The Melody Web what each genre heard, and what it passed on

heard passed on Click or tap a node to recenter. Use a connecting line, or Influence, for the story.

Heard

Dub genre · 1971–

Trip-hop keeps dub’s sub-bass, delay, and version space and slows them to a listening-club tempo.

Influence
Hip-hop genre · 1973–

Trip-hop takes hip-hop’s break tempo, sample collage, and DJ/MC room and recodes them as Bristol song.

Influence
Soul genre · 1958–

Trip-hop takes soul’s torch lead and minor-key ballad harmony and sits them on a dub/hip-hop chassis.

Influence

Trip-hop

genre · 1993–1999

Also called Bristol sound

Mid-1990s Bristol downbeat: hip-hop tempo, dub bass and space, and a smoked vocal (Massive Attack, Portishead, Tricky). It hears Dub for mix space and sub-bass, Hip-hop for break tempo and sampling, and Soul for the torch lead. Reggae waits one step (dub). Spy-soundtrack jazz stays leftover color. Downtempo and chillout remain leftover bins. Chart landings are trip hop pop.

Listen

  1. Unfinished Sympathy Massive Attack (1991) YouTube · Spotify · Amazon
  2. Sour Times Portishead (1994) YouTube · Spotify · Amazon
  3. Glory Box Portishead (1994) YouTube · Spotify · Amazon
  4. Karmacoma Massive Attack (1995) YouTube · Spotify · Amazon
  5. Hell Is Round the Corner Tricky (1995) YouTube

Passed on

Pop genre · 1958–

1990s pop takes trip-hop’s slow-break song, dub bass, and smoked vocal as a chart-single dialect (Massive Attack).

Influence

Dub → Trip-hop

timbre and productionmeter and grooveform and structurestrength: highscholarly consensus1991–1995recordingoral

Mechanism

Trip-hop keeps dub’s sub-bass, delay, and version space and slows them to a listening-club tempo. Strength high. hip hop trip hop is the break-and-sample hop; this file is the mix parent.

Evidence

Massive Attack and Portishead against Kingston mix grammar (Grove, Hebdige).

Debate

Whether this is already hip-hop. The break tempo can be shared; the dub mix and bass weight are dub’s.

Mediators

artist: Massive Attack

Hip-hop → Trip-hop

meter and grooveperformance practiceform and structurestrength: highscholarly consensus1991–1995recordingoral

Mechanism

Trip-hop takes hip-hop’s break tempo, sample collage, and DJ/MC room and recodes them as Bristol song. Strength high. dub trip hop remains the mix-and-bass hop; this file is the hip-hop grammar. Reggae waits one step (dub).

Evidence

Wild Bunch / Massive Attack against US hip-hop breaks (Grove, Chang).

Debate

Whether this is already hip-hop. The break and sample ethic are hip-hop’s; the dub space and smoked song are trip-hop’s.

Mediators

community: The Wild Bunch

Soul → Trip-hop

melodyperformance practiceharmonystrength: mediumscholarly consensus1991–1995recording

Mechanism

Trip-hop takes soul’s torch lead and minor-key ballad harmony and sits them on a dub/hip-hop chassis. Strength medium. Hip-hop and dub remain the rhythmic parents; this hop is the sung soul job (Shara Nelson, Portishead). Spy-soundtrack jazz stays leftover color, not a parent.

Evidence

Unfinished Sympathy and Portishead’s sung sides (Grove, Starr).

Debate

Whether this is already soul. The vocal craft is soul’s; the Bristol mix-and-break room is trip-hop’s.

Mediators

artist: Shara Nelson

Trip-hop → Pop

meter and groovetimbre and productionform and structurestrength: mediumwell documented1991–1995recordingradio

Mechanism

1990s pop takes trip-hop’s slow-break song, dub bass, and smoked vocal as a chart-single dialect (Massive Attack). Strength medium. Downtempo and chillout stay leftover bins.

Evidence

Unfinished Sympathy and allied Bristol hits (Starr, Grove).

Debate

Whether this is still trip-hop. The mix space is trip-hop’s; the international singles job is pop’s.

Mediators

artist: Massive Attack