Trip hop was born out of the burgeoning underground Bristol music scene in the early ’90s due to the region’s budding multiculturalism, notably with heavy Jamaican dub influences.
The genre appeared through an amalgamation of seedy house concerts, underground raves and block parties — the deliberate and accidental mixture of dub, R&B, electronica, hip hop, jazz, soul and funk into a distinctive sound.
Sonically, Trip hop, oftentimes called “downtempo,” utilizes saxophones, trumpets, flutes, Mellotrons, theremins, the Rhodes pianos and female vocalists over obscure samples. While the term would not be coined until 1994, the swelling soundscapes of Trip hop were born in the previous decade. This niche genre’s early progenitors traced their influences back even further, some of whom even found inspiration from vintage spy noir films of the early 20th century.
The genre proves that dance music needs not be danceable, while simultaneously expanding hip hop’s emotional depth and geographic influence outside of the United States’ firm grip.
You have probably heard Trip hop without consciously identifying the genre. Frequently used in cinema, the songs are dark, subdued and lyrically opaque, yet still unmistakably groovy. Listen to Trip hop’s evolution and transformation throughout the ’90s with these critical tracks.
“Unfinished Sympathy” (1991) — Massive Attack
“Unfinished Sympathy” is a triumphant amalgamation of what made early Trip hop so powerful and evocative. The track on Massive Attack’s debut album “Blue Lines” (1991), composed of three separate obscure musical samples — J.J. Johnson, Bob James and Mahavishnu Orchestra — features a cascading live 40-piece string ensemble, a steady programmed drum beat and a danceable bassline that anchor vocalist Shara Nelson’s poignantly- delivered lyrics about heartache.
“I know that I’ve imagined love before / And how it could be with you,” Nelson belts in the first verse. “Really hurt me, baby, really cut me, baby / How can you have a day without a night?”
Despite the somber lyrics, “Unfinished Sympathy” feels heroic and cinematic, a complete color scale of emotion infused with a sense of grandeur. Structurally, the track contains no recurring chorus or bassline. Nonetheless, Massive Attack’s first breakthrough single endures because of its timelessness and authenticity.
“Human Behaviour” (1993) — Björk
The opener “Human Behaviour” on Björk’s international debut studio album “Debut” (1993) combines a booming timpani drum, a whirly keyboard and a sample taken from a Ray Brown Orchestra song to thrust the listener into the artist’s fundamental worldview.
“There’s definitely, definitely, definitely no logic / To human behaviour,” Björk wittingly belts over the song’s chorus. “But yet so, yet so irresistible.”
Though not classically Trip hop, Björk put her spin on the Bristol sound throughout “Debut” by execution of her introspective and continually-opaque lyrics, subdued backbeats, obscure sample choices and commitment to forging new pathways between hip hop and dance beats. The avant-garde Icelandic artist is unusually accessible throughout the LP.
“Glory Box” (1994) — Portishead
My introduction to trip hop, unsurprisingly, was Portishead’s epochal single “Glory Box,” the closer to their Mercury-Prize-winning debut album “Dummy” (1994). The song sways in a hypnotically-dizzying pattern, anchored down by a sampled drum beat, a languid bassline and an Isaac Hayes sample extracted from his LP “Black Moses” (1971).
“Give me a reason to love you,” lead singer Beth Gibbons softly exclaims over the chorus, battling against a descending distorted lead guitar. “Give me a reason to be a woman.”
The closing track, along with the rest of Portishead’s debut album, is a necessary fixture within the “Trip hop” canon. “Glory Box” wraps all the best parts of the genre — spy noir aesthetic, gloom, intrigue and unparalleled sensuality — into a dense five minutes. The album feels purposefully cinematic, with the band members writing many of the songs off their debut to accompany their self-made spy-meets-mystery short film “To Kill a Dead Man” (1994).
“Overcome” (1995) — Tricky
Adrian Thaws, later known as Tricky, originally of the Bristol collective Massive Attack, splintered off from his parent group to forge a daring and successful solo career. His debut album, “Maxinquaye” (1995), continued to push the subgenre of Trip hop and expand its sonic palette. Upping the ante from Portishead’s “Dummy,” Tricky’s opening statement as a solo artist is a sedated, ominous and anxious exploration of the Bristol sound.
“You and her, walking through the suburbs / No, not exactly lovers,” vocalist Martina Topley-Bird sings on opener “Overcome,” a moody track that tackles the breadth of themes ranging from geopolitical violence to sexual intimacy. “You’re a couple, oh, ’specially when your bodies double / Duplicate and then you wait.”
“Teardrop” (1998) — Massive Attack
Only seven years later, Trip hop giant Massive Attack further elevated the genre with their third studio album “Mezzanine” (1998). “Teardrop,” the collective’s most prominent commercial hit, utilizes Elizabeth Fraser’s breathy and indecipherable lyrics with a laid back drumbeat.
“Teardrop on the fire / Fearless on my breath,” Fraser triumphantly sings over the song’s dreamy and imposing chorus.
Decades into becoming a solidified sound, “Trip hop” inspires and pushes artists forward across musical genres. Today, musicians like Gorillaz, Deftones, Radiohead, Billie Eilish, Lana Del Rey and even the soundtrack for the film “The Matrix” (1999) have found inspiration from the Bristol-based hybrid sound.
