Trip hop (also known as the Bristol sound or Bristol acid rap) is a term coined by British dance magazine Mixmag, to describe a musical trend in the mid-1990s; trip hop is downtempo electronic music that grew out of England's hip hop and house scenes. Sometimes characterized by a reliance on breakbeats and a sample-heavy sound pioneered by Coldcut's remix of Eric B. & Rakim's "Paid in Full", trip hop gained notice via popular artists such as Portishead, Massive Attack, Thievery Corporation, Tricky, and rock-influenced sound groups such as Ruby, California's DJ Shadow, and the UK's Howie B. Londoners Morcheeba and Glideascope are also often associated with this sound. The latest additions to this line of performers are Jem and Australia's Spook. The Bristol Sound came out of the wider Bristol Urban Culture scene.

The "trip" in "trip hop" refers to the "out-of-this-world" state following the use of a drug. This provides insight into trip hop's strong connection with the senses. Furthermore, the "hop" in "trip hop" indicates its roots in hip hop.

The style is perhaps typified by Massive Attack's piece "Unfinished Sympathy" which has frequently been described as one of the best songs of all time, according to polls produced by MTV2, NME, and various other magazines and reviewers. ^* A reviewer for the BBC has said that: "More than a decade after its release it remains one of the most moving pieces of dance music ever, able to soften hearts and excite minds just as keenly as a ballad by Bacharach or a melody by McCartney."

History

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Trip hop originated in the 90's in Bristol, England, during a time when American hip hop was taking over Europe's music industry. British DJs decided to put a local spin on the international phenomenon and developed hip hop into a different style, marking the birth of trip hop. The originators in Bristol developed hip hop with a laid-back beat (down tempo). Bristol hip hop (trip hop's predecessor) is characterized by the emphasis on slow and heavy drum beats and a wide open sound that draws heavily on acid jazz, Jamaican dub music and electronica. Massive Attack's first album "Blue Lines" in 1991, is often seen as the first manifestation of the "Bristol hip hop movement" (known as the "First Coming of Bristol Sound"), but in fact Massive Attack drew heavily on the pre-existing British hip hop scene, and their sound is remarkably similar to that pioneered earlier by Marxman, an Irish-Jamaican hip hop crew that was popular in the UK in the 1980's.

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