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: 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.

The Synthetic Sound: Bristol, Then and Now

The trading post of Brigstowe (the modern-day Bristol, home of the Trip Hop Movement) was founded between the Avon River and the Frome River during the Anglo-Saxon age. For a few years after its initial establishment, Brigstowe grew as trade relations expanded with Ireland and South Wales. As the town grew, so did the scope if its trade; its ideal location near the sea facilitated international relations and later attracted maritime explorers such as John Cabot. However, the Norman Conquest of 1066 briefly transformed Brigstowe from a midsized trading post to a castle town. (Today, the castle is no longer. There's a park in its place.) After Brigstowe's "castle period," it assumed its identity as Bristol: the second largest city in England and the hub of the Triangle Trade in the 18th century. By the 19th century, however, Bristol's economic success had lessened. Thanks to the modernization efforts of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the infrastructure and harbor of Bristol did not fall to ruin. Now, despite the establishment of a few supposedly notable centers for the fine arts, Bristol is primarily known for its harbors and its size.

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.