trip hop band attack

• Who Puts on the Best Live Show?
• The Most Famous Rapper in the World Right Now
• Diss Tracks That Disrespected
• British Rappers
• Best Rappers of the 2000s
• New York Rappers
• The Greatest Rappers of the Decade
• Florida Rappers
• Southern Rappers
• New School Rappers
• All-Time Greatest
• Lyrical Geniuses
• Worst of All Time
• Best Hip Hop Albums Ever
• '90s Rappers
• Rappers with the Most Respect
• White Rappers
• Female Rappers
• '80s Rappers
• Funniest Rappers
• Rappers Who Are Already Gone
• Young and New School Rappers
• Surprisingly Great Singers
• Chicago Rappers
• Jamaican Rappers
• Los Angeles Rappers
• The Best New Rappers of 2024
• The Best Rappers of 2024
• The 25+ Shortest Rappers

The 40+ Best Trip Hop Artists, Ranked

If you are ready for a journey through one of the most eclectic music forms, consider trip hop. Trip hop music awakens the senses and unlocks a treasure trove of rhythm, style and emotion. This genre is steeped in the roots of British electronica, breakbeat, and hip hop. It's fascinating to wend your way through a collection of the finest trip hop artists whose songs have made a profound impact on music scenes globally. 

The best trip hop groupspaint an enchanting picture of profound musical innovation, blending various styles to create something unique and potent. Their transformative influence on trip hop's evolution becomes apparent with each resonating beat and soulful lyric. The music vibrates with a deep resonance that echoes across the mainstream and indie audiences, highlighting the uniqueness of each artist and their indelible mark on the genre. 

In the illustrious lineup of trip hop artists, certain names stand out. These include top trip hop bands like Portishead , Massive Attack, and Tricky. Portishead's hauntingly beautiful melodies tug at the heartstrings of the listeners, making the band famous. Massive Attack, with their groundbreaking albums, brought a new perspective to the genre, a testament to their status among the best trip hop artists. Tricky melded raw emotion with creative beats resulting in a distinctive sound that resonates with fans to this day. Their achievements, ranging from memorable songs and classic albums to prestigious awards, speak volumes about their stature in the trip hop universe. 

Reflecting on the history of trip hop music and its best artists presents a captivating saga of artistic expression, innovation, and boundary-pushing beats. Distinguished by their individual style and contributions, these trip hop bands have set new standards for the genre with magical tunes that continue to inspire, entertain, and move audiences around the world. 

Portishead, the brainchild of Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons, and Adrian Utley, revolutionized trip hop in the 90s with their groundbreaking albums Dummy  and Portishead . With a hauntingly atmospheric sound that flawlessly combined eerie vocal melodies, innovative sampling techniques, and cinematic soundscapes, Portishead captured the imagination of music lovers everywhere. They managed to push the boundaries of the genre by blending elements of jazz, electronica, and rock, ultimately creating a hypnotic experience that became synonymous with the trip hop movement. To this day, Portishead remains a luminary of the scene, continuously inspiring generations of artists with their emotive and timeless compositions.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Portishead   - "Glory Box"   - "Sour Times"   - "Roads"

Dive Into Portishead's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "It's a Fire"   - "Over"

• # 41 of 69 on The Best Musical Trios Of All-Time
• # 1001 of 1,150 on The Greatest Musical Artists Of All Time, Ranked
• # 680 of 863 on The 250+ Greatest Rock Bands Of All Time, Ranked

Massive Attack

Massive Attack, hailing from Bristol, England, have long been considered pioneers in the realm of trip hop. The trio, consisting of Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall, and Andy Vowles, crafted a unique sound that seamlessly merged elements of dub, reggae, soul, and electronica. Their seminal album Blue Lines  served as a blueprint for trip hop, boasting an array of downtempo beats, ethereal ambience, and thought-provoking lyricism. Massive Attack's innovation and experimentation within the genre have solidified their legacy as one of the most influential trip hop acts of all time.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Massive Attack   - "Teardrop"   - "Unfinished Sympathy"   - "Angel"

Dive Into Massive Attack's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Karmacoma"   - "Black Milk"

• # 965 of 1,150 on The Greatest Musical Artists Of All Time, Ranked
• # 233 of 307 on The Greatest Musical Artists of the '90s
• # 135 of 248 on The Most Hipster Bands

UK-based artist Tricky, born Adrian Thaws, quickly emerged as a trip hop icon with the release of his debut album, Maxinquaye . His distinct fusion of hip hop, rock, and electronica resonated with listeners seeking something more subversive and experimental within the genre. Drawing heavily on his Jamaican roots and experiences growing up in Bristol, Tricky's music showcased his powerful storytelling abilities and otherworldly production skills. As a result, Tricky has remained an essential figure within the trip hop scene, continuously pushing the envelope with each successive release.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Tricky   - "Hell is Round the Corner"   - "Black Steel"   - "Ponderosa"

Dive Into Tricky's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Vent"   - "Christiansands"

• # 286 of 307 on The Greatest Musical Artists of the '90s
• # 41 of 91 on The Best Electronic Bands & Artists
• # 17 of 219 on The Best Intelligent Dance Music DJs/Artists

Morcheeba, a British trio consisting of siblings Paul and Ross Godfrey and vocalist Skye Edwards, captivated listeners with their polished blend of trip hop, electronica, and pop. Their debut album Who Can You Trust?  served as a prime example of their ability to create moody, atmospheric compositions that showcased Edwards' sultry vocal stylings. Morcheeba's ability to navigate the diverse sonic landscape of trip hop while maintaining a strong focus on melody earned them critical acclaim and a devout following. Over time, the band has continued to evolve, solidifying their status as a versatile powerhouse within the genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Morcheeba   - "The Sea"   - "Trigger Hippie"   - "Rome Wasn't Built in a Day"

Dive Into Morcheeba's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Friction"   - "Big Calm"

Sneaker Pimps

Established in the mid-90s, the British trip hop trio Sneaker Pimps, composed of Chris Corner, Liam Howe, and Kelli Ali, brought a unique spin to the genre with their compelling mix of electronica, alternative rock, and darkly melodic pop. Their debut album Becoming X  showcased innovative production techniques, catchy hooks, and Ali's alluring vocals, which quickly garnered them international attention. Not content to remain static, Sneaker Pimps continued to explore and push the boundaries of trip hop, consistently reinventing their sound and remaining an influential force within the scene.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Sneaker Pimps   - "6 Underground"   - "Spin Spin Sugar"   - "Tesko Suicide"

Dive Into Sneaker Pimps' History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Low Place Like Home"   - "Grazes"

British duo Zero 7, comprised of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker, emerged on the trip hop scene in the late '90s with a mission to blend chilled-out electronica, sophisticated pop sensibilities, and seductive downtempo grooves. Their debut album Simple Things , featuring collaborations with vocalists like Sia and Mozez, showcased the duo's penchant for crafting exquisitely lush and soothing soundscapes. Over the years, Zero 7 has continued to evolve and redefine their sound, often incorporating elements of jazz, soul, and world music, earning them a dedicated fanbase and a lasting impact on the trip hop genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Zero 7   - "Destiny"   - "In the Waiting Line"   - "Home"

Dive Into Zero 7's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Likufanele"   - "I Have Seen"

Hooverphonic

Belgian outfit Hooverphonic, led by mastermind Alex Callier, made a lasting impact on the trip-hop scene with their evocative, cinematic soundscapes that beautifully melded elements of pop, rock, and electronic music. From their breathtaking debut A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular  to their more recent work, Hooverphonic has demonstrated an uncanny ability to create lush, immersive atmospheres with a keen sense of melody. With a revolving door of talented vocalists, including Liesje Sadonius, Geike Arnaert, and Luka Cruysberghs, the band has consistently defied expectations, solidifying their status as one of trip hop's most captivating acts.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Hooverphonic   - "Mad About You"   - "2Wicky"   - "Eden"

Dive Into Hooverphonic's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Vinegar & Salt"   - "Out of Sight"

French duo Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel, better known as Air, brought a distinctly Gallic flair to the world of trip hop with their sublime fusion of electronic experimentation, retro-pop melodies, and dreamy atmospherics. Their seminal album Moon Safari , featuring hit singles like "Sexy Boy" and "Kelly Watch the Stars," captivated audiences with its timeless charm and ethereal beauty. Throughout their career, Air has consistently pushed the boundaries of trip hop by exploring a wide range of sonic palettes and textures, leaving an indelible mark on the genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Air   - "Sexy Boy"   - "La Femme d'Argent"   - "Cherry Blossom Girl"

Dive Into Air's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Le Soleil est près de Moi"   - "Talisman"

• # 296 of 307 on The Greatest Musical Artists of the '90s
• # 135 of 215 on The 200+ Best Indie Artists Of All Time, Ranked
• # 365 of 384 on The Greatest Pop Groups & Artists Of All Time

Thievery Corporation

Washington, D.C.-based duo Thievery Corporation, consisting of Eric Hilton and Rob Garza, have been synonymous with trip hop since their formation in the mid-'90s. With a sound that effortlessly fuses elements of dub, reggae, lounge, and electronica, the pair has developed a unique global sonic identity that transcends genre boundaries. Their debut album Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi  laid the groundwork for their signature sound, combining lush electronic soundscapes with hypnotic grooves and worldly influences. Over the years, Thievery Corporation has continuously evolved their eclectic sound, solidifying their status as one of trip hop's most innovative and boundary-pushing acts.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Thievery Corporation   - "Lebanese Blonde"   - "Sweet Tides"   - "The Richest Man in Babylon"

Dive Into Thievery Corporation's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Amerimacka"   - "The Mirror Conspiracy"

Josh Davis, known professionally as DJ Shadow, is an American producer and DJ who has left an indelible mark on the world of trip hop with his undeniable talent for crafting immersive beats and moody soundscapes. His groundbreaking 1996 debut Endtroducing...  is widely regarded as a trip hop classic, showcasing a mastery of sampling techniques, innovative production styles, and a keen ear for haunting, atmospheric sounds. Throughout his career, DJ Shadow has continued to explore and expand the boundaries of the genre, pushing the limits of what can be achieved through the art of sampling and beat making.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From DJ Shadow   - "Midnight in a Perfect World"   - "Building Steam with a Grain of Salt"   - "Six Days"

Dive Into DJ Shadow's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Stem / Long Stem"   - "Organ Donor"

• # 103 of 156 on The Best DJs in the World Right Now
• # 57 of 81 on The 80+ Best Rap Producers Of All Time, Ranked
• # 37 of 349 on The Best Electronica Artists

British duo Goldfrapp, led by the bewitching Alison Goldfrapp and multi-instrumentalist Will Gregory, emerged in the early 2000s as a force to be reckoned with in the realm of trip hop. Their debut album Felt Mountain  showcased a beguiling mix of cinematic orchestration, electronic experimentation, and Alison's enchanting vocals. Goldfrapp's enigmatic sound has continually evolved, encompassing elements of glam rock, synth-pop, and dance music, making them one of the most unpredictable and fascinating acts within the trip hop genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Goldfrapp   - "Ooh La La"   - "Strict Machine"   - "Lovely Head"

Dive Into Goldfrapp's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Utopia"   - "Black Cherry"

• # 172 of 248 on The Most Hipster Bands
• # 121 of 156 on The Best DJs in the World Right Now
• # 36 of 42 on The Best Gold Things

British musical mastermind James Lavelle, the driving force behind Unkle, has been captivating audiences with his dark and cinematic take on trip hop since the late '90s. Unkle's debut album Psyence Fiction , featuring collaborations with notable artists like Thom Yorke and Richard Ashcroft, showcased Lavelle's knack for blending moody electronic production with elements of rock, pop, and hip-hop. Over the years, Unkle's ever-evolving sound and roster of talented collaborators have helped cement the project's place in trip hop history as a daring, innovative force within the genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Unkle   - "Rabbit in Your Headlights"   - "Bloodstain"   - "Burn My Shadow"

Dive Into Unkle's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Celestial Annihilation"   - "Lonely Soul"

Lamb, the enchanting English duo consisting of producer Andy Barlow and vocalist Lou Rhodes, first made waves in the trip hop scene with their eponymous 1996 debut album. Their unique fusion of electronic experimentation, emotive vocals, and captivating songwriting quickly set them apart, winning them fans across the globe. With a sound that combines elements of jazz, drum and bass, and ambient music, Lamb has continually pushed the envelope, proving themselves to be one of the trip hop genre's most enduring and captivating acts.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Lamb   - "Gorecki"   - "Lusty"   - "Angelica"

Dive Into Lamb's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Cotton Wool"   - "Trans Fatty Acid"

Nightmares on Wax

George Evelyn, the man behind Nightmares on Wax, has been weaving spellbinding webs of sound since the early '90s, blending elements of dub, electronica, and soul to create uniquely evocative trip hop compositions. With a discography that spans decades, Nightmares on Wax has earned a reputation for consistently crafting music that not only embodies the spirit of trip hop but also pushes the boundaries of the genre. From early classics like Smokers Delight  to more recent releases like Shape the Future , Nightmares on Wax has proven time and again that his innovative approach to music-making remains vital and engaging.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Nightmares on Wax   - "You Wish"   - "Les Nuits"   - "Flip Ya Lid"

Dive Into Nightmares on Wax' History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Ethnic Majority"   - "Morse"

• # 84 of 146 on The Most Influential DJs of All Time
• # 16 of 43 on The Best Bands Like Massive Attack
• # 17 of 48 on The Best Downtempo Bands/Artists

Norwegian duo Röyksopp, comprising Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland, emerged in the early 2000s with a distinct brand of trip hop infused with elements of synth-pop, ambient, and electronica. Their chart-topping debut, Melody A.M. , showcased their ability to create lush, atmospheric soundscapes punctuated by catchy hooks and intricate production. Throughout their career, Röyksopp has remained committed to exploring the boundaries of trip hop, collaborating with various artists and incorporating diverse influences into their constantly evolving sound.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Röyksopp   - "Eple"   - "Poor Leno"   - "Happy Up Here"

Dive Into Röyksopp's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "So Easy"   - "A Higher Place"

• # 115 of 156 on The Best DJs in the World Right Now
• # 31 of 143 on The Best Europop Bands/Artists
• # 28 of 349 on The Best Electronica Artists

French producer Jean-Christophe Le Saoût, known by his stage name Wax Tailor, has been crafting elegant, cinematic trip hop since the early 2000s. With a penchant for lush orchestration, deft sampling, and moody atmospherics, Wax Tailor's music stands as a testament to the genre's enduring appeal and versatility. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with a diverse array of artists, pushing the boundaries of trip hop while remaining true to the genre's core aesthetic.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Wax Tailor   - "Que Sera"   - "Seize the Day"   - "Ungodly Fruit"

Dive Into Wax Tailor's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Positively Inclined"   - "Until Heaven Stops the Rain"

Kruder & Dorfmeister

Austrian duo Kruder & Dorfmeister, composed of Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister, have been at the forefront of the trip hop movement for decades, known for their innovative remix work and original productions. Their landmark compilation The K&D Sessions  featured reimaginings of tracks from a wide range of artists, showcasing their ability to transform songs into immersive, downtempo masterpieces. With their seamless blend of dub, jazz, and electronica, Kruder & Dorfmeister have left an indelible mark on the trip hop scene and inspired countless artists to follow in their footsteps.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Kruder & Dorfmeister   - "K&D Sessions" (This is an album containing various remixes)   - "Black Baby"   - "Deep Shit Pt. 1 & 2"

Dive Into Kruder & Dorfmeister's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Bug Powder Dust"   - "Sofa Rockers"

• # 146 of 156 on The Best DJs in the World Right Now
• # 28 of 40 on The Best Lounge Music Artists of All Time
• # 8 of 48 on The Best Downtempo Bands/Artists

Japanese producer Hideaki Ishi, better known as DJ Krush, has been making waves in the trip hop world since the early '90s with his uniquely atmospheric and meditative soundscapes. Known for his groundbreaking use of sampling and turntablism, DJ Krush consistently pushes the boundaries of the genre by incorporating elements of jazz, hip-hop, and traditional Japanese music into his work. With a discography that spans multiple decades, DJ Krush remains an influential figure within the trip hop scene, inspiring future generations of artists with his innovative, genre-defying approach to music production.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From DJ Krush   - "Kemuri"   - "Song 2"   - "Big City Lover"

Dive Into DJ Krush's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Road to Nowhere"   - "Meiso"

• # 152 of 156 on The Best DJs in the World Right Now
• # 36 of 99 on The Real Names of 100 DJs
• # 12 of 49 on The Best Turntablists

American producer Ramble Jon Krohn, better known as RJD2, burst onto the trip hop scene in the early 2000s with his adventurous, genre-blurring approach to music-making. His debut album Deadringer  showcased a unique blend of hip-hop, electronica, and soulful sampling that garnered widespread acclaim and helped establish him as a pioneer within the trip-hop scene. Throughout his career, RJD2 has continued to push the boundaries of the genre by incorporating a wide range of influences and collaborating with various artists, solidifying his status as an innovative force in the world of trip hop.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From RJD2   - "Ghostwriter"   - "Smoke & Mirrors"   - "The Horror"

Dive Into RJD2's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Dead Ringer"   - "Shot in the Dark"

• # 130 of 156 on The Best DJs in the World Right Now
• # 60 of 81 on The 80+ Best Rap Producers Of All Time, Ranked
• # 85 of 99 on The Real Names of 100 DJs

The London-based collective Archive has been pushing the boundaries of trip hop since forming in the mid-1990s. With a diverse and ever-evolving roster of musicians, the group has developed a sophisticated sound that incorporates elements of rock, electronica, and orchestral music. Their ambitious concept albums, like the acclaimed Londonium , showcase their ability to create sweeping, cinematic soundscapes full of emotion and depth. Archive’s unique take on trip hop has earned them a dedicated fanbase, solidifying their status as one of the genre’s most daring and innovative acts.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Archive   - "Bullets"   - "You Make Me Feel"   - "Again"

Dive Into Archive's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Conscience"   - "Numb"

Emancipator

Portland-based producer Doug Appling, known as Emancipator, has been a leading force in the trip-hop scene since the release of his acclaimed debut album Soon It Will Be Cold Enough . With a signature sound that blends lush instrumentation, intricate production, and cinematic soundscapes, Emancipator has consistently captivated listeners with his evocative and meditative compositions. A classically trained musician, Appling's ability to seamlessly weave together elements of electronic, hip-hop, and world music has helped him stand out as a unique and influential figure within the trip-hop genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Emancipator   - "Soon It Will Be Cold Enough"   - "Lionheart"   - "Anthem"

Dive Into Emancipator's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Periscope Up"   - "Nevergreen"

Irish singer Róisín Murphy and English producer Mark Brydon formed Moloko in the mid-'90s, bringing a quirky, innovative, and genre-defying sound to the world of trip hop. With hit singles like "Sing It Back" and "The Time Is Now," the duo crafted a distinct blend of electronic, pop, and dance music that set them apart from their peers. Throughout their career, Moloko's continuously evolving sound and Murphy's beguiling stage presence have earned them a dedicated fanbase and solidified their status as one of trip hop's most inventive acts.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Moloko   - "Sing It Back"   - "Time is Now"   - "Fun for Me"

Dive Into Moloko's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Pure Pleasure Seeker"   - "Dominoid"

• # 45 of 65 on The Best Bands Named After Books and Literary Characters
• # 56 of 70 on The Best House Music DJs
• # 33 of 35 on The 35 Best Acid Jazz Artists, Ranked

Martina Topley-Bird

British singer-songwriter Martina Topley-Bird first emerged as a prominent figure within the trip hop scene through her collaborations with pioneering artist Tricky. Her distinctive, ethereal voice adds a unique depth to the atmospheric soundscapes that have come to define the genre. With subsequent solo work like her debut album Quixotic , Topley-Bird has demonstrated her ability to craft captivating trip hop compositions that seamlessly blend elements of electronica, pop, and rock. Her continued contributions to the genre have made her an enduring and influential presence within the trip hop community.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Martina Topley  -Bird   - "Sandpaper Kisses"   - "Need One"   - "Anything"

Dive Into Martina Topley  -Bird's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Too Tough to Die"   - "Steal Away"

Brazilian-born composer and producer Amon Tobin has long been heralded as a pioneer within the realm of trip hop and electronic music. His unique ability to fuse diverse influences, ranging from jazz and ambient to drum and bass, has earned him a reputation for pushing the boundaries of the genre and defying categorization. Tobin's atmospheric and immersive compositions, such as those showcased on his groundbreaking album Bricolage , remain influential touchstones within the trip hop scene and continue to inspire future generations of producers and musicians.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Amon Tobin   - "Four Ton Mantis"   - "Easy Muffin"   - "Stoney Street"

Dive Into Amon Tobin's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "The Lighthouse"   - "Bridge"

The eclectic New York duo Cibo Matto, comprised of Japanese expats Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori, brought a quirky, genre-defying approach to trip hop with their 1996 debut album Viva! La Woman . Incorporating elements of hip-hop, pop, and experimental music, Cibo Matto's unconventional sound and whimsical lyricism set them apart from their peers. Their unique blending of styles and penchant for culinary-themed lyrics helped Cibo Matto carve out a distinct niche within the trip hop community, making them one of the genre's most memorable and singular acts.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Cibo Matto   - "Sugar Water"   - "Know Your Chicken"   - "Birthday Cake"

Dive Into Cibo Matto's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "White Pepper Ice Cream"   - "Sci  -Fi Wasabi"

Supreme Beings of Leisure

The Los Angeles-based collective Supreme Beings of Leisure merged trip hop with elements of lounge, world music, and electronica to create a unique and enticing sound in the late '90s. The group's self-titled debut showcased their ability to craft lush, groove-driven compositions that catered to fans of downtempo electronic music. Supreme Beings of Leisure's diverse influences and innovative approach to trip hop earned them a dedicated following and helped cement their place within the pantheon of influential acts in the genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Supreme Beings of Leisure   - "Strangelove Addiction"   - "Golddigger"   - "Never the Same"

Dive Into Supreme Beings of Leisure's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Ain't Got Nothin'"   - "Sublime"

Little Dragon

Swedish band Little Dragon, fronted by the dynamic vocalist Yukimi Nagano, brings a fresh, genre-defying approach to trip hop, blending influences from electronica, R&B, and synth-pop. With acclaimed albums like Ritual Union  under their belt, the band has captivated audiences worldwide with their unique sound and electrifying live performances. As Little Dragon continues to push the boundaries of trip hop and explore new sonic territories, they remain an exciting and essential act within the genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Little Dragon   - "Ritual Union"   - "Twice"   - "High"

Dive Into Little Dragon's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Blinking Pigs"   - "Feather"

French musician and producer Jean-Yves Prieur, known as Kid Loco, has been a fixture in the trip hop scene since the mid-'90s, producing music that blends elements of dub, jazz, and electronica into an intoxicating, downtempo sound. His debut album A Grand Love Story  showcased his deft touch for crafting lush instrumental soundscapes that evoke a sense of warmth and nostalgia. With a career spanning multiple decades and numerous collaborations, Kid Loco has solidified his status as an influential figure within the trip hop genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Kid Loco   - "A Grand Love Theme"   - "She's My Lover"   - "The Bootleggers"

Dive Into Kid Loco's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Love Me Sweet"   - "Calling Aventura King"

Bitter:Sweet

Los Angeles-based duo Bitter:Sweet, consisting of vocalist Shana Halligan and producer Kiran Shahani, delivered a sultry, sophisticated take on trip hop that captivated listeners in the mid-2000s. Drawing inspiration from jazz, lounge, and electronica, their debut album The Mating Game  showcased their ability to craft intoxicating, melody-driven compositions that resonate with fans of the genre. Though their time as a duo was brief, Bitter:Sweet's unique sound left a lasting impression on the trip hop scene and continues to be celebrated by fans and fellow musicians alike.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Bitter:Sweet   - "Dirty Laundry"   - "Drink You Sober"   - "The Mating Game"

Dive Into Bitter:Sweet's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Heaven"   - "Don't Forget to Breathe"

Canadian singer-songwriter Esthero, born Jen-Bea Englishman, made a powerful entrance to the trip hop scene with her 1998 debut album Breath from Another . Her enchanting blend of jazz, pop, and electronica elements, combined with her candid lyricism and emotive vocals, struck a chord with listeners. While Esthero's sound has evolved over the years to include elements of R&B, hip-hop, and rock, her roots in trip hop remain evident, solidifying her status as one of the genre's most versatile and captivating artists.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Esthero   - "Breath from Another"   - "Heaven Sent"   - "That Girl"

Dive Into Esthero's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Swallow Me"   - "Telephone"

Paul D. Miller, better known as DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid, has been an innovative force in trip hop since the early '90s, combining elements of hip-hop, electronica, and experimental music to create a unique and mind-expanding sound. Often incorporating sociopolitical themes and multimedia elements into his work, DJ Spooky challenges the boundaries of the genre and encourages listeners to question their assumptions about music and culture. Through his recordings, performances, and collaborations, DJ Spooky remains a vital and thought-provoking presence within the world of trip hop.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From DJ Spooky   - "Object Unknown"   - "Galactic Funk"   - "Synchronic Disjecta"

Dive Into DJ Spooky's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Peace in Zaire"   - "Polyphony of One"

Bristol-based duo Alpha, consisting of Corin Dingley and Andy Jenks, emerged as part of the trip hop scene in the mid-'90s, crafting lush soundscapes that blend elements of jazz, electronica, and pop. Their debut album Come from Heaven  showcased their ability to create atmospheric tunes with haunting melodies and intricate production. Over the years, Alpha's sound has continued to evolve, further solidifying their status as a versatile and innovative force within the trip hop genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Alpha   - "South"   - "Somewhere Not Here"   - "Slim"

Dive Into Alpha's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Saturn in Rain"   - "Reversal"

8mm, the creative partnership between producer Sean Beavan and vocalist Juliette Beavan, brings an intimate, seductive spin to trip hop, blending electronic soundscapes with sultry vocals and lush melodies. Their debut EP Opener  showcased their knack for crafting moody, atmospheric tunes that resonate deeply with fans of the genre. As they continue to explore the possibilities of trip hop, 8mm remains a captivating and passionate force within the scene.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From 8mm   - "No Way Back"   - "Give It Up"   - "Between the Devil and Two Black Hearts"

Dive Into 8mm's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Quicksand"   - "Forever and Ever, Amen"

UK producer Tripswitch, also known as Nick Brennan, expertly merges elements of ambient, electronica, and trip hop to create lush, expansive soundscapes that transport listeners to otherworldly realms. His debut album Circuit Breaker  quickly earned him a reputation as a skilled and innovative producer within the trip hop scene. Tripswitch's continued exploration of genre boundaries and willingness to experiment with new sounds have earned him a dedicated fanbase and a lasting impact on the trip hop genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Tripswitch   - "Roll Your Own"   - "Indigo"   - "Cartwheel"

Dive Into Tripswitch's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Stereogram"   - "Silver"

PTSMH / PATT SMITH

PTSMH, also known as Patt Smith, is an enigmatic and multifaceted artist whose contributions to trip hop cannot be understated. Crafting music that seamlessly combines elements of electronic, ambient, and avant-garde, PTSMH's distinctive sound and innovative approach to production have garnered widespread acclaim and respect from fans and peers alike. With a discography that spans multiple projects and pseudonyms, PTSMH remains a highly influential figure within the trip hop community.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From PTSMH / PATT SMITH   - "Because the Night"   - "Dancing Barefoot"   - "Gloria"

Dive Into PTSMH / PATT SMITH's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Break It Up"   - "25th Floor"

Shana Halligan

As a founding member of trip hop duo Bitter:Sweet, Shana Halligan's sultry and emotive vocals quickly established her as a captivating presence within the genre. In her solo work, Halligan further explores the boundaries of trip hop, merging electronic, jazz, and pop influences to create evocative, genre-blurring compositions. With a diverse range of collaborations and projects under her belt, Shana Halligan continues to captivate fans and fellow musicians alike, solidifying her status as an enduring and influential figure within the trip hop community.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Shana Halligan   - "True Love"   - "Get Gone"   - "Been Waiting"

Dive Into Shana Halligan's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Freak"   - "Always Forever Now"

London-based duo A.R. Kane, comprised of Alex Ayuli and Rudy Tambala, emerged in the late '80s, bringing an innovative blend of shoegaze, dream-pop, and trip-hop to the musical landscape. Often cited as pioneers within the genre, the duo's seminal albums 69  and i  showcased their ability to craft immersive, genre-defying soundscapes that still resonate with fans today. Despite their relatively brief career, A.R. Kane's influence on the trip hop genre remains evident, inspiring countless artists with their trailblazing approach to music-making.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From A.R. Kane   - "Lollita"   - "A Love from Outer Space"   - "Up"

Dive Into A.R. Kane's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Miles Apart"   - "Crack Up"

Moth Equals

London-based producer Moth Equals has been making waves within the trip hop scene thanks to his innovative blend of electronic, ambient, and experimental sounds. With critically-acclaimed releases like Sick Puppy  under his belt, Moth Equals showcases his ability to craft immersive soundscapes that challenge listeners' preconceptions about trip hop. As an artist who continually pushes the boundaries of the genre, Moth Equals stands out as a unique and vital presence within the trip-hop community.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Moth Equals   - "Fingers"   - "Border"   - "Sneaker"

Dive Into Moth Equals' History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Drowned City"   - "Escape Pod"

New York-based duo Mudville, consisting of vocalist Marilyn Carino and producer Ben Rubin, brought a dark and seductive edge to the trip hop scene with their captivating fusion of soul, jazz, and electronic influences. Their hauntingly atmospheric debut album The Glory of Man is Not in Vogue  showcased their impressive songwriting prowess and Carino's sultry, evocative vocals. Though Mudville's output has been relatively sparse over the years, their unique and intoxicating approach to trip-hop has earned them a dedicated following and a lasting impact within the genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Mudville   - "Wicked"   - "Blown"   - "Eternity"

Dive Into Mudville's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "The Hero of the World"   - "Nothing"

Bene Dico, the enigmatic producer behind a slew of eclectic, genre-defying trip hop releases, has made a name for himself with his innovative approach to music-making. Blending elements of electronic, hip-hop, and experimental sounds, Bene Dico's immersive compositions push the boundaries of trip hop, making him a vital force within the genre. With a discography that spans multiple projects and pseudonyms, Bene Dico remains an influential figure within the trip hop community.

Scottish producer and musician Howie B, born Howard Bernstein, has left an indelible mark on the trip hop scene with his acclaimed work both as a solo artist and as a collaborator with acts like U2, Björk, and Tricky. With his groundbreaking debut album Music for Babies , Howie B showcased his innovative production techniques and an innate ability to craft atmospheric, genre-blending soundscapes. Over the years, his diverse range of projects and continued dedication to pushing the boundaries of trip hop have cemented Howie B's status as a vital and influential figure within the genre.

Rock Out To Some Of The Most Popular Songs From Howie B   - "Take Your Partner by the Hand"   - "Switch"   - "Who's Got the Bacon"

Dive Into Howie B's History With Some Unique Deep Cuts   - "Baby Sweetcorn (Come Here)"   - "Music for Money"

• Electronic Music
• Bands/Musicians

Lists that rank the best rappers and hip hop artists from every time and place.

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Fitness & Wellbeing
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Car Insurance Deals
• Lifestyle Videos
• UK Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Broadband deals
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Solar Panels
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Betting Sites
• Online Casinos
• Wine Offers

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

Misunderstood masterpiece or unmitigated disaster? Massive Attack’s 100th Window at 20

The trip-hop collective’s fourth album left both fans and critics scratching their heads. but, with the project’s themes of digital paranoia, political tumult and anti-war sentiment, ed power argues that it’s never been more relevant, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music

Get our now hear this email for free, thanks for signing up to the roisin o’connor’s email.

T wenty years ago, Massive Attack ’s golden streak went up in smoke. Up to that point, the Bristol trip-hop innovators had surfed a never-ending tide of acclaim. With their first three albums, they were heralded as mould-breakers and miracle workers.

Then, on 10 February 2003, came their fourth. 100th Window was feverish and uneasy, a sealed puzzle box that made few concessions to casual listeners. Critics balked, fans scratched their heads. In a finger-snap, Massive Attack had surrendered their status as the most bullet-proof band in Britain.

But as the LP’s 20th anniversary approaches, there is surely a case to be made for 100th Window as a misunderstood masterpiece. True, it’s harder work than any of the Nineties trilogy of Blue Lines (1991), Protection (1994) and Mezzanine (1998). Choruses are at a premium; the smooth grooves that were once a Massive Attack signature are replaced by barb-wire guitars and beats that rumble like depth charges (a gear-shift foreshadowed by Mezzanine ’s starker moments). And of course, it is an anomaly in that it is the work of just one member, Robert “3D” Del Naja – though he has always rejected the idea of it as a “solo record”.

Yet, in terms of capturing the spirit of its time, it is an essential entry in the band’s catalogue. They have released just one further record, 2010’s Heligoland , and are currently on hiatus due to a “serious illness” in the ranks. 100th Window is ripe for appraisal.

War drums in Iraq. The souring of Tony Blair’s New Labour dream of a brighter, better Britain. A slowly dawning realisation that the World Wide Web was about to scramble our brains. It’s all there. A bulldozer-load of dread and anxiety is shunted into songs such as opener “Future Proof”, where Del Naja ominously intones the line “We can be numb”. That neurotic sensibility is signposted in the title: “100th Window” is the notion in the field of computer security that, even if you put a bar across 99 out of 100 windows, there may still be a security breach on the 100th.

“The idea [is] that no matter how careful you are – no matter how many security devices you have on your windows – you will leave just one of them unprotected,” explained Del Naja on the Massive Attack website. “Everyone can and will know everything about you and there will be truly nowhere left to hide.”

In 2003, nobody much cared for the paranoia. “For an album that’s been almost five years in the making, it’s hard not to be underwhelmed by 100th Window , which seems to shrink back from the developments of its predecessor Mezzanine to a musical space of barely differentiated grey tones,” said The Independent . The late critic Andy Gill compared the listening experience to “peering at a watercolour from which all detail has been washed away”.

“The first two Massive Attack records seemed to define a new genre that was suited to the times – a cosmopolitan hip-hop that served as a soundtrack to a new cultural and political era,” says Ian Bourland, author of the 33 1/3 series book Massive Attack: Blue Lines . “Those records had more of a groove to them, and different personnel, including Tricky. Mezzanine marked a shift in tone and instrumentation. It’s both a precursor and companion piece to 100th Window ... Massive Attack were becoming more the avant-garde artists they always sought to be, and their moment of mass appeal had crested.” The music of 100th Window was as uncompromising as Del Naja’s anti-war stance. Perhaps that is why reviewers found the record impenetrable.

Another ding against 100th Window was that it was, as pointed out, widely regarded as a solo run by Del Naja. Of course, Massive Attack had never been a band in the conventional sense. On Mezzanine , each member of the core trio of Del Naja, Grant “Daddy G” Marshall and Andrew “Mushroom” Vowles was essentially writing in isolation. The responsibility for knitting together the material fell to engineer Neil Davidge.

Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music

Sign up now for a 30-day free trial

“Mezzanine was a pretty sketchy album in terms of the way we worked,” Davidge told music production website Sound On Sound . “The band, as reported a lot at that time, were not getting on. So I’d be in the studio working with one of the members and someone else would come in, then the person I had been working with would leave and I’d have to change the track I was working on because they didn’t want to work on that track, they wanted to work on something different. Sometimes I’d be working on perhaps four different tracks in one day, which was a pretty messy way to work.”

By the end, Vowles was done with Massive Attack. He and Del Naja had clashed over the direction to pursue through Mezzanine and beyond. Del Naja wanted to move on from the soulful elements of their early collaborations with Shara Nelson – immortalised in their 1991 single “Unfinished Sympathy”. Vowles, for his part, was uneasy about the more guitar-oriented future signposted on Mezzanine .

“Mushroom’s always been into his funk and soul, and that’s where he wanted to go,” Del Naja told Jockey Slut magazine when promoting 100th Window . “Bands outgrow each other in the same way that friends and relationships outgrow each other. You hit critical mass, I suppose.”

Del Naja and Marshall were on better terms. But “Daddy G” was now just plain old daddy: he’d had a baby and wanted to focus on child-rearing for the foreseeable future. That left Del Naja, who came off the Mezzanine tour determined to push forward with Massive Attack. He was especially keen to challenge the stereotype of Massive Attack as makers of “coffee table” music. Del Naja wanted to create a record that nobody would dare slap on at a dinner party.

Massive Attack have never been about individuals

His logic was that the group had never been a meeting of minds in the first place – their catalogue essentially the work of distinct musical sensibilities operating largely in isolation. They’d never followed the rules. So why should they abide by the idea that Massive Attack had to be a “band”?

“Massive Attack have never been about individuals,” he said. “The idea of connecting a band to individuals is one that’s doomed to failure.”

100th Window would in the end vindicate Del Naja’s belief that Massive Attack could be whatever its members wanted it to be. It took a long time to get there, though. The initial plan was to collaborate with Lupine Howl, a psychedelic trio formed by former members of Jason Pierce’s Spiritualised. Trip-hop was about to meet trippy rock.

Del Naja, Davidge and Lupine Howl spent 18 months jamming in a rehearsal space at Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey. The 80 hours of material they assembled sounded full of promise. But listening back later, they discovered it didn’t hang together. “It worked really well on the basis that we got some great performances, but sadly, when you took things out of context they suddenly didn’t work,” said Davidge.

“You do sit back and think, has it been reduced to this? Is this what’s left in the bottom of the cup? Is that it? There were moments when it was like, f***ing hell, it’s a lonely place, this studio,” added Del Naja in an interview with The Big Issue .

Hellish gestations were nothing new for Massive Attack. They’d always taken their time. Mezzanine was delayed over and over as Del Naja obsessively tinkered with the final mix. This was different. It wasn’t that the project was rough at the edges. It was that there was nothing there to begin with.

Back in Bristol, at Massive Attack’s bespoke studio, the duo decided radical action was required. “We literally scrapped the whole lot and started again,” Davidge would say. “And we started in more of a way that we’d been familiar with, where you would start with a sound, and that sound would become a part, and that part would become a loop or small musical arrangement, and then you’d start building over the top of that.”

The goal was to create a soundscape that took the listener on a journey. That was always Del Naja’s intent, even on more “poppy” earlier favourites such as “Unfinished Sympathy”, as he told The Independent in 2010 in a track-by-track breakdown of Heligoland (which reviewer Simmy Richman despaired of as “moody” with a few indie guests “chucked in”).

“We’ve always been quite into the idea of telling a story musically, even from the first records like “[Hymn of] The Big Wheel” and “Unfinished Sympathy”, said Del Naja.

“The tracks went on little musical journeys themselves that had a proper beginning, middle and end, as opposed to verse-chorus-verse-chorus-middle eight,” he added. “I appreciate the pop song and I marvel at people’s writing abilities, but when it comes to music, for me, I’ve always gravitated more to a kind of symphonic journey.”

Heligoland was another riposte to the Nineties and the idea, as proclaimed by Blair’s pretend-favourite band D-Ream, that “things can only get better”. By the 2000s, Del Naja had come to the opposite conclusion. The Heligoland highlight “Splitting the Atom” was, he said , “a metaphor for that kind of constant debate and the fact that nothing ever changes”. He continued: “The lyrics were just like a very short poem that was just saying, “Here we go again”; from the Eighties with Thatcher’s Britain, to the start of the Nineties with our first album, with the political climate and the background of the Middle East crisis, recession, boom, bust, the whole thing, you know.”

He had learnt that lesson during the making of 100th Window , when campaigning against the Iraq war. Del Naja and Damon Albarn – who supplies backing vocals to “Small Time Shot Away”, where he is credited as 2D from Gorillaz – had joined forces to speak out against the invasion, which happened a month after the release of 100th Window . It was a lonely place.

“We were getting managers of other bands saying, ‘Does that mean you support Saddam Hussein’s regime?’ That’s ridiculous,” Del Naja reflected. It wasn’t just the managers who were dubious. He was struck by the lack of support from other musicians. “We stepped out into the light, looked back and there was no one else behind us.”

A key decision during the recording process was to invite Sinéad O’Connor as vocalist on three songs (alongside Massive Attack regular Horace Andy, who is on two tracks). O’Connor is today regarded as an icon – a singer who took on the patriarchy, and the music industry, long before it was fashionable. But 20 years ago, she was still often perceived as the one-hit wonder behind “Nothing Compares 2 U”. Del Naja, though, saw through that and recognised that she could communicate trauma and anger like nobody else.

O’Connor is an extraordinary vocalist. Still, her singing could never be described as “comforting”. That sets her apart from the talents with whom Massive Attack had previously collaborated, whether that be Nelson on “Unfinished Sympathy” or Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins on “Teardrop” from Mezzanine . Those songs were dark and mysterious. By contrast, O’Connor’s contributions to 100th Window wear their heart on ragged sleeves: you know exactly what they are about, and the picture they paint is not pretty. “There are many good men/ Ask yourself, is he one of them?” she sings on “Special Cases”, a dirge about domestic violence.

The mood is even starker in “A Prayer for England”, about violence against young people. “Let not another child be slain,” howls O’Connor. “Let not another search be made in vain.” She isn’t singing so much as venting demons. That same sense of tangling with dark forces ripples throughout 100th Window . Twenty years ago, people thought that, in that angsty spiral, Massive Attack had lost the thread of what made them special. Listen to it today – in this era of climate-change anxiety and economic turmoil – and it’s clear that they were ahead of their time.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Want an ad-free experience?

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Local Groove Does Good: The Story Of Trip-Hop's Rise From Bristol

Vivien Goldman

The Wild Bunch — soon-to-be Massive Attack — at the Dug Out Club in Bristol. Photo by Beezer hide caption

The Wild Bunch — soon-to-be Massive Attack — at the Dug Out Club in Bristol.

Sinuous and mysterious as a plume of drifting smoke, a new sort of groove wafted two decades ago from Bristol, a bohemian university town in the west of England. Though its prime movers — Massive Attack , Tricky and Portishead — all loathe the term, the word "trip-hop" has become synonymous with the style created by Bristol bands like Massive Attack and Smith & Mighty. The sensuous groove fulfilled a timeless human need for a bass-heavy sound to touch the secret recesses of the imagination and lure our dreamworld onto the dance floor. Trip-hop was tailor-made for the moment — and it happens every night — when a bopper wants to get tender. Or when domestic listeners seek to wander within themselves.

Not all local grooves take flight, but trip-hop most certainly did. Over the next two decades it was re-imagined as chill-out, downtempo, illbient and lounge music. Its subtle tendrils have woven into music round the world: Washington, D.C.'s Thievery Corporation , with their exotic cosmopolitan edge; drifty Brazilian sounds like Ceu , whose dulcet lilt earned her maximum market penetration (a Starbucks CD); London's Ninja Tunes' artists like Bonobo and Berlin's techno-tinged Sonar Kollektiv. As music writer Simon Reynolds notes, "People like Flying Lotus and Gonjasufi on the West Coast are doing trippy hip-hop. Though it's not quite the same thing, they probably are the inheritors of the spirit of Massive Attack, Tricky, Earthling and DJ Vadim."

To qualify as true trip-hop, music has to share the sense of opiated mystery of Tricky's tantalizing mumbles on the classic album, 20 years old last year, that launched trip-hop worldwide, Massive Attack's Blue Lines. Its magical " Unfinished Sympathy ," cast a spell over the world's clubbers. Produced by Nellee Hooper (later of Soul II Soul and Bjork , among many others) the well-timed sound was just one manifestation of a movement taking place in Bristol at that time.

Scene initiators included Smith & Mighty and the DJ collective The Wild Bunch, from which came Massive Attack and Tricky. The Pop Group's volatile post-punk added another element to the scene, later splitting into the savage free explorations of Float Up C.P. and horn-happy Pigbag.

Bristol fed off its slave port for hundreds of years; now it's one of Britain's blackest cities, culturally and socially. It's long been home to a West Indian community, and shebeens and sound systems were a way of life for all music-loving Bristolian youth. Being a port, Bristol was always awash in hashish and other plant-based mind-benders like marijuana — not to mention more macrobiotically sound, locally-grown life-enhancers like scrumpy cider and hallucinogenic mushrooms (legal back then) grown in the surrounding countryside — that undoubtedly fuelled Bristol's music scene.

Much of this musical experimentation took place at a club called The Dug Out. As Hooper has said, "The Dug Out couldn't have had a better location, at the top of the hill from St Paul's — the heart of the black music scene — and just down the hill from Clifton and the trendy punk/art scene. It was just dangerous enough for trendies to feel edgy, music cool and edgy enough to confuse and enthuse the dreads ... perfect!"

Disclosure: I got a chance to explore Massive Attack's creative process first hand over a few years. What follows is a typically incestous Bristolian saga. The links between town and gown — the students and the locals — plus the charming city's many liberal artsy types, made for a scene with a hectic social, creative and romantic dynamic.

Blue Lines was born in an upstairs bedroom of the terraced West London home of Afro-Swedish hip-hop diva Neneh Cherry and her producer husband, singer Cameron McVey. Before her solo hits began with " Buffalo Stance ," Neneh sang with Float Up C.P., and as her first husband was Bruce Smith (drummer for the Pop Group and The Slits, with whom Neneh also sang), Bristol was yet another home to her. The young Massive Attackers, Daddy G, 3-D, Mushroom and Tricky, became Cherry and McVey's protegés. They took over the small side bedroom, soon cluttered with reel-to-reels and tape machines, and a record deck on which they would earnestly sift through possible samples. A superb chef, my friend Neneh would be in the kitchen concocting feasts in between writing rhymes, with Massive Attack wandering in for cups of tea.

Years later, after the band had released Blue Lines and were preparing the album that became Protection , I visited Bristol to collaborate with them, eventually co-writing the track " Sly ." Sample-based songwriting in those pre-digital days could be laborious. I bought a child's Casio keyboard to help fill the gaps, which came in handy for "Sly," but the process often involved someone getting on their bike and cycling down to the second-hand record shop to try and locate half-remembered grooves that might be just right to fulfill the elusive conception of a song.

Bring back the bike, because the tunes the Massives assembled by hand, between cups of tea, opened a poetic, evocative, emotional vein of music, which is still connecting hearts today.

10 Key Trip-Hop Tracks

Neneh cherry on "lately" by massive attack.

From 'Blue Lines'

By Massive Attack

Sonically, it's the ultimate trip-hop track, really beautiful. When they were working on it in our house in Mortimer Road, West London, I remember lying in bed hearing it floating round the house and the feeling of being a silent witness to something really great happening. It would send me off into a beautiful dream space sleep. What I love about trip-hop is the bottom end, the sexiness of the downbeat which also gives it a blues-y sort of melancholy. It's the English interpretation of hip-hop, bringing the bass and bottom end from reggae into it. Why Bristol? All the people I know from there are hardcore individuals. It breeds some eccentric thinkers.

Singer-songwriter NENEH CHERRY is an anchor of the Bristol scene. She sang with The Slits, Float Up C.P. and is now with the band CirKus. She is working on two new albums.

Ray Mighty on "Anyone" by Smith & Mighty

From 'DJ-Kicks'

By Smith & Mighty

To hell with false modesty!

RAY MIGHTY is half of the production duo Smith & Mighty.

Rob Smith on "King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown" by Augustus Pablo

From 'King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown'

By Augustus Pablo/King Tubby

To be very honest, we all hated the term 'trip-hop'! The phrase was coined, I believe, by a non-Bristolian journalist, Dom Phillips, who in my mind was very underqualified to be making any opinions about the scene at that time. I remember we played with Tricky at Hammersmith. During Tricky's set, he shouted, "Who likes trip-hop?" A few people in the audience shouted, "Yaee!" and he replied, "Well f--- off home then!"

Bristol artists were not afraid to mix and blend styles, thus coming up with fresh sounding tunes. Also Bristol is far enough away from London that there wasn't the same need to compete or chase trends. Bristol had its own pace and tunes were often left to stew longer.

ROB SMITH is half of the production duo Smith & Mighty.

Mark Stewart on "Aftermath" by Tricky

From 'Aftermath EP'

His first single. I made it with him and Martina Topley-Bird. We were desperate for a girl singer. 8 o'clock in the morning, stopped at some traffic lights on the way to the studio. Two school girls in their uniform at a bus stop — me and Tricky shouted across saying, "Can either of you sing?" Martina said yes, and two stars were born: Tricky and her.

The Wild Bunch (as well as 3D, Daddy G, DJ Milo, Willie Wee and Tricky Kid) — my boys. They call me The Godfather, but in fact some of them are older than me, I just started making music when I was 16.

Big up the mad skillz of generation next Bristol bass of Appleblim, Kahn and Joker dropping science — the new kids from Bristol.

MARK STEWART is the singer for The Pop Group and Mark & the Mafia. His new album, The Politics of Envy , will be released in March and includes collaborations with Primal Scream and others.

Bruce Smith on "Glory Box" by Portishead

From 'Mysterious Heads'

By Portishead

"Glory Box" is a GREAT record, very sexy. I associate that track with sex. And Tricky's first album is very good, very creative. I think the genre is interesting as it is a particularly English take on a North American cultural phenomenon. In Bristol the West Indian influence is huge, so the interpretation of hip-hop — an aggressive music — was made from that perspective, with the influence of dub being the key element.

I spent my late teens absorbed by reggae in Bristol. Had an enormous effect on me and still does in the way I play the drums to this day.

BRUCE SMITH is the drummer for The Slits, The Pop Group and Public Image Limited.

Dick O'Dell on "Karmacoma" by Massive Attack

From 'Protection'

Trip-hop happened in Bristol because of the strong West Indian community from slave trade times combined with middle class white boyz getting seriously spliffed up in the Dug Out!

DICK O'DELL was the manager of The Pop Group and now manages Bat for Lashes.

Cameron McVey on "Any Love" by Massive Attack

From 'Singles 90/98'

It was the very first Massive Attack 45, before me and Neneh started working with them. Smith & Mighty produced it, who I was trying to work with at the time, with Chris Parry, the manager of The Cure. I love Portishead too, and I'd also like to pick Horace Andy's "One Love," with Massive Attack .

Trip-hop was born in Bristol because a lot of 6' 5" Masai warriors must have jumped ship during the slave trade! That's why Bristol has street names like Black Boy Hill and White Lady Road. Bristol is where reggae mixed with hip-hop. It's mad. It's so profound.

CAMERON MCVEY is a singer, songwriter and producer for Neneh Cherry, CirKus and more.

Beezer on "Small World" by Smith & Mighty

From 'Big World, Small World'

The Dug Out was a meeting spot for the ghetto and Poshville where black and white would hang out. We were there almost every night, playing disco, funk and punk. It was our Studio 54, and it put Bristol on the map. We were totally into dub and reggae; it was an amalgamation of cultures with no barriers.

We didn't know we were part of something that would be influential later, but even at the time it felt like something special was going on, although it was still just, like, going out on a regular Wednesday night.

BEEZER is a photographer who chronicled trip-hop in the mid-'90s.

Tessa Pollitt on "Unfinished Sympathy" by Massive Attack

I choose everything dear ol' Tricky has put out. The Slits were often in Bristol and I have always loved and respected the "Brizzle" scene. So much innovative music and talent has come from there and has influenced following generations musically.

Let's face it, reggae from Jamaica has influenced us all in the U.K. from old steppers to jungle, drum and bass, dubstep, trip-hop, grime etc. The original rapper was U Roy, [J.A].

But Bristol has something special about it. Must be the Ley Lines (lines of energy running beneath the earth) and the huge hills you have to climb like in San Francisco. And probably the amount of Jamaicans that came here way back in the windrush era, 1950s.

TESSA POLLITT is bass player for The Slits.

Martina Topley-Bird on "Aftermath" by Tricky

From 'Maxinquaye'

It's the only Tricky song I recognize as a trip-hop song (still hard to write those words even now), and it was our first single. Mark Stewart was there. I'd just turned 16. Recorded in a squat studio in Bristol.

I arrived in Bristol when I was 13. I like that Bristol is really mixed racially, more so than anywhere else in England, even London, for me at the time. It was smaller and there were no great swathes of land for people to be segregated to.

I think how it's laid out as a city has its own effect on the psyche of its dwellers — and the weather. Back then it was England before shops were open on Sundays. Some parts were melancholy, and some parts were bleak. But the suspension bridge was beautiful and the gorge. It has history as a slaving port too.

It was the generation before me that started making this music though. I heard more than I saw with my own eyes about Blues dances and Sound Systems.

MARTINA TOPLEY-BIRD is a vocalist with Tricky and Massive Attack. She's working on new material now.

• Augustus Pablo
• Massive Attack

• Latest News

‘Más Allá del Sol’: Joan Sebastian Bares His Life-Living Soul

The bird and the bee, simple minds, and steve miller band: currently trending songs, who is lyn collins… mama feelgood, that’s who, ‘wild horses’: the story behind the rolling stones song, ‘killing is my business… and business is good’: megadeth’s debut lp, ‘the letter’: joe cocker rewrites the box tops’ chart-topper, ‘take off your pants and jacket’: underneath blink-182’s enticing invitation, little big town to release career-spanning greatest hits record, craft latino unearths lone full-length from café, nelly furtado’s debut album ‘whoa, nelly’ gets first-time vinyl release, godsmack will release ‘faceless’ on vinyl for the first time, rita lee and roberto de carvalho’s ‘voando’ receives official release, dr. dre and snoop dogg’s ‘the next episode’ joins spotify’s ‘billions club’, pat boone expanded classics hit streaming for first time, massive attack.

The British duo comprised of 3D and Daddy G and pioneered Bristol’s trip-hop sound with classic albums like Mezzanine and Blue Lines.

Published on

West Country trip hoppers Robert ‘3D’ Del Naja and Grant ‘Daddy G’ Marshall burst into our consciousness in 1988 when they formed in Bristol. Socially active and musically groundbreaking by turns, Massive Attack stunned critics with their debut album  Blue Lines  and the sky-bursting single ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ – both are all-time classics. Two more of their albums have debuted at number one and they’ve won deserved recognition for their craft in the shape of a Brit Award for Best British Dance act and various MTV Europe Music Awards. Genuine pioneers in their field their five studio albums have sold well over ten million copies worldwide. In addition to their studio career, the two Massive men are respected DJs. Naja is also an innovative artist who has exhibited in London and Bristol while their live shows are spectacles of multimedia involving classy guests and surprises at every turn. They have collaborated with David Bowie , Elizabeth Fraser, Sinead O’Connor and Madonna and probably turned down dozens of others. Their most recent album is  Heligoland , but watch their space. There is plenty more to come.

Graffiti artist and rapper Del Naja met Grantley Marshall and Andrew Vowles when they became part of the local collective The Wild Bunch. Picking up in places where the legendary Bristolian The Pop Group left off The Wild Bunch and their sound system concentrated on reggae, dubplates, skank and soul. After stabs at production they signed to Circa Records on Neneh Cherry ’ s  recommendation (she was an early supporter and bankroller) and spent months perfecting  Blue Lines  with co-producers Jonny Dollar and Cameron McVey, while Geoff Barrow, later of Portishead, worked the tapes.

‘To Be Real’: Essential LGBTQ Anthems For Pride Month

The best chemical brothers songs: 20 electronic classics, electronic visionary: tangerine dream frontman edgar froese.

Blue Lines  is available in original and  Remix versions and is highly recommended as a starting point for its fusion of electronic, hip hop, dub, soul and reggae sounds. From the outset, the writing was powerful with early tracks ‘Safe from Harm’ and ‘Lately’ setting a high standard. While they don’t pay lip service to the terminology surrounding trip-hop the album did establish their style. Innovative, with catchy earworm hooks and what-the-hell-is-that twists, Massive Attack slowed down the hip hop groove to their own pace – mellow and meditative. Easy facility with breakbeats and sampling became their calling card and their influence stems from this moment. Guests on the album include Tricky (aka Tricky Kid) Shara Nelson and Horace Andy and the cuts are fresh and funky. The title track samples Tom Scott’s ‘Sneakin’ in the Back’ while ‘Daydreaming’ quotes Wally Badarou’s lush Mambo. Given that every song has vast merit it may be invidious to choose one highlight but ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ has become a signature piece. Percussive excellence and the string arrangements of veteran Wil Malone lend themselves to outside remixing and the track has been carefully dismantled and reshaped by the likes of Paul Oakenfold and Nellee Hooper.

In its stark form, the single was voted number one cut of the year by mainstream and style lead publications. It signals their arrival as a major force. Tina Turner would have a Top Ten hit with it in 1996 but Massive Attack’s own chilled take with its Mahavishnu Orchestra vocal sample is the blueprint. Even the video, shot by  Blue Velvet  cinematographer Baillie Walsh, is breathtaking and groundbreaking in its use of a Los Angeles street scene and a slow perambulation around West Pico Boulevard by Nelson. The Verve would pay homage to the video/film’s elan in their own Bitter Sweet Symphony. It is truly an important moment in British music.

Having spent around eight months on the first album, the second disc,  Protection  (again available with full  Remixes ) arrived in 1994. Now recording in London and Bristol the cast list still includes Tricky – just about to complete his own Maxinquaye debut – Hooper and Andy while adding vocalists Nicolette, Tracey Thorn from Everything but the Girl, Craig Armstrong ‘s piano and Chester Kamen on guitar. Again the reviews were glowing and the album sounds as crisp and cool and sexy today as it did – incredible to recall – nearly twenty years ago! The timeless grace of Massive Attack’s approach is a definite virtue. Listen to their version of The Doors ‘ ‘Light My Fire’, as different in its way as Jose Feliciano’s in 1968. In stripping the song down and then layering it up Del Naja and company reveal the unexpected. Same goes for ‘Protection’ and ‘Karmacoma’. ‘Protection’ uses James Brown’s rhythm motif from ‘The Payback’ but swaps his ferocious hi-hat and bass snap with a much more sultry loop. It’s worth mentioning a few of the mixes on this too as they include 7 and 12-inch versions helmed by Eno , ‘Radiation Ruling the Nation’, ‘Angel Dust’ and ‘J. Swift’. Perhaps most impressive is Tracey Thorn’s vocal – a performance of great beauty. ‘Karmacoma’ is a dance floor beast with raps by 3D and Tricky and samples of Borodin’s Prince Igor and Serge Gainsbourg ‘s ‘Melody’. Again the video for the track is mind-blowing – think Quentin Tarantino rather than a bunch of pretty boys strumming guitars on a desert island. That ain’t the Massive method.

The next single ‘Risingson’ would usher in third album  Mezzanine  (1998). With Vowles back at the mixing desk, this new venture signals ever more adventurous use of sampling, programming and state of the art sonics. Massive Attack were also influential in the download world since this album was made available months before any physical release. Not that it did sales any harm. This is their most successful seller to date. Ironically it was also, they said, the most stressful to complete. All that perfectionism can drive a fellow mad it seems. Out they came relatively unscathed with an artefact that went Double Platinum in 2012.

Textured, dark and ambient  Mezzanine buries the trip-hop pigeonhole for good. An eerie, unsettling at the time, mood pervades tracks like ‘Inertia Creeps’ and the title song (which features a cute sample from  The Velvet Underground’s  ‘I Found a Reason’) although the most intriguing cut could well be a reworking of John Holt and the Paragons slinky ‘Man Next Door’ where the in-house groove is funked up and frazzled by snatches of Led Zeppelin ‘s ‘When the Levee Breaks’ and  The Cure’s  ‘10.15 Saturday Night’. Tensions may have been high in the studio but the sense of dangerous adventure is all over this baby. And it does have many seriously grooved up gears. The title track shouldn’t be overlooked. Perfect late-night soundtrack stuff with a rare groove drum link from Bernard Purdie’s ‘Heavy Soul Slinger’. They couldn’t resist that title. Nor could they put down the classic idea of sampling Isaac Hayes and  Quincy Jones  on ‘(Exchange)’. One of the five-star summer albums of ’98.

For  100 th Window, Del Naja found himself in sole charge of the Massive moniker as Vowles and Marshall quit for some fresh air. The solution was to use a wider spectrum of vocalists so Damon Albarn and Sinead O’Connor came to Clifton. A radical departure all-around, sessions began with a lot of experimental cut-ups involving Spiritualized offshoot Lupine Howl. Eventually, these were discarded as was the sampling technique and the jazz dub fusion of previous discs. The single ‘Special Cases’ (featuring O’Connor) gave fans their first sighting of the new direction while follow-up ‘Butterfly Caught’ indicated this was going to be something completely different. Well into their second-decade Massive Attack were now able to fly and the Official Soundtrack album Danny The Dog  scored for the martial arts action-thriller  Unleashed  (the  OST  has also been made available under that title) found Del Naja and cohort producer Neil Davidge adapting their sound to suit the atmospherics demanded by working to showreels.

Collected (2006) is a must-have compilation. As well as the key cuts from previous discs there are exclusive edits, the single ‘Live with Me’ featuring underground soul-jazz legend Terry Callier and a bonus dual-layered CD containing rare material with collaborators like Madonna, Mos Def and Debbie Clare. Team this with the handy extended play of Bite-Size  for the latest digital Attack.

And so to  Heligoland . Perhaps their most immediately accessible album, this warm bunch of beats and blues boasts guests Albarn coming on more Gorillaz than Blur, Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval, Elbow ‘s Guy Garvey, Martina Topley-Bird updating the Bristol connection and Portishead ‘s guitarist Adrian Utley. Fans were delighted to find Marshall back on board and co-writing every track but saddened to hear the passing of original Wild Buncher Jonny Dollar to whom the album is dedicated.

Del Naja and co. originally sent out feelers to dozens of possible collaborators but opted for a more organic mood. ‘Paradise Circus’, co-produced with Burial, highlights Sandoval’s gorgeous throat, albeit tinged with an air of menace that made it ideal theme title music for the acclaimed BBC crime series  Luther . The flip ‘Four Walls’ was unreleased. ‘Splitting the Atom’ is another significant cut as it welcomes back Horace Andy and sees Albarn providing keyboard synths. Lovers of  FIFA 11  will also be familiar with the blood-rushing groove here while the epic closer ‘Atlas Air’ is simply classically Massive Attack.

In short, this is all modern music for the mind, body and soul.

Dave Kinsey

August 13, 2022 at 9:24 pm

Sorry how could I forget safe from harm number4 but I would put all four in my top ten tunes of all time everyone of them is a banger and I don’t know a single person that would disagree and if they did then they shouldn’t be listening to music, go read a book or something.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

MUSIC; Trip-Hop Reinvents Itself to Take on the World

By Guy Garcia

• Oct. 25, 1998

WHEN Massive Attack came on the British dance-music scene in 1991 with its debut album, ''Blue Lines,'' the group's bass-heavy beats and brooding spirit of introspection became the sonic blueprint for trip-hop. A studio-concocted blend of hip-hop, ambient techno and reggae that set the tone for fellow Bristol artists like Portishead and Tricky, trip-hop seemed ideally suited to our globally aware, culturally fragmented times. Spawned by the latest recording technologies, yet resolutely human in its message, it was steeped in the ironic film-noir paranoia of 60's spy movies and apocalyptic angst.

Throughout the 90's, Massive Attack has maintained its underground appeal, partly because its music -- like trip-hop itself -- is a constantly mutating, sometimes clashing hybrid of styles and influences. Now Massive Attack is metamorphosing again, this time into a rock band. The group's muscular new sound, which was on display during the group's recent American tour, signaled its continuing evolution from a loose confederacy of DJ's, singers and studio wizards into a more conventional band that performs with live drums and guitars. On songs like ''Angel'' and ''Group Four,'' both from the group's new album, ''Mezzanine,'' the undulating dance pulse repeatedly morphs into spiraling electric guitar riffs.

The enthusiastic response to the album and concerts was especially satisfying for Robert Del Nada, a k a. 3-D, one of the core members of the group and the catalyst behind its new sound. ''It really did bring in all the elements that made us,'' he said. ''Funk, soul, reggae, hip-hop and punk thing -- it was all there.''

It also showed that trip-hop has expanded well beyond the confines of its dance-beat origins, reflecting the multiethnic makeup of the genre's urban international audience. Most trip-hop bands are racially and sexually mixed, and their lyrics, while seldom overtly political, are charged with the social and economic apprehensions of the latest CNN headlines. And thanks to the rise of world music and a growing appreciation of native folk traditions, popular tastes are less parochial than they once were, paving the way for mass acceptance of trip-hop's polyglot textures. In fact, at a time when the boundaries between musical genres are increasingly blurred, trip-hop is becoming more diverse -- and relevant even, wrapping its mordant lyrics and sinuous beats around influences as disparate as Middle Eastern folk music, free-form jazz and Burt Bacharach.

''Trip-hop is the new world music,'' said the reggae singer Horace Andy, a longtime Massive Attack collaborator who contributed lyrics and vocals to several tracks on ''Mezzanine.'' ''It speaks to every culture.''

It also speaks to musicians who grew up listening to everything from Public Enemy and the Sex Pistols to Joni Mitchell and Pink Floyd and who are searching for open-ended forms of expression that will not limit their choices. In recent months, trip-hop's atmospheric strains have spawned a slew of ambitious new acts, including England's Pressure Drop, the Belgian band Hooverphonic and Canada's Esthero.

''I think music in general has kind of grown up in the past few years,'' said Mr. Del Naja. ''Everyone seems to have understood you could go in any direction that you want, and it's not something that has to be a cliche or generic. People are prepared to experiment.''

Last year, Mr. Del Naja joined his fellow Massive Attack co-founders, Grant (Daddy G) Marshal and Andrew (Mushroom) Vowles, in starting their own record label, Melankolic. Among its first releases were ''Skylarking Volume 1,'' a compilation of songs by Mr. Andy, and ''Come from Heaven '' by the British trip-hop newcomer Alpha, whose music has a breezy, retro feel and features samples of Herb Alpert and the Percy Faith Orchestra.

For some bands, the trip-hop trend has provided a vehicle for exploring other musical terrain. While Morcheeba's 1996 debut album, ''Who Can You Trust?'' was squarely in a trip-hop mode, the commercial success of that album and a collaboration with David Byrne on his album ''Feelings'' freed the group to tap its 70's rock roots. As a result, its even stronger second album, ''Big Calm,'' moves away from dance club grooves and takes a more song-oriented approach, incorporating sitar, banjo and peddle steel guitar.

''We never really considered ourselves a trip-hop band, although we jumped on that bandwagon to get a record deal and get some profile,'' said Paul Godfrey, the band's lead lyricist and self-styled conceptualist. ''We've always been way diverse,'' he said, ''and the music that we were creating before 'Who Can You Trust?' was country blues with fiddles and hip-hop beats. So 'Big Calm,' in a way, was really a return to where we came from.''

TRIP-HOP'S founders, in fact, now reject the term as outdated and limiting. ''It doesn't describe our music at all, '' said Mr. Marshall of Massive Attack.

Yet there are certain threads that continue to run through the genre, particularly a tendency toward slow, surging rhythms, minor-chord progressions and lyrics that evoke alienation and fear. There is also a palpable ambivalence toward technology, which can manifest itself in menacing drones and beeps or mellifluous rainbows of synthesized sound. And there is a free-floating sense of dread that has as much to do with race riots and terrorism as the emotional risks of post-modern romance.

On the song ''Darkness,'' from Pressure Drop's album, ''Elusive,'' Anita Jarrett, accompanied by ominous bass lines and a funereal beat, sings: ''Something inside, under the skin/ Deep, deep down, Deep within/ You can't feel a thing/ That's what darkness brings.''

''When we write tracks we try to represent things going on around us,'' said David Henley, who along with Justin Langlands makes up the creative core of Pressure Drop. ''And in this world that were living in now, of mass communication and people not contacting each other physically as much, a lot of people are feeling quite insular, because they've sort of lost that contact of meeting people and interacting face to face. And I think that's increasing.''

For Maurice Bernstein, the President of Giant Step records and a British concert promoter who produced the first American concerts for Massive Attack and many other trip-hop acts, the music's downbeat vibe can at least be partly attributed to the social and cultural realities of the working-class British communities where the movement was born. ''It's coming from their experience,'' said Mr. Bernstein. ''And they're offering an alternative to the groovy Cool Britannia image that usually gets offered to people. This is England the way they see it, and its a very dark score.''

Trip-hop bands also tend to eschew traditional song structures in favor of panoramic soundscapes that unfold and evolve with long instrumental passages, more like classical or jazz compositions than typical pop songs. On Pressure Drop's album, ''Elusive,'' woodwinds, trumpet and saxophone give the mix a bluesy, be-bop flavor, while on Hooverphonic's new album, ''Blue Wonder Powder Milk,'' Geike Arnaerts ethereal vocals float over lush string arrangements and gently pulsing rhythms.

The propensity toward longer, more amorphous tracks springs from trip-hop's roots in the ambient techno raves of the late 80's and early 90's, in which music, lighting effects and sometimes psychotrophic drugs were used to induce an ecstatic, trancelike experience that could last all night.

But Mr. Bernstein sees another explanation. ''Kids spend most of their time now walking around with headphones on,'' he said. ''The Walkman has become part of our everyday reality. So what people are doing now is writing the soundtrack to their own lives.''

For trip-hop bands like Massive Attack, that sense of detachment translates into music that mixes well with visual images, and that compatibility has been noticed by filmmakers looking for fresh sounds to complement their work.

Massive Attack has contributed to the soundtracks of ''Batman Returns,'' ''Welcome to Sarejevo'' and the sci-fi thriller ''Phi.'' Craig Armstrong, the Scottish composer who arranged the strings on Massive Attacks 1994 album, ''Protection,'' and whose album, ''The Space Between Us,'' was released this year on Melankolic, has contributed to the soundtracks for ''Romero and Juliet'' and ''The Saint.'' And Hooverphonic's song ''2wicky'' was featured on the score of the Bernardo Bertolucci film ''Stealing Beauty.''

Despite such exposure, few trip-hop bands have been able to make their mark in an increasingly crowded market. ''All of the musical scenes that there have been in the past 5 or 10 years, each of them seems to be strong in its own right,'' said Mr. Del Naja. ''You've got an enormous drum-and-bass scene, and an enormous techno scene, and then you've got places that play more mellow stuff and jazz. And once in a while something pops up and gets big and everything else stays underground, which is healthy.''

What remains to be seen is whether trip-hop, either in its original or mutated form, will ever gain amass following outside Europe's dance-club scene. ''Is the next Massive Attack somewhere in America making the U.S. version of trip-hop?'' asked Mr. Bernstein. ''It would be pretty sad if there isn't. Because that's what it will take to push this to the next level.''

Perhaps, but in the United States, where many hit songs reflect the optimism of the American dream, trip-hop's dark streak of realism has failed to catch on with the record-buying public. That could change. If political cynicism and a gyrating stock market continue to take their toll on the public mood, trip-hop may yet prove to be the perfect soundtrack for our anxious times.

A picture caption on Oct. 25 about the British trip-hop band Massive Attack reversed the names of a singer. He is Horace Andy. The article also misstated the title of a science fiction film in which Massive Attack appeared on the soundtrack. It is ''Pi,'' not ''Phi.''

How we handle corrections

Find anything you save across the site in your account

By Nate Patrin

January 8, 2017

“Trip-hop” eventually became a ’90s punchline, a music-press shorthand for “overhyped hotel lounge music.” But today, the much-maligned subgenre almost feels like a secret precedent. Listen to any of the canonical Bristol-scene albums of the mid-late ’90s, when the genre was starting to chafe against its boundaries, and you’d think the claustrophobic, anxious 21st century started a few years ahead of schedule. Looked at from the right angle, trip-hop is part of an unbroken chain that runs from the abrasion of ’80s post-punk to the ruminative pop-R&B-dance fusion of the moment.

The best of it has aged far more gracefully (and forcefully) than anything recorded in the waning days of the record industry’s pre-filesharing monomania has any right to. Tricky rebelled against being attached at the hip to a scene he was already looking to shed and decamped for Jamaica to record a more aggressive, bristling-energy mutation of his style in ’96; the name  Pre-Millennium Tension is the only obvious thing that tells you it’s two decades old rather than two weeks. And Portishead ’s ’97 self-titled saw the stress-fractured voice of Beth Gibbons envisioning romance as codependent, mutually assured destruction while Geoff Barrow sunk into his RZA -noir beats like The Conversation ’s Gene Hackman ruminating over his surveillance tapes. This was raw-nerved music, too single-minded and intense to carry an obvious timestamp.

But Massive Attack were the origin point of the trip-hop movement they and their peers were striving to escape the orbit of, and they nearly tore themselves to shreds in the process. Instead— or maybe as a result—they laid down their going-nova genre's definitive paranoia statement with Mezzanine . The band's third album (not counting the Mad Professor -remixed No Protection ) completes the last in a sort of de facto Bristol trilogy, where Tricky’s youthful iconoclasm and Portishead’s deep-focus emotional intensity set the scene for Massive Attack’s sense of near-suffocating dread. The album corroded their tendencies to make big-wheel hymnals of interconnected lives where hope and despair trade precedent—on Mezzanine , it’s alienation all the way down. There’s no safety from harm here, nothing you’ve got to be thankful for, nobody to take the force of the blow: what Mezzanine provides instead is a succession of parties and relationships and panopticons where the walls won’t stop closing in.

The lyrics establish this atmosphere all on their own. Sex, in “Inertia Creeps,” is reduced to a meeting of “two undernourished egos, four rotating hips,” the focus of a failing relationship that's left its participants too numbed with their own routine dishonesty to break it off. The voice singing it—Massive Attack's cornerstone co-writer/producer Robert “3D” Del Naja—is raspy from exhaustion. “Dissolved Girl” reiterates this theme from the perspective of guest vocalist Sarah Jay Hawley (“Passion’s overrated anyway”). On “Risingson,” Grant “Daddy G” Marshall nails the boredom and anxiety of being stuck somewhere you can’t stand with someone you’re starting to feel the same way about (“Why you want to take me to this party and breathe/I’m dying to leave/Every time we grind you know we severed lines”).

But Mezzanine’s defining moments come from guest vocalists who were famous long before Massive Attack even released their first album. Horace Andy was already a legend in reggae circles, but his collaborations with Massive Attack gave him a wider crossover exposure, and all three of his appearances on Mezzanine are homages or nods to songs he'd charted with in his early-’70s come-up. “Angel” is a loose rewrite of his 1973 single “You Are My Angel,” but it’s a fakeout after the first verse—originally a vision of beauty (“Come from way above/To bring me love”), transformed into an Old Testament avenger: “On the dark side/Neutralize every man in sight.” The parenthetically titled, album-closing reprise of “(Exchange)” is a ghostly invocation of Andy’s “See a Man’s Face” cleverly disguised as a comedown track. And then there’s “Man Next Door,” the John Holt standard that Andy had  previously recorded as “Quiet Place ”—on Mezzanine , it sounds less like an overheard argument from the next apartment over and more like a close-quarters reckoning with violence heard through thin walls ready to break. It’s Andy at his emotionally nuanced and evocative best.

The other outside vocalist was even more of a coup: Liz Fraser, the singer and songwriter of Cocteau Twins , lends her virtuoso soprano to three songs that feel like exorcisms of the personal strife accompanying her band’s breakup. Her voice serves as an ethereal counterpoint to speaker-rattling production around it. “Black Milk” contains the album’s most spiritually unnerving words (“Eat me/In the space/Within my heart/Love you for God/Love you for the Mother”), even as her lead and the elegiac beat make for some of its most beautiful sounds. She provides the wistful counterpoint to the night-shift alienation of “Group Four.” And then there's “Teardrop,” her finest moment on the album. Legend has it the song was briefly considered for Madonna; Andrew “Mushroom” Vowles sent the demo to her, but was overruled by Daddy G and 3D, who both wanted Fraser. Democracy thankfully worked this time around, as Fraser’s performance—recorded in part on the day she discovered that Jeff Buckley , who she’d had an estranged working relationship and friendship with, had drowned in Memphis’ Wolf River—was a heart-rending performance that gave Massive Attack their first (and so far only) UK Top 10 hit.

Originally set for a late ’97 release, Mezzanine got pushed back four months because Del Naja refused to stop reworking the tracks, tearing them apart and rebuilding them until they’re so polished they gleam. It sure sounds like the product of bloody-knuckled labor, all that empty-space reverb and melted-together multitrack vocals and oppressive low-end. (The first sound you hear on the album, that lead-jointed bassline on “Angel,” is to subwoofers what “Planet Earth” is to high-def television.) But it also groans with the burden of creative conflict, a working process that created rifts between Del Naja and Vowles, who left shortly after Mezzanine dropped following nearly 15 years of collaboration.

Mezzanine began the band’s relationship with producer Neil Davidge, who’d known Vowles dating back to the early ’90s and met the rest of the band after the completion of Protection . He picked a chaotic time to jump in, but Davidge and 3D forged a creative bond working through that pressure.  Mezzanine was a document of unity, not fragmentation. Despite their rifts, they were a post-genre outfit, one that couldn’t separate dub from punk from hip-hop from R&B because the basslines all worked together and because classifications are for toe tags. All their acknowledged samples—including the joy-buzzer synths from Ultravox’s “Rockwrok” (“Inertia Creeps”), the opulent ache of Isaac Hayes ’ celestial-soul take on “Our Day Will Come” (“Exchange”), Robert Smith ’s nervous “tick tick tick” from the Cure ’s “10:15 Saturday Night,” and the most concrete-crumbling throwdown of the Led Zep “Levee” break ever deployed (the latter two on “Man Next Door”)—were sourced from 1968 and 1978, well-traveled crate-digging territory. But what they build from that is its own beast.

Their working method never got any faster. The four-year gap between Protection and Mezzanine became a five-year gap until 2003’s 100th Window , then another seven years between that record and 2010’s Heligoland , plus another seven years and counting with no full-lengths to show for it. Not that they've been slacking: we've gotten a multimedia film/music collaboration with Adam Curtis , the respectable but underrated  Ritual Spirit EP , and Del Naja’s notoriously rumored side gig as Banksy . (Hey, 3D does have a background in graffiti art.) But the ordeal of both recording and touring Mezzanine took its own toll. A late ’98 interview with Del Naja saw him optimistic about its reputation-shedding style: “I always said it was for the greater good of the fucking project because if this album was a bit different from the last two, the next one would be even freer to be whatever it wants to be.” But fatigue and restlessness rarely make for a productive mixture, and that same spark of tension which carried Mezzanine over the threshold proved unsustainable, not just for Massive Attack’s creativity but their continued existence.

Still, it’s hard not to feel the album’s legacy resonating elsewhere—and not just in “Teardrop” becoming the cue for millions of TV viewers to brace themselves for Hugh Laurie’s cranky-genius-doctor schtick . Graft its tense feelings of nervy isolation and late-night melancholy onto two-step, and you’re partway to the blueprint for Plastician and Burial . You can hear flashes of that mournful romantic alienation in James Blake , the graceful, bass-riddled emotional abrasion in FKA twigs , the all-absorbing post-genre rock/soul ambitions in Young Fathers or Algiers . Mezzanine stands as an album built around echoes of the ’70s, wrestled through the immediacy of its creators' tumultuous late ’90s, and fearless enough that it still sounds like it belongs in whatever timeframe you're playing it.

All products featured on Pitchfork are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

By signing up you agree to our User Agreement (including the class action waiver and arbitration provisions ), our Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement and to receive marketing and account-related emails from Pitchfork. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thom Yorke on the Radiohead and Massive Attack album that never happened

Bristol trip-hop dons Massive Attack were lined up to remix Radiohead's OK Computer in its entirety – until life got in the way...

Radiohead and Massive Attack emerged from wildly different backgrounds – one from a private school in Oxfordshire and one from Bristol’s sound system and graffiti culture – but by the mid-90s, the two groups saw themselves as kindred spirits. Both were experimental artists who’d had mainstream success, rewriting the boundaries of where rock, electronic music, dance, and hip-hop could co-exist. But they weren’t just admiring each other from afar. Instead, plans were afoot for a full-scale crossover, the idea being that Massive Attack were going to do a full remix of Radiohead’s 1997 record OK Computer . “Musically, it could be really interesting,” guitarist Ed O’Brien said at the time. “It’ll be very cool to see what happens.” 

Unfortunately, it never happened, and a year later in 1998 Thom Yorke sat down for an interview with MTV’s 120 Minutes to explain why. “I think their manager gave them a kick up the arse and said, ‘could you finish your record please?’,” the singer laughed. “I think that’s where it was left. It was cool. 3D (Massive Attack frontman Robert Del Naja) was on the stage at Glastonbury when we played and it was cool to see his face in the midst of all the hell that was breaking loose that night. They’re good people… but they’re going to be stuck on their record now, which is a shame.”

Despite Massive Attack’s Daddy G suggesting that the two bands were going to try and get together in summer 1998 for a jam, nothing was ever released, and what would have been one of the great 90s team-ups never came to fruition. On the plus side, Massive Attack did crack on and finish their own record instead, 1998’s Mezzanine remaining one of the decade’s finest - alongside OK Computer , of course.

Watch the full interview below.

Get the Louder Newsletter

The latest news, features and interviews direct to your inbox, from the global home of alternative music.

Niall Doherty is a writer and editor whose work can be found in Classic Rock, The Guardian, Music Week, FourFourTwo, on Apple Music and more. Formerly the Deputy Editor of Q magazine, he co-runs the music Substack letter The New Cue with fellow former Q colleagues Ted Kessler and Chris Catchpole. He is also Reviews Editor at Record Collector. Over the years, he's interviewed some of the world's biggest stars, including Elton John, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Depeche Mode, Robert Plant and more. Radiohead was only for eight minutes but he still counts it.

“We were playing to people who didn't care if we fell over and died.” The Cure might be recognised now as one of the world's most iconic and influential bands, but that wasn't always the case

“I’m a 42-year-old man”: M. Shadows slams old record label for trying to create Avenged Sevenfold “viral Tiktok moment”

Deftones are the most popular metal band for soundtracking sexual encounters, a horny new survey finds

Most Popular

• Terms Of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Revival Bands

• Classic Bands

Elizabeth Fraser Performs “Song to the Siren” with Massive Attack for the First Time Ever

• June 6, 2024
• Alice Teeple

In a long-awaited return to the stage, Massive Attack delivered their first concert in five years tonight with a spellbinding surprise: Elizabeth Fraser’s haunting rendition of Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren.” The show at Gothenburg Film Studios in Sweden featured special guests Young Fathers and Horace Andy, but it was Fraser’s ethereal vocals on this surprise cover that stole the spotlight. Last performed live by Fraser in 2012, the track added an emotional depth to an already highly anticipated night.

Elizabeth Fraser and Massive Attack first joined forces in 1998 for the landmark third studio album, Mezzanine . Fraser’s haunting vocals elevate several tracks, most notably the entrancing single “Teardrop.” The synergy between the former Cocteau Twins singer and the Bristol-based electronic outfit results in an unforgettable fusion of her ethereal voice with Massive Attack’s dark, atmospheric sound. Fraser’s contributions to Mezzanine and her live performances of these tracks over the years have cemented their collaboration as iconic within the trip-hop genre.

Tonight, Massive Attack returned to the stage for the first time since their 2019 back-to-back shows at NYC’s Radio City Music Hall. The event, held at Gothenburg Film Studios in Sweden, marked the band’s first performance since the passing of guitarist Angelo Bruschini.

The evening’s setlist included Fraser-led tracks such as “Black Milk” and “Teardrop,” with visual accompaniments by frequent collaborator and filmmaker Adam Curtis, adding a deeper layer to the performance. Horace Andy’s presence brought life to “Hymn of the Big Wheel” and “Angel,” while Young Fathers energized the crowd with “Voodoo in My Blood.” Longtime live member Deborah Miller joined to deliver powerful renditions of Blue Lines‘ “Unfinished Sympathy” and “Safe From Harm,” Before “Safe from Harm,” 3D (Robert Del Naja) declared, “Traditionally this is a song of protest, tonight it is a song of solidarity with the Palestinian people.”

The third song performed in the set was the debut performance of Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren” with Massive Attack. Elizabeth Fraser had previously only performed this song live with the Cocteau Twins and solo at the Anohni-curated Meltdown in 2012 at the Southbank Centre in London, which was the last time she sang it live. In 1983, her ethereal voice immortalized “Song to the Siren” with This Mortal Coil with a single release and inclusion on the project’s first album, It’ll End in Tears, in 1984. Years later, she found a kindred spirit—and tumultuous romance—in Jeff, Tim’s son, whose own haunting melodies echoed his father’s.

Watch a clip of the performance via Brooklyn Vegan.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by BrooklynVegan (@brooklynvegan)

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Uros Petrevski (@ukicar12)

View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Melikork Melikork (@melikork)

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Christian Jansson (@outlinedshapes)

• – “Girl I Love You” (with Horace Andy)
• – “Future Proof”
• – “Song To The Siren” (with Elisabeth Fraser) (Tim Buckley cover)
• – “Hymn Of The Big Wheel” (with Horace Andy)
• – “Black Milk” (with Elizabeth Fraser)
• – “Inertia Creeps”
• – “ROckwrok” (Ultravox cover)
• – “Angel” (with Horace Andy)
• – “Safe From Harm”
• – “Unfinished Sympathy”
• – “Karmacoma”
• – “Teardrop” (with Elizabeth Fraser)
• – “(Intro) Levels” (Avicii cover)
• – “Risingson”

Massive Attack 2024 Tour Dates:

• June 13, 2024: Oslo, Norway – Piknik i Parken
• June 15, 2024: Stockholm, Sweden – Rosendal Garden Party
• June 27, 2024: Tilburg, Netherlands – Spoorpark Tilburg
• July 7, 2024: Hérouville-Saint-Clair, France – Chateau De Beauregard
• July 13, 2024: Mantova, Italy – Piazza Sordello di Mantova
• July 15, 2024: Montreux, Switzerland – Montreux Jazz Festival
• July 20, 2024: Bontida, Romania – EC10
• July 23, 2024: İstanbul, Turkey – Parkorman
• August 10, 2024: Lokeren, Belgium – Lokerse Feesten
• August 21, 2024: Saint-Cloud, France – Rock En Seine
• August 24, 2024: Saint-Cloud, France – Rock en Seine
• August 24, 2024: Saint Cloud, Mauritius – Domaine de Saint-Cloud
• August 25, 2024: Bristol, United Kingdom – Clifton Downs
• August 29, 2024: Lisbon, Portugal – MEO Kalorama
• September 2, 2024: Torino, Italy – TODAYS Festival

Please support  Post-Punk.com ! You can do so via:

or directly via Paypal:

• Or by using our new Contact form here:

Related Topics

• Elizabeth Fraser
• Jeff Buckley
• Massive Attack
• Tim Buckley

Alice Teeple is a photographer, multidisciplinary artist, and writer. She is not in Tin Machine.

• Song Premiere
• Video Premiere

From the Beach to the Roller Disco — Pet Shop Boys Debut Their Video for “A new bohemia”

• Album Streaming

Listen to the Scathing Social Commentary of Detroit Deathgaze Duo Vazum’s “Western Violence” LP

• June 7, 2024

You May Also Like

• Anniversary

Interpol Adds US Dates to Their “Antics” 20th Anniversary Tour

• post-punk.com
• June 12, 2024
• New Releases

Belarusian Post-Punk Trio Molchat Doma Debut Video for “Son” From New Album “Belaya Polosa”

• June 11, 2024
• Collaborations

In The Throes Of Debuts Video for New Wave Version of “Lakmé: Duo des Fleurs (Flower Duet)” Featuring Jordan Rutter-Covatto

David lynch and chrystabell announce new album “cellophane memories” and share their video for “sublime eternal love”, los angeles dreampop rocker taleen kali releases cover of smashing pumpkins’ “ava adore” ahead of dum dum fest.

• June 5, 2024

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Debut Exuberant New Single “Frogs”

• May 30, 2024

Clan of Xymox Unveil Dystopian Cyberpunk Video for Their New Single “X-Odus”

Love and rockets and jane’s addiction announce 2024 north american tour.

• May 28, 2024

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

• Directly via Paypal:

Privacy Overview

The Smooth Sanctuary with Gary Vincent 7pm - 10pm

Now Playing

The 10 greatest trip-hop bands of all time.

22 February 2023, 11:52

By Tom Eames

Trip-hop emerged in the 1990s as a leading force of downtempo electronic music.

Originating largely in Bristol in the early 1990s, trip-hop has been described as a psychedelic mix of hip-hop and electronica, with slower tempos and an atmospheric style. It also uses elements of jazz, soul, funk, reggae, R&B, and other genres, as well as often sampling film soundtracks and other sources.

Trip-hop was first coined by Mixmag , and it soon had commercial success by the second half of the decade.

From its pioneers of the '90s to the artists they influenced, here are the greatest trip-hop artists:

Morcheeba - Blindfold (Official Video)

Formed in the mid-1990s with singer Skye Edwards and brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey, Morcheeba emerged with sublime influences of rock, folk and downtempo, becoming a leading force in the trip-hop movement, starting with 1996's Who Can You Trust?

They have released 10 studio albums since 1995, with the latest being 2021's Blackest Blue .

Although they have moved on to other genres since their early trip-hop days, they still must be counted as one of the genre's greatest acts.

Sneaker Pimps

Sneaker Pimps - 6 Underground (Official Music Video)

Formed in Hartlepool in 1994, Sneaker Pimps' debut album, Becoming X was a seminal trip-hop LP in 1996.

Best known for the single '6 Underground', the band takes its name from an article the Beastie Boys published in their Grand Royal magazine about a man they hired to track down classic sneakers.

The band was created by electronic musician Liam Howe and guitarist Chris Corner, and then later recruited singer Kelli Ali (then known as Kelli Dayton).

After a long hiatus, the group returned with Howe and Corner in 2016, and they finally started releasing new music in 2021.

Little Dragon

Little Dragon - Twice

Swedish band Little Dragon hail from Gothenburg, having formed in 1996.

The band currently consists of singer Yukimi Nagano, Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik Wallin (bass) and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards).

Their first release was the incredible single 'Twice' in 2006, and they brought out their debut album a year later.

Nagano was in her first year in high school when she met seniors Wallin and Bodin. The three of them would meet up after school to jam and play records, and their band name was inspired by the 'Little Dragon' nickname Nagano earned due to the "fuming tantrums" she used to throw while in the studio.

UNKLE - Rabbit In Your Headlights

UNKLE was founded in 1992 by James Lavelle.

In 1997, Lavelle brought in DJ Shadow to work on his debut album, which was released a year later. The album featured collaborations with the likes of Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Mark Hollis (Talk Talk), Mike D (Beastie Boys), Badly Drawn Boy and Richard Ashcroft (The Verve).

UNKLE as an outfit still exists today, though Lavelle has featured various incarnations of the collective, hiring a wide range of guest musicians and producers along the way.

His most recent studio album release with 2017's The Road: Part 1.

Martina Topley-Bird

Sandpaper Kisses

English singer and multi-instrumentalist Martina Topley-Bird first found fame when she featured on Tricky's debut album, Maxinquaye in 1995.

She also worked with him on his subsequent albums Nearly God and Pre-Millennium Tension, and then in 2003, she released her debut solo album Quixotic. The album was a critical hit and earned her a Mercury Prize nomination.

She has since worked with the likes of Gorillaz, Diplo and Massive Attack among others, and her track 'Sandpaper Kisses' has been covered Stephen Marley and sampled by The Weeknd.

Lamb - Gorecki

Electronic music duo Lamb formed in 1996 in Manchester, and consist of producer Andy Barlow and singer-songwriter Lou Rhodes. Rhodes' distinctive vocals gave them a uniquely beautiful sound, and no doubt inspired the likes of The Knife and Goldfrapp.

Their brand of trip-hop is also influenced drum and bass and jazz, and are best known for their singles 'Górecki' and 'Gabriel'.

Despite a hiatus in the 2000s, they have continued to release music, with their most recent being 2019's The Secret of Letting Go .

DJ Shadow - Midnight In A Perfect World

Speaking of DJ Shadow...

Joshua Davis is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer, known for his famous alter ego. His debut studio album, Endtroducing..... was released in 1996.

DJ Shadow's music often involves manipulating samples, bringing in rare pieces of music and sound clips, from all kinds of genres, particularly on his early albums.

His most recent LP was the double album Our Pathetic Age in 2021.

Portishead - Glory Box

Portishead - named after the place in Somerset, formed in 1991 in Bristol. Comprising of singer Beth Gibbons, producer Geoff Barrow, and musician Adrian Utley, engineer Dave McDonald is also sometimes credited as the fourth member.

• The Story of... 'Glory Box' by Portishead

Their 1994 album Dummy brought together hip-hop production with emotive vocals from Gibbons, creating a particularly atmospheric and cinematic sound. It was one of the albums that defined trip-hop as a growing genre.

Portishead themselves have disliked being associated with the genre, and would later move away from the sound on later albums.

Tricky - 'Black Steel' (Official Video)

British artist Tricky was raised in Bristol, and began his career as an early member of Massive Attack.

He soon began a solo career with his debut album, Maxinquaye , in 1995. It instantly won him huge critical acclaim, and he released four more studio albums before the end of the decade. His most recent album was 2020's Fall to Pieces .

Tricky is considered a pioneer of trip-hop, with his style known for being often dark in tone, and blending cultural influences and genres, such as hip-hop, rock and reggae.

Massive Attack

Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy

Trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack formed in 1988 in Bristol, led by Robert '3D' Del Naja, Adrian 'Tricky' Thaws, Andrew 'Mushroom' Vowles and Grant 'Daddy G' Marshall.

Their debut album Blue Lines was released in 1991, with the single 'Unfinished Sympathy' considered one of the greatest songs of all time, let alone trip-hop.

1998's Mezzanine - containing the classic track 'Teardrop') and 2003's 100th Window were also UK number ones.

They have won various awards of the years, and have sold over 13 million copies worldwide.

Like Portishead, they have never been a massive fan of the 'trip hop' label. Daddy G said in 2006: "We used to hate that terminology [trip-hop] so bad. You know, as far we were concerned, Massive Attack music was unique, so to put it in a box was to pigeonhole it and to say, 'Right, we know where you guys are coming from."

Latest Chill News and Features

See more Latest Chill News and Features

James Blake facts: Singer and producer's age, girlfriend, family and career explained

Massive attack reunite with elizabeth fraser for 'teardrop' and 'song to the siren' at first gig in five years, jamie xx announces in waves – his first solo album in nearly a decade, thievery corporation announce 2024 european tour including london date, hannah reid facts: london grammar singer's age, partner, children and career explained, listen to smooth chill, smooth playlists, smooth's all time top 500, smooth soul, smooth country hot hits, smooth chill concentration, smooth podcast picks, they don't teach this at school with myleene klass, take that: this life, runpod with jenni falconer, the news agents.

• Show Spoilers
• Night Vision
• Sticky Header
• Highlight Links

Follow TV Tropes

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/MassiveAttack

Music / Massive Attack

Edit locked.

I'm a little curious of you in crowded scenes And how serene your friends and fiends We flew and strolled as two, illuminated gently Why don't you close your eyes and reinvent me? — "Mezzanine", Mezzanine

Massive Attack are a Bristol-based band formed out of the Wild Bunch soundsystem in 1988, credited with creating the genre of Trip Hop along with contemporaries Portishead (and arguably DJ Shadow as well). As with their contemporaries, they don't much like being pigeonholed into the label of "trip-hop," which is probably why every album they've made so far is a New Sound Album .

Their 1991 debut Blue Lines represented the aforementioned launch of trip-hop. Protection (1994) added more reggae, dub and soul influences to go with a more elaborate production. Mezzanine (1998) attracted an Alternative Rock audience thanks to its Darker and Edgier sound and addition of harsher beats and grungy guitar riffs. 100th Window (2003) continued the Darker and Edgier bent of Mezzanine , but dialed down the alt-rock influences. Their most recent album, Heligoland (2010), sort of returns to their minimalist Blue Lines sound but remains just as grimdark as the previous three. Since its release, the group has released several EPs and singles.

The group's original line-up consisted of Robert "3D" Del Naja, Grantley "Daddy G" Marshall, and Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles; Vowles left the group after the release of Mezzanine , citing creative differences. The group currently consists of 3D and Daddy G alongside Adrian " Tricky " Thaws, who has become a successful trip-hop artist in his own right.

Massive Attack are well-known for featuring a large number of guest vocalists in their songs; reggae singer Horace Andy has appeared on all of their albums and Tricky performed on Blue Lines and Protection before leaving for a solo career. Other similar collaborators have included Shara Nelson ( Blue Lines ), Tracey Thorn and Nicolette ( Protection ), Elisabeth Fraser and Sara Jay ( Mezzanine ), Sinéad O'Connor and Damon Albarn ( 100th Window ), and Tunde Adebimpe , Hope Sandoval and Damon Albarn again ( Heligoland ).

Discography:

• Blue Lines (1991)
• Protection (1994)
• Mezzanine (1998)
• 100th Window (2003)
• Heligoland (2010)

Massive Attack provide examples of:

• Autotune : Used to disturbing but awesome stylistic effect on "Butterfly Caught." Del Naja's already creepy whisper is shifted to such perfect pitch that he sounds entirely inhuman.
• Broken Record : "Angel". loveyouloveyouloveyouloveyou ...
• BSoD Song : "False Flags."
• Creepy Monotone : The aforementioned "Butterfly Caught." Hell, Del Naja's vocals are almost always this trope.

• Darker and Edgier : Mezzanine . 100th Window even more so, continuing from the darker direction of Mezzanine .
• Epic Rocking : The Burial remixes of "Paradise Circus" and "Four Walls" clock in at roughly twelve minutes each.
• Every Episode Ending : "Atlas Air" closes every show of the Heligoland tour.
• Fake-Out Fade-Out : "Sly".
• Greatest Hits Album : Collected , released in 2006.
• Heartbeat Soundtrack : "Teardrop" has a beat reminiscent of one.
• I Am the Band : Del Naja has at points been the only active member of Massive Attack for various reasons, including creative disagreements. 100th Window was conceived largely by Del Naja and producer Neil Davidge in the period after Vowles left the group and Marshall took a sabbatical to raise his daughter.
• An instrumental excerpt of "Teardrop" provided the theme song for several seasons of House .
• It's more obvious in some songs than in others — the chorus of "Inertia Creeps" is basically just "moving up slowly / she comes," and a prominent line in "Mezzanine" is "don't frown / tastes better on the way back down." Actually, pretty much the only songs on the album that don't have this are "Exchange," "Man Next Door," and maybe "Group Four" depending on one's interpretation.
• Mama Bear : "Safe From Harm." "If you hurt what's mine... I'll sure as hell retaliate."
• Metaphorgotten : "Paradise Circus:" "She will love you like a fly will never love you again."
• Mood Whiplash : "Atlas Air" alternates between insanely catchy keyboards and dark, whispered vocals.
• New Sound Album : Every single one.
• Non-Appearing Title : Frequently.
• Sampling : Also frequently. The original version of Mezzanine 's "Black Milk" led to a lawsuit from Manfred Mann, whose Earth Band song "Tribute" was used as a base without permission — Del Naja explained that they were led to believe that their sample fell within "fair use" limits and were surprised to discover they had sampled the entire song; later releases on Collected re-titled the song "Black Melt" and replaced "Tribute" with a different sample.
• Obsession Song : "Angel", of the passive type.
• The Oner : The video for "Unfinished Sympathy" is one of the earliest music videos to use this technique, with vocalist Shara Nelson walking down a Los Angeles street. It was later paid homage to in The Verve 's "Bitter Sweet Symphony" with Richard Ashcroft in London.
• Power of Trust + The Power of Love : "Protection".
• Protest Song : Massive Attack has occasionally veered into more political territory since 100th Window , whose title is itself an allusion to a book on Internet security and privacy. "False Flags" mentions riots in Europe, while "Atlas Air" is about the alleged CIA extraordinary rendition program. Heligoland 's working title was Weather Underground , in reference to the radical organization.
• Tricky's "Overcome" features his lyrical contributions to Massive Attack's "Karmacoma" set to entirely different music.
• Remix Album : No Protection is a Mad Professor 's dub remix of Protection .
• Self-Referential Track Placement : "Three", the third track of Protection .
• Soprano and Gravel : Due to the number of female vocalists featured on their albums. Very obvious in songs like "Group Four".
• Stage Names : For all of their members.
• Surreal Music Video : "Karmacoma" has a large number of tributes to The Shining . "Teardrop" features a CGI fetus lip-syncing to Elizabeth Fraser's vocals. "Butterfly Caught" focuses on 3D sitting in a room as a butterfly tattoo on his face metamorphoses and eventually spreads over his entire body.
• Title Drop : "Man Next Door" comes very close but technically averts it by phrasing the title slightly differently ("there is a man that lives next door").
• Word Salad Lyrics : Frequent, with "Karmacoma" being their most prominent example.
• Creator/EMI
• Alternative Dance
• Creator/Virgin Records
• John Martyn
• British Music
• Richard Marx
• Music of 2000–2004
• Mashrou' Leila
• Music of 2010–2012
• Music of the 1990s

Important Links

• Action Adventure
• Commercials
• Crime & Punishment
• Professional Wrestling
• Speculative Fiction
• Sports Story
• Animation (Western)
• Music And Sound Effects
• Print Media
• Sequential Art
• Tabletop Games
• Applied Phlebotinum
• Characterization
• Characters As Device
• Narrative Devices
• British Telly
• The Contributors
• Creator Speak
• Derivative Works
• Laws And Formulas
• Show Business
• Split Personality
• Truth And Lies
• Truth In Television
• Fate And Prophecy
• New Articles
• Edit Reasons
• Isolated Pages
• Images List
• Recent Videos
• Crowner Activity
• Un-typed Pages
• Recent Page Type Changes
• Trope Entry
• Character Sheet
• Playing With
• Creating New Redirects
• Cross Wicking
• Tips for Editing
• Text Formatting Rules
• Handling Spoilers
• Administrivia
• Trope Repair Shop
• Image Pickin'

Advertisement:

× Do you know these Musicians from their Movies?

Bands Similar To Massive Attack

When it comes to pioneering the trip-hop genre, Massive Attack is undoubtedly one of the most influential bands in the music industry. Formed in Bristol, England in 1988, the group consists of Robert “3D” Del Naja, Grant “Daddy G” Marshall, and Andy “Mushroom” Vowles. Known for their innovative sound that blends elements of hip hop, electronica, and dub, Massive Attack has left a lasting impact on the music scene.

While Massive Attack continues to be a dominant force in the trip-hop genre, there are several other bands that have emerged over the years with a similar sound and style. These bands have drawn inspiration from Massive Attack’s pioneering work and have carved out their own unique niche in the music world. In this article, we will explore some of the bands that are similar to Massive Attack and delve into what makes them stand out.

1. Portishead

One of the most well-known bands in the trip-hop genre, Portishead hails from Bristol, England, just like Massive Attack. Formed in 1991, the band consists of Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons, and Adrian Utley. Portishead’s music is characterized by haunting vocals, atmospheric soundscapes, and a dark, brooding vibe. Their debut album, “Dummy,” released in 1994, is considered a classic of the trip-hop genre and has influenced countless artists since its release.

Another key figure in the trip-hop scene, Tricky first gained fame as a member of Massive Attack before branching out on his own. His solo work is characterized by a dark, gritty sound that blends elements of hip hop, rock, and electronica. Tricky’s music often features haunting vocals and experimental production techniques that push the boundaries of traditional genres. His debut album, “Maxinquaye,” released in 1995, is considered a classic of the trip-hop genre and remains a landmark in his career.

3. Morcheeba

Formed in London in 1995, Morcheeba is a trip-hop band that has gained a loyal following for their soulful vocals and laid-back grooves. The band consists of Skye Edwards, Ross Godfrey, and Paul Godfrey. Morcheeba’s music is characterized by their smooth, jazzy sound and catchy melodies. Their debut album, “Who Can You Trust?” released in 1996, helped establish them as one of the leading bands in the trip-hop genre.

Zero 7 is a British electronic duo formed in 1997 by Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. Known for their dreamy, downtempo sound, Zero 7 has gained a reputation for their lush production and soulful vocals. The duo’s music often features a mix of organic instrumentation and electronic elements that create a unique sonic landscape. Zero 7’s debut album, “Simple Things,” released in 2001, received critical acclaim and helped solidify their place in the trip-hop genre.

Formed in Manchester in 1996, Lamb is a trip-hop band known for their distinctive sound that blends elements of electronic music, jazz, and rock. The duo consists of Andy Barlow and Lou Rhodes. Lamb’s music is characterized by Rhodes’ soulful vocals and Barlow’s innovative production techniques. Their debut album, “Lamb,” released in 1996, received widespread acclaim and helped establish them as one of the leading bands in the trip-hop genre.

6. Hooverphonic

Hailing from Belgium, Hooverphonic is a trip-hop band known for their lush, cinematic sound and ethereal vocals. The band was formed in 1995 and consists of Alex Callier, Raymond Geerts, and Luka Cruysberghs. Hooverphonic’s music is characterized by their dreamy, atmospheric soundscapes and haunting melodies. Their debut album, “A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular,” released in 1996, helped establish them as one of the leading bands in the trip-hop genre.

Formed in London in 1994, Archive is a trip-hop band known for their expansive sound that blends elements of rock, electronica, and orchestral music. The band consists of Darius Keeler and Danny Griffiths. Archive’s music is characterized by their epic, cinematic soundscapes and powerful vocals. Their debut album, “Londinium,” released in 1996, received critical acclaim and helped establish them as one of the leading bands in the trip-hop genre.

UNKLE is a British electronic music project founded in 1992 by James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy. Known for their eclectic sound that incorporates elements of hip hop, rock, and electronica, UNKLE has gained a reputation for their innovative production and collaborations with a diverse range of artists. Their debut album, “Psyence Fiction,” released in 1998, received critical acclaim and helped establish them as one of the leading acts in the trip-hop genre.

In conclusion, Massive Attack’s influence on the music industry cannot be overstated, and their pioneering work has paved the way for a new generation of artists to explore the boundaries of the trip-hop genre. The bands mentioned above have all drawn inspiration from Massive Attack’s groundbreaking sound and have carved out their own unique niche in the music world. With their innovative production techniques, haunting vocals, and atmospheric soundscapes, these bands continue to push the boundaries of traditional genres and create music that is both captivating and thought-provoking.

Common Questions:

1. What is trip-hop?

Trip-hop is a genre of electronic music that emerged in the early 1990s. It is characterized by its slow tempo, hip hop-inspired beats, and atmospheric soundscapes. Trip-hop often incorporates elements of hip hop, electronica, and dub to create a unique sonic landscape.

2. How did Massive Attack influence the trip-hop genre?

Massive Attack is considered one of the pioneers of the trip-hop genre. Their innovative sound and production techniques helped define the genre and paved the way for other artists to explore its boundaries. Massive Attack’s groundbreaking work continues to influence a new generation of artists in the music industry.

3. What are some key albums by Massive Attack?

Some key albums by Massive Attack include “Blue Lines” (1991), “Protection” (1994), and “Mezzanine” (1998). These albums are considered classics of the trip-hop genre and have helped solidify Massive Attack’s place in the music industry.

4. Who are the members of Portishead?

Portishead consists of Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons, and Adrian Utley. The band was formed in 1991 in Bristol, England, and has gained a loyal following for their haunting vocals and atmospheric soundscapes.

5. What is Tricky’s real name?

Tricky’s real name is Adrian Thaws. He first gained fame as a member of Massive Attack before branching out on his own and releasing a series of critically acclaimed solo albums.

6. What are some key albums by Morcheeba?

Some key albums by Morcheeba include “Who Can You Trust?” (1996), “Big Calm” (1998), and “Fragments of Freedom” (2000). These albums helped establish Morcheeba as one of the leading bands in the trip-hop genre.

7. Who are the members of Zero 7?

Zero 7 is a British electronic duo formed by Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker in 1997. Known for their dreamy, downtempo sound, Zero 7 has gained a reputation for their lush production and soulful vocals.

8. What is Lamb known for?

Lamb is known for their distinctive sound that blends elements of electronic music, jazz, and rock. The duo consists of Andy Barlow and Lou Rhodes, and their music is characterized by Rhodes’ soulful vocals and Barlow’s innovative production techniques.

9. Where is Hooverphonic from?

Hooverphonic is a trip-hop band from Belgium. The band was formed in 1995 and consists of Alex Callier, Raymond Geerts, and Luka Cruysberghs. Hooverphonic is known for their lush, cinematic sound and ethereal vocals.

10. What are some key albums by Archive?

Some key albums by Archive include “Londinium” (1996), “Controlling Crowds” (2009), and “With Us Until You’re Dead” (2012). These albums helped establish Archive as one of the leading bands in the trip-hop genre.

11. Who founded UNKLE?

UNKLE was founded in 1992 by James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy. Known for their eclectic sound and collaborations with a diverse range of artists, UNKLE has gained a reputation for their innovative production techniques.

12. What is the significance of Massive Attack’s debut album, “Blue Lines”?

“Blue Lines,” released in 1991, is considered a landmark album in the trip-hop genre. It helped define the sound of Massive Attack and paved the way for other artists to explore the boundaries of the genre.

13. How has Massive Attack’s sound evolved over the years?

Massive Attack’s sound has evolved over the years, incorporating elements of rock, electronica, and dub into their music. The band continues to push the boundaries of traditional genres and create music that is both captivating and thought-provoking.

14. What sets trip-hop apart from other genres of electronic music?

Trip-hop is characterized by its slow tempo, hip hop-inspired beats, and atmospheric soundscapes. Unlike other genres of electronic music, trip-hop often incorporates elements of hip hop, electronica, and dub to create a unique sonic landscape.

15. What is the future of trip-hop?

The future of trip-hop looks bright, with a new generation of artists continuing to push the boundaries of the genre. As technology evolves and new production techniques emerge, trip-hop will continue to evolve and innovate, creating music that is both timeless and cutting-edge.

In conclusion, the bands mentioned in this article are just a few examples of the diverse range of artists that have been influenced by Massive Attack’s pioneering work in the trip-hop genre. With their innovative sound and production techniques, these bands have carved out their own unique niche in the music world and continue to push the boundaries of traditional genres. As trip-hop continues to evolve and innovate, we can expect to see even more groundbreaking music from these talented artists in the years to come.