Trip hop

Trip hop (also known as the Bristol sound) is a term coined by British dance magazine Mixmag, to describe a musical trend in the mid-1990s; trip hop is downtempo electronic music that grew out of England's hip hop and house scenes. Characterized by a reliance on breakbeats and a sample-heavy sound pioneered by Coldcut's remix of Eric B. & Rakim's "Paid in Full", trip hop gained notice via popular artists such as Portishead, Massive Attack, Tricky, and rock-influenced sound groups such as Ruby, California's DJ Shadow, and the UK's Howie B.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Londoners Morcheeba and Glideascope are also often associated with this sound. The latest additions to this line of performers are Jem and Australia's Spook. The Bristol Sound came out of the wider

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bristol Urban Culture scene.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The ?trip? in ?Trip-Hop? refers to the ?out-of-this-world? state following the use of a drug. This provides insight into Trip-Hop?s strong connection with the senses. Furthermore, the ?hop? in ?Trip-Hop? explains how Trip-Hop is derived from Hip-Hop.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The style is perhaps typified by the song "Unfinished Sympathy" which has frequently been described as one of the best songs of all time, according to polls produced by MTV2, NME, and various other magazines and reviewers. http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/S187.htm A reviewer for the BBC has said that: "More than a decade after its release it remains one of the most moving pieces of dance music ever, able to soften hearts and excite minds just as keenly as a ballad by Bacharach or a melody by McCartney."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Trip-Hop originated in the 90's in Bristol, England, during a time when American Hip-Hop was taking over Europe's music industry. British DJs decided to take Hip-Hop to a whole new level. They developed Hip-Hop into a different style, marking the birth of Trip-Hop. The originators in Bristol devloped Hip-Hop with a laid-back beat (down tempo). Bristol Hip-Hop (Trip-Hop's predecessor) is characterized by the emphasis on slow and heavy drum beats, the sampling of old records, and the elimination of all rap elements that exist in American Hip-Hop. The group Massive Attack, by releasing their debut album "Blue Lines" in 1991, spear-headed the "Bristol Hip-Hop movement" (known as the "First Coming of Bristol Sound"). One also has to note that the inventors of Bristol Hip-Hop did not intend to create a "dark" atmosphere with their music.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

1994 and '95 saw Trip-Hop near the peak of its popularity. Massive Attack released their second album entitled "Protection." Those years also marked the rise of Portishead and Tricky. Portishead's female lead singer Beth Gibbons' sullen voice was mixed with samples of music from the '60s and '70s, as well as sound effects from LPs, giving the group a distinctive style. Tricky's style was characterized by murmuring and low-pitched singing. Artists and groups like Portishead and Tricky led the second wave of the Bristol Movement (a.k.a. "Second Coming of Bristol Sound"). This second wave produced music that was dreamy and atmospheric, and sometimes deep and gloomy. The British press termed this style of music "Trip-Hop," refering to this evolved style of Hip-hop.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Incidentally Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky actually had a common history. Massive Attack's three members used to work with Tricky, under the group "The Wild Bunch" (headed by Nellee Hooper in 1982), explaining why many Massive Attack songs feature Tricky. Portishead member Geoff Barrow also previously helped produce Massive Attack's "Blue Lines."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

British: The word British has several different uses. See the article on Britain for more details on the development and use of the word Britain....

Mixmag: Mixmag is a British magazine about dance music....

Music: Music is a natural intuitive phenomenon operating in the three worlds of time, pitch, energy, and under the three distinct and interrelated organization structures of rhythm, harmony, and melody....

Trip hop related Images and Photos (experimental)

Hop	Trip Glasses	Hop Aboard	Terminator Salvation T-Rip Bust
Boat Trip	Boat Trip	Daisy Trip I	Trip to Mars
Lindy Hop	Daisy Trip IV	Road Trip Bingo	Hop Hoppy Bunnies (Book)