Hello from Just Soul Samples

Hello everyone. We work on full 70s-inspired soul compositions with a producer's ear for sampling, so I'm here to learn from people who care about music production, arrangement, and the small moments inside a song that can become something new. I'm especially interested in how producers choose source material: do you start with the obvious hook, or listen for an intro texture, an open verse pocket, a turnaround, or a tiny chord movement that nobody else would grab? Looking forward to hearing how people here approach it.