Trip hop circles probably arent as deep as they sound. In the early-mid 1990s the genre was at its zenith with Massive Attack and their second album Protection. Sure, guys like Portishead and DJ Shadow were making awesome music, but did it have to be so deep and gloomy?
Massive Attack- Karmacoma
That was what the Morcheeba guys probably asked themselves when they rocked up in 1996 with something just as keen on the dub elements of the sound, but a much less gloomy take on things than the bristol brothers. Where epic reverb and impossible bass gave way to a much more uptempo sound, by 1999 it could have been said that this was a more post-trip hop style.
Morcheeba- Big Calm
Of course there are always the stragglers who stick to a genre forever, but today trip hop is probably best represented in select pockets of other electronic genres- or just straight up hip hop in some cases. Roots Manuva channels more than just occasionally this kind of moody downtempo dub, and then there are guys like New York's Quiet Village who transcend about a million different genres, stopping briefly at times on levels of dubstep so low its like 1994 all over again.
Roots Manuva- Movements
Quiet Village- Desperate Hours
But of course, when this gets all too gloomy then its worth reminding that the new guys on the scene are more than happy to give us a funkier and more upbeat kind of dub.
Hot Chip - Over and Over (Maurice Fulton Dub)
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