How Trip-Hop Went From Obscurity to Chart Domination

If we go back to its origins, trip-hop was born out of a combination of originality, influence, and bold experimentation. In fact, most of the artists we associate with trip-hop today never set out to make platinum albums, or even to fit into a musical category.

Origins of Bristol

In the heart of the 80s, with equal parts influence from New York hip-hop and the DIY spirit of punk rock, soundsystem DJ culture began to flourish in the South West of England, with prominent bands like Bristol’s The Wild Bunch coming to the forefront. Alongside turntablism, breakdancing, graffiti and rap, strong Jamaican influences shaped the sounds to come.

What began as a satellite hip-hop movement quickly developed its own identity, with figures such as Neneh Cherry, Nellee Hooper and Mark Stewart becoming pioneers of the Bristol music scene.

The Wild Bunch dissolved into legend in the late ’80s. But core members Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall and Andrew Vowles went on to form Massive Attack, a band that instantly brought the Bristol sound to a global audience.

In Massive Attack’s early trajectory, Adrian Thaws aka Tricky cut his teeth as an artist on the first two albums, while a young producer and sound engineer named Geoff Barrow began his mentorship with producer Jonathan Sharp aka Jonny Dollar. While Geoff Barrow went on to form a groundbreaking band named after his hometown, Portishead, Tricky has become the quintessential representative of the Bristol sound today.

Massive attack – Unfinished Sympathy

Still considered by many to be one of the most important electronic records of all time, Unfinished Sympathy is an organic example of rhythm sampling, soulful dance vocals and string composition at its finest.

Let’s start with samples taken from JJ Johnson Parade (instrumental) And Planetary Citizen by John McLaughlin & Mahavishnu Orchestra, a drum loop inspired by Bob James Take me to Mardi Gras is then added, forming the main components of the groove.

In the studio, Massive Attack’s initial creative approach was uncompromising and organic, with production techniques ranging from the use of sampled drum loops to classically orchestrated strings. In addition to the band’s signature Bristol-tinged rap, the vocals of Shara Nelson and Horace Andy became fundamental to Massive Attack’s sound.

There were always songs like Reverie which drew more directly from hip-hop’s roots. However, the songs that defined the group’s success were vocal collaborations with singer-songwriters like Tracey Thorn, Elizabeth Fraser and Sarah Jay Hawley.

Massive Attack’s iconic debut, Blue lines (1991) was recorded at Coach House Studios in Bristol, a location that proved apt when Portishead recorded their groundbreaking and critically acclaimed debut album, Dummy (1994) in the same studio.

Portishead began as a duo consisting of Geoff Barrow and vocalist Beth Gibbons, joined by guitarist Adrian Utley shortly after the release of their debut album. In the studio, Portishead developed a focused sound using a range of experimental tape and vinyl sampling techniques to achieve the raw character for which the band was renowned.

Shortly after Portishead formed, another Bristol band began producing remixes. A duo consisting of James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy would eventually become the band UNKLE, another collective that would achieve cult status as pioneers of what we now call trip-hop.

Portishead – Box of Glory

With the clever use of samples by Isaac Hayes Ike II’s RapPortishead immediately caught the attention of American listeners. Their vinyl-sampled breakbeat, accompanied by a soulful chromatic bassline, became the perfect foundation for powerful lyrics.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of the song’s arrangement is how the emotional momentum continues to build throughout the track. The guitar elevates the chorus before the song explodes into a memorable industrial drum break, before falling back smoothly into the verse.

By the mid-90s, electronic music was beginning to take off commercially. Styles like acid jazz and downtempo breakbeat were booming, with pioneers like Kruder & Dorfmeister. Although the records that came out of this DJ culture were largely instrumental, their popularity showed record labels that they could take risks with new artists in this musical field.

The rise of downtempo

The pioneering success of the Bristol scene changed the landscape of British hip-hop. It completely transformed what was played on the radio and the types of bands signed by major labels. However, even among this second wave of so-called ‘trip-hop’ bands, there were artists who offered something new that went beyond the confines of American hip-hop.

One such band was formed in Sheffield, a city known as a melting pot of electronic bands that pioneered synth pop and acid house in the 1980s. Moloko was formed when singer Roisin Murphy teamed up with producer Mark Brydon. Together, the duo created an eclectic sound that seemed to draw on Brydon’s experience with Cabaret Voltaire.

Moloko – Pleasure for me

Pleasure for me represents a more acid house approach to trip-hop. By combining AKAI S1000 drum beats with a funky, sawtooth bassline and absurd, ambiguous lyrics, an almost cartoonish atmosphere is created.

Throughout the track, nested percussive loops add texture and metric tension, allowing the genius of the vocal performance to shine through like various characters in a psychedelic theater production.

At this time, film soundtracks opened a new avenue for many artists. The moody and sometimes offbeat aesthetic of trip-hop was present in films like Hackers (1995), Stealing Beauty (1996), Batman and Robin (1997), and I know what you did last summer (1997).

All this momentum, combined with sales and chart attention in the US, allowed bands to bypass years of initial obscurity and head towards pop success. Such an explosion came just two years after Hartlepool band Sneaker Pimps formed, who went on to sign with Virgin Records and sell over a million copies of their debut album. Become X.

The sneaker pimps – 6 Underground

Nellee Hooper’s Edition 6 Underground is the quintessential example of trip-hop in pop format. All the hallmarks are there like the hip-hop breakbeat and the mysterious harp melody sample by John Barry Golden Finger (1964) soundtrack.

The way the secondary bassline groove works over the rhythm section with the acoustic guitar chords is fundamental, so make sure you have your favorite headphones on, as the bass doesn’t quite come across on laptop speakers.

From the mid-1990s onwards, the influence of trip-hop and downtempo music reached its peak. As a result, major labels began to showcase a dirgy, rhythmic side to their sound on albums such as Depeche Mode. Ultra (1997), Smashing Pumpkins Ava Adore (1998) and Madonna Ray of light (1998) where producer William Orbit was inspired by a more ambient sound.

1998 was also a significant year in British music, as we saw the monumental release of Massive Attack’s album. Mezzanine album and second full-length album by Morcheeba, Great calmAlthough commercial success allowed trip-hop to reach a wider global audience, it was considered a passing trend by many artists themselves.

Over time, Portishead’s Geoff Barrow grew disillusioned with the success of the music he never intended to turn into a “dinner party” genre of music, as he states in this candid interview. He wasn’t alone in feeling that way, as Massive Attack founder Andrew Vowles left the band when the band was released. Mezzanine The sound was too far from the original style. Meanwhile, after their first major tour, Sneaker Pimps parted ways with singer Kelli Ali for fear of falling into cliché, and were quickly dropped by Virgin.

In the United States, electronic music DJ and producer Moby has made inroads into the mainstream with his own brand of sample-based downtempo electronica. Using every means at their disposal, including advertising placements, Moby’s management has pushed Play (1999) to the widest possible global audience. This campaign was further strengthened the following year, when the first single Porcelain was featured in Danny Boyle’s film, The BeachAs a result, the album became the best-selling electronic album of all time.

Trip-hop today

One of the most striking characteristics of downtempo music is the amount of time it takes to truly appreciate it as a listener. This is one of the reasons, we believe, why the decline in physical album sales has marked the end of more “album-oriented” genres like trip-hop in the pop music space.

Sevdaliza – Rhode

With the trip-hop scene long gone, artists like Sevdaliza can draw on its hallmarks like quotes from a long-lost epitaph. While productions like this are DAW-based, they still manage to capture the dark, crushing industrial vibe of the Portishead and Massive Attack records we love.

Instead of the dusty samplers and synthesizers of the 1980s, the digital sheen of vocal effects and software instruments gives the minimalist production a futuristic feel, while the bassline remains an homage to classic ’90s tracks like The army of me And Fire on Babylon.

Like so many musical styles that existed before the advent of digital music streaming, trip-hop developed its strong identity and connection with listeners through physical sales of full albums. Without that, we can still draw inspiration from its musical ingenuity and punk spirit.

Plus, the average tempo of a pop song today is slower, which provides an ideal context for creating new musical styles inspired by trip-hop. Could this be the next Robert Del Naja? You just have to be creative.

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