essential recordings (alphabetical by album title)
A-E | F-J | K-O | P-T | U-Z

Beat - Bowery Electric (1996)

amazon.com review:
This is Bowery Electric's best album--they have always been a blend of shoegazer/My Bloody Valentine, and trip-hop--this album has the best amalgam of the two, while their two other albums lean too far one way or another--The vocals have been called boring and monotonous by Bowery-haters, but they're missing the point--

This band is about music seamlessly emerging from a background-- like you could turn on the stereo and there would be no discrete moment when one would say, "ok the music's on"--the music is emergent from the ambient noises of life--this is an excellent "study" album--especially track 8 (one of my fave songs of the past few years)--"words are just noise," goes one of the opening lines of the album--you get the sense that this minimalism (see the gargantuan last track (I fall asleep to it every night)) is saying something about music in general--like they don't dare to be so loud as to assume to be changing anything, but are rather taking the sounds of the world around and gently guiding them into some pattern--a gardener lets a tree be a tree, but by placing it and pruning it, can achieve a rather powerful effect--Bowery Electric aren't creating the sounds of their album, but rather channel the constant flow of sound around them.

Becoming X - Sneaker Pimps (1997)

amazon.com review:
You'll find few albums of more importance for the entry of electronic/trip hop music into the mainstream than Becoming X, but you'll also find few albums less heralded for it. It's no mistake that nearly ten years after its release, its biggest hit "6 Underground" is still on the radio - the song's "I'm open to falling from grace" come-on truly connected in relaying the message of the genre and the age, and so the record succeeds in being a perfect, seductive 11 song recapitulation of the type of desire that ropes you in even as you know it'll harm you. Its opening, the aptly titled "Low Place Like Home" is as sneering as any punk song, but with Kelli Dayton's voice guiding it, it's emphasis is far sexier - much more lipstick than spit. As the record proceeds, it becomes full of moments that scratch and pant their way into a devastating s/m trip - the cry of "Spin Spin Sugar" that segues into eroticized laughter, the ecstatic moan that climaxes the title track, the strange command to start "breathing through your elbows" in "Roll On." As the album closes on the moving "How Do," you get the sense of the techno party finally going to sleep at dawn, and in that, Becoming X remains a fitting 11 song capsule of the entire techno breakthrough - a collision of technology and sensuality that is as evocative a story of its era and its listeners as any document at the time or since.

amazon.com review:
Get this album NOW. I listen to everthing from Black Flag to Miles Davis to Joy Division and i know music. Trust me. You MUST buy this recording, it could be one of the best recordings ever made and im not exaggerating, (I have heard everthing from Pink Floyd to Zeppelin to Radiohead) someone said that it makes you feel like you can fly, well I couldnt agree more except to say that I actually DO feel like I'm flying when I listen to it. I never say this about any recording but i think this record actually changed my life and my whole outlook on music. The best way to describe it is that it's hypnotic, soothing and very uplifting. A laid back tempo with strong bass guaranteed to satisfy the rhythm lover in you. It's full of deep and soulful grooves with incredible vocals, it's just to die for. Ive actually bought it three times so i could give it to people i know, the cold chills go on forever when i listen to it. If for some strange reason CD's became very expensive to make and cost hundreds dollars i would easily pay (without hesitation) whatever it costs for this CD. I'm listening to it right now as i write this.

amazon.com review:
Bronagh Slevin has a wonderful voice, and the lyrics are incredible as well. Although the entire CD is awesome, my faves are "Life as One" and "Flame". If you can find a copy of this CD, buy it and share it with others! In Fleabay you will find a few singles from the album, but the entire CD is a rare find indeed.

amazon.com review:
I finally found a copy of this CD about a year ago. Really sorry I didn't find earlier. I constantly turn people on to this CD and very rarely miss.

amazon.com review:
This is one of the best trip-hop albums i own.This is trip-hop with "down" beats, really "ambiance", with a superb female voice. Go get it if you like trip-hop in general, it's really accessible.

amazon.com review:
The sound is like the voice of Emiliana Torrini with Tricky as a producer/backup singer on some songs. It is the definition of Bristol sound, standard formula trip hop.

amazon.com review:
Massive Attack released Blue Lines in 1991, it would be the first of three albums released in the decade and all were classics. Blue Lines in the best of them though because it is revolutionary and would influence others (ie. Moby, Chemical Brothers, The Streets). This was actually the beginning of Trip Hop, something latter on that would be readapted by American black artists and be called Hip Hop. The rap songs are performed by Horace Andy, Tricky, Robert Del Naja, Grant Marshall & Tony Brian. Whilst the soul songs were performed by Shara Nelson. Not forgetting Mikey General's background vocals!!!

Blue Lines begins with the sutile Safe From Harm, before going into rap mode in One Love & Blue Lines. Be Thankful for what you've got is sutile soul, whilst Five Man army is another soulful rap tune. Unfinished Sympathy is probably one of the most well known Massive Attack tunes as it was the only single released from the album. Daydreaming is another clever rap tune, whilst Lately is another classic soul tune. The album ends with Hymn of the Black Wheel another soul tune but not sung by Shara Nelson, instead sung brilliantly by Horace Andy!!!

Blue Lines was the beginning of what would be one of the most influencial groups of the 1990's. Actually for just this release they renamed themselves Massive because the album was released at the same time as the Gulf War and the record company thought it would be too risky to be called Massive Attack at that time. Although popular in the UK they would claim proper world wide commercial aclaim with their 1994 release Protection, and would continue their popularity with the 1998 smash it release Mezzanine. But Blue Lines still remains a bench mark not only for Massive Attack but all Trip Hop, Hip Hop, and electronic Pop acts. Great stuff indeed!!!!!

amazon.com review:
With infectious grooves, high production value, sexy vocals and incredible lyrics, it's no wonder that Massive Attack's "Blue Lines" is one of the greatest trip-hop albums of all time! There's not a bad song on this one and MA's material doesn't sound at all dated like a lot of stuff that came out in the early 90s. Truly the "Godfathers of Trip-hop." Every fan of this genre should own "Blue Lines"!

triphoppin.net review:
An amazing record. Phat, dark beats, neurotic (borderline psychotic) lyrics, sexy lyrics, awesome jazzy and classical guitar work, great musical variety (trip-hop, hip-hop, drum n bass, chillout, lounge, etc.)

This is the ONLY record you need to own by Esthero, that is, if you're a die-hard trip-hop fanatic like myself. Don't bother with her follow- up EP "We R In Need Of A Musical Revolution" (that title track is really good, but it's the only trip-hoppish song on the EP-- great lyrics!). Esthero's second full-length album "Wikked Lil' Grrls" walks the very thin line of R&B and disposable pop. I saw her live and was extremely disappointed that she didn't play any of her old stuff except for one song, and she only sang it acapella. She's still great (what a voice!) but I'm telling you, Breath From Another is solid from beginning to end. This debut record is so incredible in so many ways... a must-own! You don't own this yet? What is wrong with you? Haha.

amazon.com review:
It's a credit to Esthero's skills that her sultry debut is still remembered seven years after its release, and in the shadow of a warm, funky follow-up. Most albums of this type fade into obscurity.

But Canadian trip-hoppist Esthero, with the help of producer Doc, manages to create a unique musical experience in "Breath From Another": chilly trip-jazz, with sexy lyrics and some hip-hop flavourings. The songwriting can be hit-and-miss, but the music and Esthero's singing are wonderful.

It opens on a diverse note in the title track: slow trippy beats and waves, which rapidly rev up into a hip-hop sound. Esthero's voice starts off breathy, but after she launches into a throaty rap, her vocals gain substance and strength. "Don't compromise what's gold/For the soul you never sold," she croons over and over.

Several songs of the songs that follow could be classified as pop music, like the catchy "That Girl" and James-Bondian interlude "Flipher Overture." But Esthero never leaves behind trip-hop and hip-hop, both of which flicker up in various songs.

But other styles crop up over the course of the album: pure soft electronica, dancey jazz, trippy Latin, and others. The only unifying style here is trip-hop. As a result, a few songs simply don't fit in: "Country Livin' (The World I Know)" moves too slow and has too few beats thrown in, so it feels vaguely out of place.

Canadian Esthero herself sounds a lot like Icelandic pop star Emiliana Torrini, who also has made a career out of electic styles. Her voice can be throaty or sweet, depending on the song. Doc (with whom she has since parted ways) produced a beautiful array of songs for her to sing, with everything from electronica to harp.

And Esthero's sweet voice can bring a surprising sense of innocence to some very sexual songs. And some truly beautiful ones as well: "My mouth is clean, my hands are dirty/Heaven isn't on my side," she sings mournfully at one point. But the lyrics here are not quite as even as her later work; the second half has some songs that sound a bit silly. "Stay awhile longer sweet tongue of fur and feather/There is a white breast waiting for you here" -- what?

Esthero's trippy, jazzy debut is a mad melange of styles and sounds, and the sometimes-uneven lyrics can't bog down a very talented singer. Definitely worth checking out

amazon.com review:
In my own humble opinion, Frou Frou's 'Details' is the best album to come out (so far) in 2002 and is one of the best debuts I've ever heard before. I admit to being an eccentric music fan who's purchased quite a lot of CDs this year but Frou Frou's 'Details' is the one that I find myself listening to the most. And while everyone can compare Imogen Heap's darkly lavished vocals to the likes of Beth Orton and pop goddess Dido, Imogen's brooding and crooning has a sound that's delightfully her own. And what makes this pop-electronic album even better is the fact that Imogen's backed up by producer/arranger Guy Sigsworth, who's worked with such remarkable talents as Bjork and Madonna. The lyrics (which mostly deal with relationships and breakups) are as sassy and as cunning as the hooking melody lines themselves. There's honestly not one bad song on here, and they're all extremely catchy. "Let Go" gives hope to mend a broken heart by expressing how there's beauty in the breakdown while "Maddening Shroud" merrily portrays how the pains of hoping to fix something that's already damaged just isn't worth the time or exasperation. "It's Good To Be In Love" seems to set loose from all of the gloom and points out the finer times of being in love, but it's on songs like "Must Be Dreaming", "Psychobbable" and "Ssh" that Frou Frou (whom are named after the French word for the rustle of silk) truly shine on.

'Details' in an amazing album and I am eagerly hoping and anticipating a follow-up to this incredible accomplishment!

This receives my Highest recommendation!

amazon.com review:
Of all the downtempo and chillout bull*%#$ I have bought, only this album and The Merkin Dream have stood the test of time. I bought Downtempo Dojo in February of 2003, and I still listen to it regularly. This album is percussion heavy, with what sounds like lots of live instrumentation - live bass and subdued guitar, astrally languid yet never sleepy percussion, and ear candy galore. No crap vocals but intermittent background stuff that works with, but never over, the music. You'll kick back but you won't sleep. Recommended for solitary listening - Turn down the lights, turn up the volume, light one and escape.

amazon.com review:
I agree with the other reviews that Saru is going to be a big name in the future. This album defines trip hop while avoiding the cliche sound that dominates the genre. Without MC's or poppy female vocals Saru proves his merit as a composer without any weak tracks. I think it speaks for itself that the same people buying stuff like Tosca and The Dining Rooms are buying this album. Most people I have played Saru for have preferred it over other big name downtempo artists. Be sure to check Spooky Monkey, his side project if you like Saru. Check out this incredible album before everyone else gets it.

amazon.com review:
This is a very chilled and emotional trip-hop album from a new Brussels-based group, signed to a UK label. The singer Esra Tasasiz is half-Scottish and half-Turkish - apparently. Lots of synths (some obvious Depeche Mode influences on the title track) mixed with string sounds plus some beats and scratches. The lyrics may be rather simple - but the music is something special. Drystar is perfect for summer sunny days, and will appeal to fans of Dido, Morcheeba, Hooverphonic, Olive and Portishead.

Dummy - Portishead (1994)

amazon.com review:
Portishead's 1994 debut, "Dummy", is a timeless album that swings from mood to mood(from heartbreakingly dark to teary eyed to slightly optimistic). And implies many styles( rock, jazz, soul, hip hop, gospel, classical) while keeping it consistent and gaspingly beautiful. "Dummy" doesn't even sound like it was recorded in ANY era. It's ahead of it's time while keeping a effective film-noir quality.

The surprise hit "Sour Times" ("No body loves me/ It's true") stills sounds relevant as it did when first released with it's tense delicacy. From the most accessible cut "It Could Be Sweet" to the quaint "Numb"(sampled by R&B singer Ginuwine on his 1996 single "G Thang") to the lithing morose state of "Roads" to the seductive "It's A Fire", every song on "Dummy" is just enwraps you. Every song is beautiful and enticing. No filler or duds.

With Beth Gibbons' soft, delicate vocals (reminisit of Dido meets Sade) and Geoff Barrow's genius (he first got some shine producing Neneh Cherry's underrated classic "Somedays" on N's "Homebrew" project two years prior to this album's release), "Dummy" proves that it's one of the most influential albums of all-time.

"Glory Box" has been heard in several films with its Issac Hayes sample and slow strings and dozens of Portishead imitators and acts influenced by the group emerged.

This album has been duplicated so many times. One of the best albums of the 1990s and one of the best debuts of all-time as well. Timeless (it could have been recorded this year, it's so relevant) and without peer (OK, maybe Esthero and Everything But The Girl!-since both are as high standing as these guys).

You'll be in a new multilayered, multicolored world when you put this disc in. Out of this universe.

Endtroducing... - DJ Shadow (1996)

amazon.com review:
From the opening sample of "Building Steam With a Grain of Salt" where a voice is heard saying "Producing..." you know you are listening to an outstanding piece of work. In order to better understand this, you have to position yourself at the time this album came out.

You have to realize Trip Hop was already in full fledge: Massive Attack and Portishead had already come out with their own thing, but DJ Shadow came with a different proposal in 1996 when he produced 'Endtroducing...'. Through the magic of samples, he blended in a way many have tried to copy, yet no one yet matched, genres such as rock, soul, funk, ambient, and jazz, into a final product that transcends time. If you need further proof of that, think how long it's been since this album came out (1996) as you are reading this, sit back, listen to it and be amazed, as so many have been amazed to this day.

After listening to 'Endtroducing...' almost daily for three weeks now, turning back and thinking of acts such as Fatboy Slim almost feels awkward, considering his sample-based 'Better Living Through Chemistry' came out almost a full year after Shadow's debut. Granted that everyone has a place in music, DJ Shadow's genius with sampling work simply is above and beyond, making this not only his breakthrough, but also one of the best albums ever.

amazon.com review:
In 1998 I had a crush on a girl named Ellie. On a rainy day we decided on an awkward quasi-date to Rasputin's Records and Blondie's Pizza. I sat down in the passenger seat of her beat-up Accord, she started the engine, and her tape player introduced me to a twinkling piano and hypnotizingly slow breakbeats. The notes fell like raindrops on her windshield, and forever in my mind, that moment, Ellie's perfume, my nervous tension, and DJ Shadow's "Building Steam With A Grain of Salt" were locked inseparably together. Whenever the rain starts to fall -- not a hard rain and not a sprinkle, but a steady, plodding, relentless patter of water on earth -- I think of this song.

Josh Davis, also known as DJ Shadow, makes that kind of impact with the arcane record samples he artfully merges into cohesive, thoughtful, revelatory aural collages. He is obsessed. He digs up sounds you and I have never heard before, and maybe a thing or two we have heard before, and fuses them into some brilliant new heterogeneous dream with the power to stir the subconscious and induce sheer awe.

Once I bought his CD and broke free of the hold that "Building..." had on me, I got accustomed to the other twelve tracks of the album. There were many pleasant surprises. I found "Midnight in a Perfect World" just as addicting as the song that got me hooked in the first place, a loping, seductive, scratch-heavy, impossibly beautiful five minutes and two seconds. "Changeling" was another fast favorite, like a lush sunset after a long summer day. "Stem/Long Stem" creeped me out with pernicious string samples surrounding a single lonely chime. And although it took some time, "Mutual Slump" eventually won me over with its dual personality: crashing percussion and ugly guitar riffs on the one hand, and a mournful, echoing backdrop offset by a shy girl's spoken diary on the other.

Many have already mentioned what an impact this album had on a number of prominent artists such as Moby and Radiohead. DJ shadow's influence has reverberated for several years now in the music industry. But for me, I can only attest to what it did for me when seated next to an unreachable girl, in the midst of my quixotic quest, on a gray and rainwashed early spring afternoon.

It was nothing short of an epiphany.