person Pitch”

Noah Lennox, both in his solo work and as a member of Animal Collective, consistently pushes the envelope. For “Person Pitch,” his third solo record under his stage name as “Panda Bear,” Lennox decided to draw from other genres — directly. “Person Pitch” contains material from Cat Stevens, Hans Zimmer and even a gothic choir. The borrowed sounds work surprisingly well with the scale-heavy vocal style and beach rock instrumentation. If you love indie rock or the Beach Boys and want to spice up your Spotify queue, check out “Person Pitch.”

4. Boards of Canada — “Music Has the Right to Children”

“Music Has the Right to Children” is easily one of my favorite albums. While its warm analog synthesizers and intricate drum patterns originally drew me to the album, I have grown to appreciate the interesting and sometimes humorous vocal samples woven throughout. The Scottish duo incorporated Sesame Street and kids’ movie samples, amongst other things. These additions create an intense conceptual depth to “Music Has the Right to Children” that is missing from the instrumentation. 

5. Burial ­— “Untrue”

6. The Avalanches — “Since I Left You”

7. J Dilla — “Donuts”

8. Animal Collective — “Person Pitch”

9. Girl Talk — “Feed The Animals”

10. Portishead — “Dummy”