Inside The Cookbook: A New Chapter from Arthouse Acoustics

From Brighton’s record shops to Splice’s global stage, Arthouse Acoustics has built a reputation for crafting rich, soul-drenched samples rooted in live instrumentation. United by decades of collaboration and a shared love for hip hop, soul, and crate-digging culture, the trio is back with The Cookbook Vol. 3—a continuation of their signature series that blends analog warmth with raw musicality. We caught up with them to talk about their creative process, inspiration, and the timeless power of honest, handcrafted sounds.

Splice: Tell us about yourself – what led you to production and creating samples?

Arthouse: The three of us met in the creative hub of Brighton in the UK, and formed an instant bond over a love of songwriting, production and performing. We’ve been making music together in some capacity for nearly 20 years, and starting Arthouse Acoustics was simply the next logical step. We wanted to create samples that we ourselves would use, with live instrumentation being the main focus.

Being musicians ourselves means we’re very fortunate to have a wide network of exceptionally talented musicians of many backgrounds to write and work with, which grants us the ability to span a multitude of genres, keeping live instrumentation & authenticity at our core.

Splice: What inspired the sounds included in this sample pack?

Arthouse: The Cookbook is what we believe to be our signature series, and we’re excited to be releasing its third instalment. We all grew up listening to hip hop & soul music and feel a deep connection to it.

We have a bit of a passion for crate digging, and the many record stores, vintage boutiques & charity shops that Brighton has to offer are a goldmine for inspiration. The emotive lyrics, beautiful melodies, harmonies and intentional approach to instrumentation in soul music are unmistakeable, and some of the best hooks are rarely confined to only the choruses, so it’s no surprise that soul samples are so prevalent in hip hop.

Splice: What do you hope the Splice community will do with their sounds?

Arthouse: Honestly, we want the community to use the sounds as forms of inspiration. It’s one thing to find a guitar or horn sample to apply the finishing touches to a track - and we are glad to be able to provide that too - but it’s another to hear a sample and have it spark an idea that is vastly different to anything you would have otherwise made.

The beauty of Splice is that an entire catalogue of samples is at your fingertips, and what you do with them is almost entirely up to you. It could be as simple as getting a songstarter for you to build a beat to, or as creative as taking multiple instrument stems and resampling & chopping them to create something completely different.

For us, it’s really exciting to hear our samples used in unexpected & creative ways.

Splice: Do you have any advice for other musicians who are striving to move into the world of sample creation?

Arthouse: The best advice we can give is to stay true to yourself, and try not to waste your creative energy chasing trends. What people really resonate with is hearing something honest, so play to your strengths and make music and samples that you yourself enjoy and want to hear.

Whether you're adding the final spark to a beat or chopping up a sample to flip into something brand new, The Cookbook Vol. 3 by Arthouse Acoustics is full of soulful textures and live recordings ready to inspire. Fire it up on Splice now and see where these sounds take your next session.