The 10 best trip-hop albums of the 1990s
One of the most compelling genres to emerge from the 1990s was undoubtedly trip-hop. Taking inspiration from a wide array of genres, particularly hip-hop and electronic music, trip-hop musicians would experiment with innovative production techniques to create new, fresh sounds.
Closely associated with the alternative music and art scene that blossomed in Bristol, bands from the area, such as Massive Attack and Portishead, became champions of the genre. These groups have been critically lauded over the years, becoming significant sources of inspiration for contemporary artists such as Björk and Radiohead and newer musicians such as FKA Twigs and Yves Tumor.
However, the trip-hop genre fell under the weight of other popular genres during the decade, such as Britpop and indie rock. Subsequently, many stellar trip-hop records aren’t nearly as popular as they deserve to be, such as Smoke City’s Flying Away or even Portishead’s self-titled second record.
This list highlights the greatest trip-hop records from the 1990s, from obvious classics such as Massive Attack’s Mezzanine to lesser-known cuts like The Herbaliser’s Blow Your Headphones.
10 best trip-hop albums of the 1990s:
10. The Herbaliser – Blow Your Headphones (1997)
The Herbaliser were a prominent Ninja Tune act, releasing their debut album, Remedies, in 1995. However, it’s their second record, Blow Your Headphones, that makes this list. The 18-track album is more hip-hop-oriented than traditional trip-hop, although tracks such as ‘Excuse Me’, ‘Shocker Zulu’ and ‘A Mother (For Your Mind)’ are all solid entries in the trip-hop canon.
Blow Your Headphones is a unique mix of genre-hybridity, channelling funk, jazz, and hip-hop influences as much as the glitching beats clearly indebted to the likes of Massive Attack and Portishead. Perhaps the less celebrated album on this list, The Herbaliser’s second record is the perfect choice for those trip-hop fans that are also diehard hip-hop lovers.
9. UNKLE – Psycence Fiction (1998)
Not only did James Lavelle found the Mo’Wax label, a major player in the 1990s alternative hip-hop scene, but he also created the trip-hop group UNKLE. When they released Psycene Fiction, Lavelle was joined by DJ Shadow, who had released his seminal debut two years earlier. Desiring to blend experimental hip-hop beats with more conventional song structures, UNKLE employed singers such as The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke to provide vocals over a rich body of samples, strings, and tripping beats.
The album also features contributions from artists such as Jason Newsted from Metallica and Mike D from the Beastie Boys, aiding the album’s eclectic sound. However, Psycene Fiction retains a solid sonic theme, prioritising moody rhythms in typical trip-hop style. Although it received mixed reviews upon its release, Psycence Fiction is now a staple ‘90s record, and tracks such as ‘Rabbit in Your Headlights’ and ‘Lonely Soul’ are proof of its essentiality.
8. Smoke City – Flying Away (1997)
The shortlived trip-hop group Smoke City formed in 1996, releasing their debut album, Flying Away, the following year. Comprised of Mark Brown, Chris Franck and Brazillian/English singer Nina Miranda, the trio took inspiration from across the globe, incorporating genres such as samba into their trip-hop style. Best known for their song ‘Underwater Love’, the track genuinely evokes the sounds of swimming in the ocean through its rainforest sample sounds, a blend of jazz and hip-hop beats, and evocative effects.
The entire album emits an effortlessly sensual atmosphere, transporting the listener to a relaxed, tropical location. Tracks such as ‘Devil Mood’, in which Miranda alternates between French and English, and the gorgeous sitar ballad ‘With You’ are criminally underrated. Smoke City even give a trip-hop spin to Águas de março by Brazillian composer Antônio Carlos Jobim.
7. DJ Shadow – Endtroducing…… (1996)
The magic of DJ Shadow’s debut album, Endtroducing……, lies in the fact that every song is almost entirely made of samples. The American producer, real name Joshua Paul Davis, began making music at a young age, inspired by hip-hop artists. However, by the 1990s, he became known for his sampling skills, releasing Endtroducing…… in 1996. The album included samples from artists such as Björk, Tangerine Dream, Metallica and more, using glitching beats and scratching sounds to tie everything together.
From the mindbending ‘Building Steam with a Grain of Salt’ to the bombastic ‘Mutual Slump’ and brooding ‘Organ Donor’, DJ Shadow’s debut album is a triumph which significantly influenced the course of sampling in the music industry.
6. Tricky – Maxinquaye (1995)
In the early 1990s, Tricky was feeling dissatisfied with his role in Massive Attack, inspiring him to create solo music. The result was 1995’s Maxinquaye, which primarily features vocals from Martina Topley-Bird, who Tricky heard singing on a wall. The young singer recorded most of the lyrics in one take, explaining, “It was totally instinctive. There was no time to drum up an alter ego. I liked the idea that the information people needed about me was what they would hear when they put the record on.”
Tricky took inspiration from hip-hop, dub, alternative rock, techno, ambient and more to create an incredible collection of tracks that remains one of trip-hop’s most definitive albums. From the powerhouse Public Enemy reimagining, ‘Black Steel’ to the silky smooth ‘Hell Is Round the Corner’ (which uses the same sample as Portishead’s ‘Glory Box’), Maxinquaye is an essential listen.
5. Massive Attack – Blue Lines (1991)
Alongside Portishead, Massive Attack were one of the biggest trip-hop acts of the ’90s. Their debut album, Blue Lines, was released in 1991, arguably making it the first-ever entry to the genre. Blending American hip-hop with influences such as funk, soul, dance and dub, the resulting album was a breath of fresh air at the beginning of a new decade – and it still sounds just as innovative over 30 years later.
According to Daddy G: “What we were trying to do was create dance music for the head, rather than the feet. I think it’s our freshest album, we were at our strongest then.” Standout tracks include ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ and ‘Safe From Harm’, although it’s hard to find a weak moment on the record.
4. Portishead – Portishead (1997)
Although Portishead’s Dummy is also on this list, there’s no way a collection of the greatest trip-hop albums of the 1990s can not include their self-titled sophomore record. Portishead came three years after Dummy, and despite not reaching the same levels of acclaim as its predecessor, it’s undeniable proof of the band’s insane talents. The Bristol trio went deeper, creating hauntingly mesmerising slices of mysterious trip-hop.
Every track on Portishead is just incredible, with the band moving away from found samples and creating more of their own. From the besieging opener ‘Cowboys’ to the enveloping ‘Half Day Closing’ and the dark masterpiece ‘Western Eyes’, the band’s self-titled record is basically as perfect as Dummy.
3. Björk – Homogenic (1997)
In 1993, Björk began her career as a solo artist, following a successful tenure as the lead vocalist of The Sugarcubes. After Debut and Post – both essential albums from the decade – Björk released Homogenic in 1997, which is often considered one of her best works. It’s undoubtedly her most trip-hop album, with artists such as Mark Bell and Howie B contributing to the record’s production.
The icy beats of songs such as ‘Hunter’, ‘All Neon Like’ and ‘Bachelorette’ contrast with lush strings, reflecting Björk’s native Iceland. She once explained: “The electronic beats are the rhythm, the heartbeat. The violins create the old-fashioned atmosphere, the colouring.” Other highlights include the anthemic, glitching ‘Pluto’ and the dreamlike ‘All Is Full of Love’, which utilises harps to create a gorgeous ambient ballad.
2. Massive Attack – Mezzanine (1998)
Massive Attack’s third album, Mezzanine, remains one of their most impressive outputs. Arriving seven years after Blue Lines, Mezzanine saw the band explore a richer, gloomier sound, with cuts such as ‘Angel’ thumping with a dark bassline and ‘Inertia Creeps’ rumbling ominously as Robert Del Naja’s airy vocals melt across the instrumentals. The record features contributions from some iconic voices, such as Pete Seeger and Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser.
According to Del Naja, he spent a long time “making tracks, tearing them apart, fucking them up, panicking, then starting again”. The laborious process was worth it, and Mezzanine is now a staple of the trip-hop genre, with ‘Teardrop’ even being used as the theme song for the popular medical drama House.
1. Portishead – Dummy (1994)
You can’t call yourself a trip-hop fan if you don’t regularly listen to Portishead’s groundbreaking debut album, Dummy. It’s simply the perfect entry to the genre, thanks to its array of immersive tracks, moving through mysterious, cinematic landscapes and moody, sexually-charged cuts. Beth Gibbons’ distinctive voice is astounding, pairing nicely with the meticulously-crafted instrumentation, which draws on a mixture of genres, such as hip-hop, classical music, and alternative rock.
To achieve the album’s vintage-inspired sound, the band recorded straight onto vinyl before sampling and editing their own music, even walking across the records. Gibbons, Geoff Barrow and Adrien Utley create an otherworldly atmosphere through their rich use of textures, layering various samples over one another and allowing the sound of vinyl crackling and scratching to flow freely through the songs.
