Trip hop

History and character

Trip hop is a “psychedelic” fusion of hip hop and electronic music, with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. It was born in Bristol, England, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as a more experimental form of breakbeat, out of the sound system scene and the collective The Wild Bunch (from which came Massive Attack and the producer Nellee Hooper). The name was coined by Andy Pemberton in a 1994 Mixmag article about DJ Shadow's In/Flux, released on James Lavelle's Mo' Wax label.

The foundational works: Massive Attack's Blue Lines (1991, with Unfinished Sympathy), Portishead's Dummy (1994, Mercury Prize 1995; Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons, Adrian Utley), Tricky's Maxinquaye (1995), Massive Attack's Protection and Mezzanine (Teardrop, 1998, with Elizabeth Fraser's vocals), DJ Shadow's Endtroducing..... (1996), Björk's albums Debut, Post and Homogenic, which draw on the style, Sneaker Pimps, Morcheeba, Lamb, Hooverphonic, Moloko, Archive, Mono, Craig Armstrong. Influences: jazz, soul, funk, dub, rap and soundtrack samples (John Barry, Lalo Schifrin, Isaac Hayes: Glory Box samples Ike's Rap II). In the mid-2020s the genre is enjoying renewed interest, with artists such as FKA twigs and Tame Impala picking up its colors.

The sound: bass-heavy drums with slowed breakbeats, often female vocals drawing on R&B, jazz and rock, instruments such as Rhodes, sax and theremin, scratching and vinyl samples, deep dub basses, cinematic strings; the melancholic tone also reflects the influence of post-punk. A nocturnal, noir, cinematic and paranoid aesthetic.

Scales and keys

In the modes, Roman numerals refer to the scale of the mode; in minor, to the natural minor.

Natural minor with harmonic V

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 (+7 on the V). In B minor: B C# D E F# G A (+ A# in the F#7).
• Characteristic note: b6 (G) and the leading tone A#: noir, cinematic melancholy.
• Chords: i Bm – III D – iv Em – V F#7 – VI G – VII A.
• Use: i–VImaj7–iv7–V7 loops, John Barry-style strings.
• Example: Massive Attack — Teardrop (B minor, ≈ 77 BPM).

Dorian

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7. In E Dorian: E F# G A B C# D.
• Characteristic note: major 6th (C#): major IV (A7), jazz-funk groove.
• Chords (modal scale): i Em7 – ii F#m7 – III Gmaj7 – IV A7 – v Bm7 – VII Dmaj7.
• Use: i7–IV7 vamp over breakbeat.

Harmonic minor and the “spy” scale (soundtracks)

• Harmonic minor: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7 — in A: A B C D E F G#.
• Minor cliché: inner line 5–#5–6–#5 (E–F–F#–F over the Am chord: Am, Am(#5), Am6, Am(#5)), typical of spy soundtracks and trip hop (James Bond style).
• Use: “noir” string and guitar lines.

Minor pentatonic and blues

• 1 b3 4 5 b7 (+ b5): blues and jazz vocal melodies (Beth Gibbons), bass lines.

How to choose

Harmony

Function

Loops of 2–4 chords (often a sample) that repeat throughout the track; tension comes from the vocal, the strings and the effects. Many tracks stay on a single chord with a bass line. Minor cadences with major V for cinematic color.

Techniques

• Harmonic sample (strings, piano, guitar) slowed and looped.
• Minor cliché (inner chromatic line).
• Andalusian (i–VII–VI–V) with strings.
• Dub bass pedal under changing chords.
• Minor seventh and maj7 chords on Rhodes.

Voicing

Strings in open position (soundtrack orchestra style), Rhodes with jazz voicings, clean guitar with tremolo and spring reverb, deep bass.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

Slowed breakbeats (70–95), heavy and “dirty,” often sampled from funk and soul records and re-pitched; swing 55–62% on sixteenth notes on the hats and ghost notes; big kick and snare sitting slightly behind; dub groove with snare on 3 in some tracks; half time is frequent (tracks notated at 120–140 but felt at 60–70). Scratches and rhythmic samples as percussive elements.

Drums

Kick

Heavy and deep, syncopated (steps 1, 8, 11 or 1, 4, 11), from a sampled breakbeat (Amen, Funky Drummer slowed) or drum machine (soft 808).

Snare

On 2 and 4 (or on 3 in half time), big, with reverb and saturation; sampled snare with crackle; ghost notes.

Hi-hat and percussion

Swung eighth- or sixteenth-note hats, open hat on the “and of 4”; shaker; dub percussion; scratches.

Interaction with bass and vocal

Deep dub bass that dialogues with the kick; the vocal sits over a heavy but slow beat.

By section

Intro: sample or strings without drums; verse: full break; chorus: strings and higher vocal; break: drums removed or filtered; outro: fading loop or stop.

Fills and sounds

Few fills: scratches, dub delay on the snare, stops with reverb. Sounds: sampled breakbeats (SP-1200, Akai S950/MPC), vinyl crackle, saturation. Mistakes: modern drums that are too clean; no swing; beat too fast.

Bass

• Sound: deep dub bass and sub (synth or electric bass with a closed tone), sampled double bass.
• Notes: simple, repeated lines, roots and fifths, melodic dub lines with pauses.
• Relationship with the kick: interlocking; no sidechain.
• Examples: Massive Attack — Angel (heavy, obsessive bass), Portishead — Sour Times (soft sampled bass).

Harmonic instruments

Soundtrack string samples, Rhodes, piano, clean electric guitar with tremolo and spring reverb (Adrian Utley), organ, theremin, sax, harpsichord (Teardrop), dark synth pads, scratches and vinyl samples. Jazz and orchestral voicings.

Melody and vocals

• Vocals: melancholic, intense female voices (Beth Gibbons, Shara Nelson, Elizabeth Fraser, Martina Topley-Bird), whispered and spoken rap (Tricky, 3D), male soul voices (Horace Andy).
• Melody: blues and jazz phrases, broad, with sustained notes and vibrato; choruses that are not very “pop.”
• Effects: telephone/radio filters, spring reverb, delay, light distortion, tape saturation, pitch.

Instruments

Sampler and turntables, drum machine and breakbeats, bass, Rhodes, piano, electric guitar, strings (sampled or real), organ, theremin, sax, harpsichord, synth, voice.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Stage-73 V — Rhodes: Dark jazz chords with tremolo.
• Mellotron V — Strings and flutes on tape: “Vintage,” melancholic strings to replace soundtrack samples.
• Mini V — Dub bass and lead: Deep sub and theremin-style lead (sine with glide and vibrato).
• Piano V — Piano: Noir piano with reverb.
• Augmented Strings — Cinematic strings: Dramatic soundtrack strings.
• B-3 V — Organ: Dark soul organ.

Song structure

Length 4:00–6:00.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

Heavy, deep and nocturnal: big, dirty drums, enormous dub bass, intimate and close vocal, wide strings, dark highs. References: Massive Attack — Teardrop, Portishead — Glory Box, Tricky — Overcome, DJ Shadow — Midnight in a Perfect World, Massive Attack — Angel.

Kick

HP 30 Hz, +3 dB at 60 Hz, −3 dB at 300 Hz, LP 8–10 kHz; compression 4:1, 3–4 dB; saturation; center.

Snare

HP 100 Hz, +3 dB at 200 Hz, −2 dB at 5–6 kHz; parallel; plate 1.5 s or spring; automated dub delay.

Hi-hat and percussion

HP 400 Hz, LP 10 kHz; slightly off to the sides; crackle.

Bass

HP 25 Hz, full sub at 40–60 Hz, −2 dB at 200 Hz; opto 3–4 dB; tube saturation; mono.

Samples, strings, Rhodes, guitars

HP 120–200 Hz; LP 10–12 kHz on samples; hall reverb 2–3 s on strings; spring on guitar; Rhodes with stereo tremolo; dynamic dip from the vocal.

Vocal

EQ: HP 80–100 Hz; −2 dB at 250 Hz; presence +2 dB at 2–4 kHz; limited air. LA-2A compression 4–6 dB + 1176 2 dB. Telephone filters in automation, plate 1.5–2 s, 1/4 delay. Very close, intimate vocal.

Scratches and FX

Scratches with HP 200 Hz and pan; vinyl crackle at −25 dB; dub delay with high feedback in automation.

Buses and groups

Drum bus with 3–4 dB compression and saturation (SP-1200 style: light 12-bit bitcrush); music bus with tape.

Sidechain

None.

Master

Chain EQ → tape → compressor 1–2 dB → limiter. Target −11/−9 LUFS, true peak ≤ −1 dBTP, PLR 10–12 dB.

Common mistakes

Drums too clean; bass that booms at 100–200 Hz; vocal too distant; highs too bright for a nocturnal genre.

Mix reference tracks

Massive Attack — Unfinished Sympathy (1991); Portishead — Glory Box (1994); Tricky — Overcome (1995); DJ Shadow — Midnight in a Perfect World (1996); Massive Attack — Teardrop (1998).

Reference listening

• Massive Attack — Unfinished Sympathy (1991)
• Portishead — Sour Times (1994)
• Portishead — Glory Box (1994)
• Tricky — Overcome (1995)
• DJ Shadow — Midnight in a Perfect World (1996)
• Sneaker Pimps — 6 Underground (1996)
• Morcheeba — The Sea (1998)
• Massive Attack — Teardrop (1998)
• Massive Attack — Angel (1998)