The Synthetic Sound: Trip Hop (Part II)

Trip Hop, also called the Bristol Sound, is now an internationally recognized genre of electronic music; however, it wasn't always as widely known as it is today. In fact, the genre had much humbler beginnings than most other musical styles, and the sleepy city of Bristol is hardly the kind of environment that coins its own sound. The, ahem, less-than-professional documentary above attempts to answer the questions "Why Bristol?" and "Why this sound?" The DJs in the film provide interesting, underground insights to the music movement that changed the world's perception of electronic music forever. (Interestingly, one of the MCs recounts how his songs became darker as soon as he arrived in Bristol. He believes that the environment absolutely influenced his art in unforseen ways.) There are more scholarly articles on the Bristol Sound and the Bristol underground, but it's always interesting to have an up-front, immediate perspective on the culture and the real people who sustain it.

The Synthetic Sound: MASSIVE ATTACK.

Appendix C: Members.

Before Massive Attack, the three founding members were part of a five-person Wild Bunch Crew. Wild Bunch also fostered Tricky and Grammy-winning producer Nellee Hooper.

Mushroom (Andrew Vowels) - Although Mushroom was a founding member of Massive Attack, his creative differences from 3D and Daddy G led him to leave the group shortly before the release of Mezzanine in 1998. He was a proponent of taking Trip-Hop in a distinctly hip-hop direction and likened touring to "pimping."

Daddy G (Grantley Marshall) - A founding/existing member of Massive Attack and a DJ who has been produced as part of the DJ-Kicks mix series. "Daddy G" comes from a 1960's American song by the Dovells called "The Bristol Stomp." The song actually refers to Bristol, PA, but Grantley Marshall took the name "Daddy G" and established it within the realm of the Bristol Sound, AKA Trip-Hop.

3D (Robert del Naja) - A graffiti artist and MC, 3D is a powerful creative influence in Massive Attack (and a source of much creative unhappiness for his collaborators). As Massive Attack has aged, 3D has assumed a directorial position; many fans and reviewers claim that 100th Window was solo project for 3D. The album got mixed reviews. His breathy vocals and dark electronic riffs are said to typify the Bristol sound (which I will expound on later, since this is a sociogeographical examination of Trip-Hop). He also happens to be the most open with his political views, opposing the Bush Administration vocally and playing concerts to benefit Katrina victims.

In terms of his graffiti...the great Banksy has cited 3D as a major influence.

The Synthetic Sound: MASSIVE ATTACK.

Appendix B: Famous Songs. They are Numerous.

Karmacoma featuring Tricky. This song is a perfect example of the bizarre hip-hop hybrid that coined the use of the term "Trip Hop." At the very beginning of the band's career, the public had trouble categorizing them, but ultimately the vocals and regular beats of (a few of) their songs allowed critics to draw a bridge between electronica and American hip-hop/early rap.

Teardrop has remained perennially on the Itunes Top 100 (always lingering at number 20 or thereabouts.)As you can see, the (rather odd) video has attracted over six million views. The vocalist, Liz Fraser, is a fairly frequent guest on Massive Attack tracks. Although Portishead set the precedent for unusual female vocals in Trip Hop, Massive Attack also has its fair share of crooning sirens on their tracks. "Teardrop" made Liz Fraser's voice almost as iconic as Beth Gibbons'. However, as a rule, Massive Attack tends towards breathy or intensely soulful male vocals.


"Inertia Creeps" is a perfect example of the aforementioned breathy male vocals. Here, the singer is Massive Attack member MC Robert del Naja; he is heavily featured in Massive Attack's Collected Rarities because his songs are unique to the point of extremity. He also sang the iconic Butterfly Caught. "Inertia Creeps" also illustrates the inherent complexity in Massive Attack's often simplistic lyrics. Although the singer seems to be talking about how boredom and idleness overtake you when you least expect it, he personifies this sensibility quite sexually; we then have to ask ourselves whether inertia is a woman he knows or whether, ominously, he is losing his ability to take action.

Angel featuring Horace Andy is one of Massive Attack's most ambient/least dissonant songs. It has been featured in multiple movies and TV shows, but nothing of particular interest. (Horace Andy is the reggae singer who declared Trip-Hop to be the "new world music.")


"Live with Me" is THE example of Massive Attack's soulfulness. Enough said.

Of course, we should all know the original version of "Dissolved Girl," just because it showed up in The Matrix. Ten points to anyone who provides a viable philosophical interpretation of the Wachowski brothers' use of the song:

The Synthetic Sound: MASSIVE ATTACK.

Appendix A: Proof that you KNOW Massive Attack even if you currently believe that you've never heard them in your life.


The first scene of the first Matrix movie. Although the Massive Attack is very subtle, the song "Dissolved Girl" is playing in Neo's headphones as articles flash across his screen.


Further evidence of Massive Attack's immortality: they've collaborated with David Bowie. The track "Nature Boy" was slightly altered to open and close Baz Luhrmann's 2001 movie release Moulin Rouge! (The original can be heard here.)


If you have a song in The Matrix, then it follows that you must have a song in one of the Blade movies. "I Against I," Massive Attack's collaboration with Mos Def, appeared in Blade 2.

The Synthetic Sound: Trip Hop

After reading the rest of my posts regarding the Bristol music scene, many of you may be wondering what Trip Hop actually is. In 1998, after a slew of musical successes from Massive Attack and Tricky, an article in the New York Times came out announcing the advent of "the Bristol sound." The journalist Guy Garcia says of this sound:

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.

As Garcia suggests, Trip Hop is far more than just a specialized sector of "Electronica." Trip Hop is a melting pot of sounds. Later in the article, the reggae singer Horace Andy (who has since collaborated with Alpha as well as Massive Attack) claims that "Trip Hop is the new world music." However, despite the popularity that certain groups enjoyed on Alternative Rock stations in the United States, Trip Hop never really took off. The genre has inspired artists from all over the world, and yet the so-called Bristol Sound seems to be dying. There aren't many groups that are producing quality Trip Hop or revolutionizing the signature sounds that have inspired so many artists. So where does Trip Hop go from here?

The Synthetic Sound: Alpha

Alpha, the self-described "best-kept secret in the universe," is a Trip Hop group formed in Bristol in 1997. The members met in a Trip Hop studio known as the PIJ; the most frequent vocalist for the group (who goes casually by Corin) was engineering another project of her future Alpha collaborator (Andy), and after a few sessions, they began to explore the Alpha sound. For listeners familiar with the Trip Hop genre, the various sounds produced are recognizable--the unusual female vocals are usually reminiscent of Beth Gibbons, and the beats themselves are usually "chill," if not downright dark. Superficially, the Alpha sound is no different from the so-called Trip Hop convention. However, unlike the iconic Portishead, Alpha is easy and avant-garde; instead of having only one singer, Alpha employs a few--most notably Helen White, Wendy Stubbs, and Martin Barnard--and each one has a distinct, decidedly non-commercial voice. The lyrics are poetry, and the grand abstractness of the words contrasts with the strangely familiar feeling of the music. It's orchestral, stirring, disturbing, and yet Alpha remains utterly undiscovered despite representation by Massive Attack's Don't Touch Recordings and collaborations with the likes of Radiohead, Madonna, David Bowie, and Pulp.

A perfect end - Alpha

"A Perfect End," the appropriate final song on Alpha's 2004 release of Stargazing, demonstrates Alpha's avant-garde style perfectly. The vocals are strange, intimate; the background music broad and orchestral. It is almost impossible to visualize this music being produces in a harbor city in southwest England; it is otherworldly. However, the individual voice that Alpha offers up in each song speaks more strongly of its Bristol roots than is immediately apparent. Alpha's sound is borne of the essential emotions of the everyman, the seamen walking across the street from the recording studio; Alpha puts poetry to the everyday feelings of Bristol and the small towns surrounding the city. Thus, Alpha has taken up the mantle of the continued innovators of Trip Hop, drawing inspiration from their contemporaries and their surroundings to expand the emotional impact of the synthetic sound.

Synthesizers, Anyone? (Outline for The Synthetic Sound)

My contribution to The Synthetic Sound will be focused on the Trip Hop movement in Bristol, England. The parts of my paper are as follows:

Geographic influences: Why Bristol? Why Europe? Trip Hop in particular is a genre of electro that has taken off in Europe and yet has never really found its way to the ears of people in the United States. A feasible answer is that Trip Hop is intrinsically linked to its environment, the cultural traditions of this small area of Britain, and the character of the people. Since these sensibilities are less foreign to the European community, the Trip Hop sound gained popularity. Through examining the exact nature of Bristol and the surrounding towns, context for the music will be established as well as a definition of modern English auditory sensibility.

Musical Style/Influences: This is where specific case studies come in. Massive Attack and their label, Alpha, The Sneaker Pimps, Portishead, and Helicopter Girl will allow me to tie specific sounds to specific genres, regions, and peoples.

(But of Course) HISTORY: Does industrialization affect music production? How about the history of music in the UK? Is the music reactionary, and if so, against what? This is the area in which all questions of how will be answered. After all, it can be argued that every artistic sensibility comes out of the circumstances surrounding the artist...is that true?

Hypothetical Thesis: The Bristol-centered Trip Hop movement was a reaction to the postmodern notion of "simulacra" embodied in the commercial music that continues to be produced today. To counteract this commercialism, Trip Hop groups strove to capture the singularity of their towns and people with never-before heard synthetic sounds.

The Synthetic Sound: Further Mooging

Dear Elizabeth,

The moog, despite its clunky design and now dated technology, is perhaps the most influential musical tool of the electronic movement. Developed by the American Robert Moog, the instant popularization of the analog synthesizer in Germany marked a distinct shift in the way Germans viewed postwar technology. (To learn more about the heavy industry and military technology prevalent in WWII, I suggest checking out the research of fellow MEH bloggers JED, Natewozere, and Sam.) The moog is far from militant; it is, simply, a machine for synthesizing and innovating sounds. The Berlin School's extensive use of the moog was not only a method of expression but also a way of emphasizing technological nonviolence after WWII. Tangerine Dream, especially, used the moog to produce peaceful, ambient sounds--sounds which no one could have imagined coming from a machine.



Naturally, the moog was quickly replaced by digital synthesizers; the Trip Hop movement centered in Bristol skipped the moog completely. However, the idea of spreading a philosophy through innovating sound persisted and allowed for future artists to expand the impact of electronic music throughout Europe (and the world).

The Synthetic Sound: Portishead

Arguably the most well-known trip hop group in the world aside from Massive Attack, Portishead revolutionized the international perception of the electronic sound. In a review of their second, self-titled album, Rolling Stone Magazine described Portishead's unique style as "...an instantly identifiable essence: bleeps transmitted from outer space, familiar syncopation and turntable scratches." Atop these signature "beats," if one can identify them as such, Beth Gibbons' "detached" vocals further distinguish Portishead from its contemporaries. (Early hits include Glory Box and Numb.) Recently, with the long-awaited release of their third album, aptly titled Third, Portishead has become more avant-garde than before, abandoning their usual brooding melodies to explore disjointed, sharp sounds.

Despite Rolling Stone Magazine's claims that their music originated in "outer space," Portishead was born from its immediate surroundings. Founded in Bristol, United Kingdom in 1991, Portishead drew inspiration from the geography of the region. The band's namesake, the town of Portishead, is so small that it is not usually referenced without connection to Bristol or North Somerset. Mostly known for its railways and docks, Portishead was never known as a cultural center before the band came along. However, despite its bland history and negligible art scene, there is a compelling atmosphere in Portishead; amidst the generic industrial buildings are sculptures that border on the bizarre. How such a small town came upon the funds to commission public art is a mystery, and the works seem out of place--they neither relate to Portishead's extensive seafaring history nor establish a sophisticated artistic tradition. It is apt that an innovative band such as Portishead would draw inspiration from a typical UK town with a quirky public spirit. Although not a direct mission of the band, Portishead attempts to capture this spirit in its truest form.


Portishead - Machine Gun from vruz on Vimeo.

The Synthetic Sound: A Sociogeographical Examination of Electro in Europe

Finally, I have returned to the blogverse with a unique research offering in collaboration with P. Diddy Kong and Elizabeth. Introducing our work on Europe's relationship to the "synthetic sound," or electronic music. Our research questions are not just about techno, however; we are much more interested in why electronic music has gained so much social acceptance on the European scene. In order to understand the popularity of electro, we will each be studying a region in depth. I will be looking at the climate in the United Kingdom, with specific focus on Bristol, where the genre of Trip Hop was born. Mr. P. Diddy Kong will be studying France, and Elizabeth will be focused on northern Europe (Denmark, Sweden, possibly Germany). The anthropological landscape, cultural identity, and history of each place will be taken into consideration as well as the countries' relationship to technology, music, and poltics--the elements that influence the art itself. We hope to come to a cultural understanding about why electro became such a phenomenon in Europe (at the very least).