Trip Hop in the 1990s

Trip hop is a musical genre which was created in Bristol, UK in the early 1990s. It fuses elements of hip hop and house music to create a downtempo electronica style. Although hip hop and house are the obvious influences, trip hop has also been influenced by the wide range of music and culture available in Bristol such as reggae, punk, techno, acid jazz and soul.

As American hip hop began to achieve more and more mainstream popularity, its influence spread from the USA to the rest of the world and Bristol was massively influenced by hip hop due to its association with black culture. Bristol had been used as a port during the slave trade and so had a large black population of African and Caribbean descent. Trip hop was not exclusive to any race however, due to the wide range of influences and its association with rave culture it attracted students, bohemians and fans of electronica, dub and many more genres which were thriving in Bristol.

Originally DJs and producers began creating trip hop to play at after parties of rave nights, for people who had been up and dancing all night to relax. In a similar way to that of rave culture, trip hop became associated with drug use which was common at raves in 1990s Britain. Where rave culture became associated with ecstasy, trip hop became associated with smoking cannabis and chilling out hence the term ‘trip’ hop. Similar to hip hop, the tempo of trip hop is often between 65bpm and 90bpm.

Trip hop production relies heavily on sampling and looping in a similar way to hip hop. Often trip hop producers sample single drum hits and then re use them to create new beats and rhythms – this gives trip hop an interesting mix of organic drum sounds and electronic sequencing. Trip hop often also incorporates hip hop stylistic elements such as record scratching and sample looping.

One of the main differences between trip hop and hip hop is melodic content – hip hop vocals rely on the rap style of fast rhythmic chatter, however trip hop vocals are often long melodic female vocal lines, complimented with orchestral sections such as strings and brass.

Trip hop also draw influence from dub music, a genre which involves experimental instrumental versions of reggae songs. Artist such as Lee Perry pioneered dub with a strange, eccentric style which definitely rubbed off on trip hop. Influences from dub can be heard in the spacious feel of trip hop and slow, laid back downtempo style. Also the heavily shuffled rhythms of dub with plenty of percussion can be heard a lot in trip hop.

The use of deep dubby basslines and spacious reverb and echo effects can be heard in Massive Attacks ‘Karmacoma’:



The use of samples from different records such as jazz, reggae and hip hop records is often used to create textures and build songs in trip hop, alongside drum sampling/programming and sometimes vocal lines and/or orchestral instruments. Portishead were known to layer samples from 60s and 70s records with their vocalist to create a unique sound. Because of the heavy use of sampling in trip hop, the music industry has had to reconsider the way samples are cleared for use and allowed in songs.

Trip hop production is often very lo-fi, with many sounds being made by using lo-fi equipment such as turntables and old records. This gives it an organic and ‘real’ sound which was not present in most electronica due to the use of computer sequencing and drum machines/synthesisers etc. Trip hop artists were known to record to tape and then to their computer, to get a grittier sound. The vinyl crackle was a common sound in trip hop and can be distinctively heard in Massive Attack’s ‘Teardrops’:



Elements of jazz drumming can be seen in the drum programming of a lot of trip hop, using samples of drums played with brushes and rimshots etc. Swung rhythms are also common.

Trip hop explore different harmonic methods such as using a major melody with the instrumentation in a relative minor key. This knowledge and understanding of rhythm and harmony established trip hop as a respected musical form.

Popular artists at the beginning of trip hop included Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky. As the sound developed and increased in mainstream popularity, it spread to America and artists such as DJ Shadow began producing trip hop. Bjork has also been associated with trip hop (amongst many genres). Trip hop went on to influence popular artists throughout the 1990s and 2000s such as Kanye West, Kid Cudi, The Gorillaz, and U.N.K.L.E. Bands such as Ruby and Ilya became associated with the subgenre trip rock which involved more rock influenced ‘trippy’ music.

The Pixies - Surfer Rosa album analysis

THE PIXIES - SURFER ROSA

American alternative rock band ‘The Pixies’ released their first full length album 'Surfer Rosa' in March 1988 on the British independent label ‘4AD’.

Having made their debut EP ‘Come on Pilgrim’ from their demo tapes, Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of 4AD records, suggested that they return to the studio to record a full length album. The album was produced and engineered by Steve Albini at Q Division studio in Boston.

MUSICAL ELEMENTS

The albums quirky and unusual themes are displayed in a variety of styles. Faster guitar driven songs such as ‘Brick is Red’ are featured alongside more melodic songs such as ‘Where is my mind?' - contrasting heavier and softer material became a typical feature of the Pixies music.

The album consists of vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar and drums. The chords are mostly either basic power chords, octaves or minor/major triads.

Irregular arrangements are shown on most songs on this album, although it still 'works' and it is often not obvious that non-standard arrangment techniques are used. Throughout the album the instrumentation is built up, cut out and arranged in non-standard ways, such as instruments dropping in and out halfway through phrases and bars.

Whilst the album does stay in 4/4 time, strange rhythms are used in the vocal lines, bass lines and guitar riffs. The drums often maintain an overall sence of rhythm, usually with a typical rock beat accentuating beats 1 and 3 with the kick drum and snare. The abstract rhythms are well placed and add to The Pixies unique style whilst remaining a pop/guitar driven band.
The first track on the album 'Bone Machine' is a perfect example of the intertwining melodies and rhythms working well with strange lyrics and effects. The multiple rhythms mean that the feel of the songs keeps changing which keeps it interesting to listen to.

Frontman Black Francis wrote all of the material on the album with the exception of ‘Gigantic’, which was co-written by bassist/backing vocalist Kim Deal. It was the only track on the album which featured Kim Deal on lead vocals.

LYRICAL CONTENT

The album features strange subjects such as mutilation (‘Broken Face’), voyeurism (‘Gigantic’) and even reference to super heroes (‘Tony’s Theme’). Often the songs feature surrealist lyrics.

In most songs the lyrics do not rhyme, and have both strange rhythms and strange lyrics.

'Where is my mind?’ was inspired by Francis’ scuba-diving trip in the Caribbean. He later commented that he had “this very small fish trying to chase me. I don't know why, I don't know too much about fish behaviour”

The song ‘Cactus’ is narrated by a prison inmate who requests his girlfriend to smear blood on her dress and send it to him.

The album also features Spanish lyrics written by Black Francis, having spent time in Puerto Rico ('Oh my Golly', 'Vamos').

PRODUCTION METHODS

The album was recorded cross 10 consecutive working days with producer Steve Albini, who later commented that the album could have been finished in a week, but the experimentation and strange production methods meant it took slightly longer.

On the tracks 'Where is my mind?' and 'Gigantic' Kim Deal's vocals were recorded in the bathroom of the studio, in order to achieve more realistic reverberation. On the song 'Something Against You' Albini filtered lead vocalist Black Francis' voice through a guitar amp to achieve a distorted, aggressive sound.

Steve Albini recorded conversations between band members in the studio, without them being aware. He then used these recordings in the songs 'I'm Amazed' and 'Vamos'. Here is an example from the song 'Im Amazed', featuring a conversation about teacher who was "into field hockey players" and was discreetly fired. Having samples like this add to the albums personality and individuality.



The album features extensive use of overdubbing and editing as heard at the start of this track, 'Broken Face'

ARTWORK

The album artwork features a photo of a topless flamenco dancer, against a wall which features a crucifix and a ripped poster.

The set was built to create the atmostphere Black Francis wanted. He has said that he intended to show body lines and nudity in a tasteful way.

Although the album was initially going to be called 'Gigantic' after the single, the name was changed to 'Surfer Rosa' due to fear of misinterpretation.

RELEASE

The album failed to chart in both the UK and USA mainstream charts, although it stayed in the UK Indie Chart for 60 weeks, peaking at number 2.
The only single from the album was ‘Gigantic’. Both the track and its B-side ‘River Euphrates’ were re-recorded at Blackwing Studios in London. The remixed single reached 93 on the UK Singles Chart, and did not sell very well.

In 1992 the album was re-issued by Elektra Records and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2005, 17 years after its original release.

CONCLUSION

The strange abstract style of popular music paved the way for innovation in alternative music throughout the 1990s and 2000s, combining melodic aspects with innovative and sometimes aggressive music. Kurt Cobain claims that Surfer Rosa was a strong influence on him when writing the Nirvana's most famous album 'Nevermind', and in 1993 he hired Steve Albini, the producer of Surfer Rosa to produce his album 'In Utero'.

Dizzee Rascal - Tongue n' Cheek Album Release Analysis

Background


Dylan Mills' (Dizzee Rascal) career in music began as a teenager, when he started making music on the computer software at school. This developed into him learning to DJ and DJing on local pirate radio stations. At the age of 16 he produced grime hit 'I Luv U'. His early career in the underground grime scene developed into the electro-pop star that he is today.

Tongue n' Cheek

Dizzee Rascals most recent album, Tongue n' Cheek, was released on 21st September 2009. It hit the charts and became the number one UK Rnb album in addition to ranking 3rd on the UK albums chart. It is his fourth studio album to date which features his vocals and production skills amongst a variety of other producers and collaborators including Calvin Harris, Shy FX and his main producer Cage.

The album has 5 singles, including hit singles 'Dance wiv me' and 'Bonkers'. Bonkers was produced by Arman Van Helden, and is a house tune which is the product of Dizzee's experimentation in music, leaving behind the grime genre.

The album was released on his own label 'Dirtee Stank' and independant label 'Liberation Records'.

Artwork

The Album artwork is very relevant to Dizzee's musical career's development. The Bright blocks of colour and simple design make it perfect for a pop album cover, being visually striking but at the same time easy for the majority of people to understand and to like - the essence of pop music.

The bubble graffiti style font is appealing and stands out, whilst being casual and keeping a link to grime culture. His casual sitting position and attire contribute to this new image of a casual pop star.

The artwork is very effective for its purpose, simple without being bland, and visually attractive. The simple line drawing and block colour are the essence of its effect, and establish it as an individual album cover - without being too individual as to repel the majority of pop music listeners. I think that it is a brilliantly suitable design for its purpose.


When compared to the album artwork to his first album, 'Boy in da corner' (shown right), there are great similaraties in the simple design and block colours, however there is a much more dangerous approach - he does not smile, he wears all black with a hood and the bright colours consist of yellow and black - a symbol of warning. Comparison of this album cover with the artwork for Tongue n' Cheek demonstrates his transformation from a grime artist into a pop star appropriately.

Press Coverage

The album receieved massive press coverage from its first announcement by Dizzee Rascal on televisions' Friday Night with Johnothan Ross. On August 11th NME posted an article saying that Dizzee had told them the tracklisting to the upcoming album and its release date, in addition to his tour dates for the album release tour. The article is viewable here *LINK*

The album release has also seen press coverage from the likes of BBC Music, Telegraph, The Guardian and The Times. In an interview on BBC Radio 1 Dizzee Rascal stated that he was leaving his grime roots and progressing onto more mainstream pop music. This confirms my analysis of the album artwork for Tongue n' Cheek.

'Although always the clear leader of the British grime scene, Dizzee Rascal is new to the amount of commercial success he has experienced recently. Two of the songs on Tounge 'n Cheek have topped the UK singles chart before the album has even been released, throwing Dizzee into the mainstream consciousness. Accordingly, Tounge 'n Cheek moves away from Dizzee's grime roots, embracing pop and dance music, however the razor-sharp lyrical ability and wit remain at the core of his sound.' - (Tongue n' Cheek album review, Amazon.co.uk)

This quote from an online review at Amazon.co.uk demonstrates the angle from which the majority of press is viewing this album - a positive but true interpretation of his current career. The press coverage has largely been due to the two hit singles which Dizzee had released previous to the album release, as the quote above testifies. Music videos and radio plays have brought Dizzee into the mainstream media and interviews, television appearances and the internet have given him a foothold from which to broadcast new of the albums progress and release date. There has also been a physical promotion campaign for the albums release involving posters and bilboards across the country.

Above: Dizzee Rascal shown on the cover of NME Magazine

Here is a video clip of Dizzee Rascal's hit single from the album, 'Holiday'.

This song has a very danceable beat and catchy rhythm with friendly lyrics and a non-aggressive performance. In comparision this video clip of Dizzee Rascal's first song 'I Luv U' (shown below) shows his original gritty style, with an aggressive lyrical flow and true to life storytelling lyrics. It is also in a minor key with heavy bass synths. Also the level of production is considerably lower than that of tongue n' cheek.

In conclusion the album release has been hugely successful, making its impact upon pop culture today with a well timed and executed specific promotion campaign.

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Bibliography

'Dizzee Rascal reveals new album 'Tongue 'N' Cheek' tracklist' article on NME.com, August 11th 2009 - www.nme.com/news/dizzee-rascal/46630

Tongue n' Cheek CD review, 21st September 2009, Amazon.co.uk - http://www.blogger.com/www.amazon.co.uk/Tongue-N-Cheek-Dizzee-Rascal/dp/B002HWRMS2