Get To Know the Label: Shadow Samples

In a landscape flooded with sample packs chasing trends, Shadow Samples has carved out a reputation by doing the opposite: listening closely to what producers actually need. Built at the intersection of modern bass music, club culture, and practical production workflows, the label focuses on sounds that translate — from the DAW to real rooms, real systems, and real audiences. Their latest Splice release, Electronic Hip Hop, captures that philosophy in motion, pulling from hip hop, hyperpop, and electronic bass music to reflect where the scene is heading, not where it’s already been.

We’re so excited to have Shadow Samples on Splice! Tell us about yourself (or yourselves) and the origin story of the label… How did you get started?


Shadow Samples essentially started from a pretty simple frustration: a lot of sample packs out there either sounded generic, over-processed, or disconnected from what producers were actually making.

The label grew organically out spotting gaps in the market for what producers actually wanted to elevate their production, and creating the highest quality tools to solve their frustration. Over time, that approach snowballed into a broader ecosystem,focused on forward-thinking bass and hybrid electronic/pop music.

The goal was never volume - it was depth, quality, and longevity.. That’s why we have had the biggest artists in the world download our samples.

As a sample label you’ve been building a pretty extensive producer community over the past few years – with artists like Skrillex, Zedd, Marshmello, Chris Lake, Steve Angelo, Sammy Virji supporting your packs. Clearly your sounds speak to a distinct scene in contemporary bass music right now. What do you think it takes for a label to exist at the nexus of producing and nightlife/club/rave/festival culture?

You have to be plugged into both sides. Not just trends on social media, but what actually works in rooms, clubs, festivals, sound systems, and how producers are adapting their workflows to get there faster.

That means constant iteration, testing sounds, and staying close to artists and underground cultures that are actively releasing music and throwing shows - not just talking about it.

What do you think makes your brand and/or sounds resonate with big bass music artists?

Because everything we do is designed with intent. The sounds aren’t just “cool” in isolation, they’re built to sit properly in a mix, translate on big systems, and slot naturally into modern bass music workflows to give you an edge to stand out in a saturated market.

A lot of artists tell us the same thing: they open a Shadow pack and immediately finish ideas.

Let’s talk about your recent Splice pack, Electronic Hip Hop. On first listen, this is an exciting collision of 3 genres: Hip Hop, Hyperpop, and Cloud Rap. How do these genres uniquely influence the sounds in this pack (e.g. bass, melodics, vocals, drums)?

The influence comes from the newer wave of artists pushing a more trancey, melodic, hyperpop-leaning take on bass and hip hop (Electronic Hip Hop). Artists like 2hollis, Nate Sib, GUNNR, and even Ken Carson have shaped a sound that feels emotional, digital, and forward-moving.

You hear that most in the synths and basses. Wide, detuned melodies, bright textures, and movement that feels hypnotic rather than static. Hip hop gives the groove and attitude, hyperpop brings fearless sound design, and trance influences show up in repetition and melodic progression.

What inspired the label (and / or its producers) to bring these genres together in this pack ?

The inspiration came from how those scenes are converging culturally. Hip hop, hyperpop, and more trance-leaning electronic sounds are feeding into each other, especially in newer online-driven movements where artists aren’t tied to a single genre identity.

Rather than treating them as separate styles, the pack leans into that overlap and captures the energy where those sounds meet.

Hyperpop and Cloud Rap have had their trending moments in popular culture lately. How do you decide what trends to actually respond to as a label?

We look for ideas that feel like they have staying power rather than short-term hype. If a sound is opening up new creative directions and artists are genuinely building with it, it is worth exploring. If it feels purely aesthetic or temporary, we usually leave it alone.

Any advice to your audience on how to use these sounds?

Treat them as starting points. The sounds are designed to be reshaped, layered, and pushed rather than used as finished pieces. Experimenting with resampling and processing is where they really come alive.

Let’s go deeper into the sounds you make. You have built some top notch Serum 2 Preset packs (UK Bass/UK Dubstep - Serum 2 Presets) in the past. What makes your presets unique or distinct?

They are designed to be musical and immediately usable. Every control has a purpose, and the focus is on sparking ideas quickly rather than showcasing complexity for its own sake.

What do you think makes a solid preset or preset-pack?

Consistency and intention. A smaller pack of strong, usable sounds will always be more valuable than a large pack filled with filler. Make presets that actually stand out and have practical usage with no post processing needed!

Finally, what drives you as a sample label? In a growing sample market – why do you exist?

We love helping producers make better music while still developing their own identity. In a saturated market, we always aim to stand out by pushing new left field ideas, rather than following trends alone.

At the core of everything we will maintain that trusted Shadow quality. We want to build the highest quality tools possible and make them accessible to everyone!

Let us know if there’s anything else our audience can expect in the near future.

More genre-crossing releases, continued boundary-pushing, and as always, great production tools!