This channel specializes in instrumental hip hop beats. It offers both relaxing and upbeat beats, as well as some hip hop instrumentals ideal for studying or meditation.
Massive Attack’s album Blue Lines pioneered trip hop for global audiences. Their musicology includes experimental breakbeats, hip-hop breaks accelerated to double time speeds, bass from dub music, samples-based percussion instruments such as vinyl jazz guitar and samples-based percussion drum kits; slow tempo beats; melancholy melodies and atmospheric wraparound vocals to form beautiful ambient textures adorned with melancholic melodies and beautiful ambient textures with melancholic melodies and ethereal wrapped vocals.
What is trip hop?
Trip hop music combines elements of hip hop and psychedelic rock into one hybrid style. Its origins date back to the early 1990s when artists like Massive Attack and Portishead released their debut albums featuring jazz, reggae, dub reggae and sample from film soundtracks as part of an experimental and hypnotic sound.
Trip hop was at its height in the 1990s, with artists like DJ Shadow, Portishead, and Tricky taking center stage. Many of these artists called Bristol home and helped shape this genre while inspiring other musicians to experiment with music production techniques; their influence could even be felt across other genres like downtempo and ambient.
Trip hop differs from hip hop in its slower pace and atmospheric soundscape, drawing inspiration from psychedelic rock, reggae and dub. It aims to induce trance-like states within listeners; thus it has also been termed mood music.
Trip hop music has grown into an international phenomenon and its music can be heard in movies, TV shows, commercials and clothing lines inspired by it. Due to its rising popularity it has also inspired numerous specialized websites and forums dedicated to trip hop. These can provide fans with new music while meeting fellow trip hop fans while offering tutorials for producing the genre themselves.
Origins
Trip Hop was among the earliest genres to crossover into popular music, characterized by atmospheric sounds and slow tempos as well as elements from other genres such as rock, jazz, dub and soul. Originating in Bristol England during the early 1990s; Andy Pemberton of Dance Music Magazine Mixmag coined the term “trip hop”.
Massive Attack and Portishead are two prominent groups in this genre. Both bands are well-known for their melancholy sounds, which may be attributable to members hailing from post-punk and hip-hop backgrounds. Both were greatly inspired by Bristol’s cultural and sociopolitical foundations which can be heard reflected in their music.
Skylab was another early pioneering group in this genre. Their album Blue Lines put Bristol on the world music map; their song Unfinished Sympathy stands as an excellent representation of trip hop with sampled vinyl jazz records and atmospheric textures.
Other artists that have contributed significantly to the development of trip hop music include PJ Harvey, Moby, and Radiohead. Each artist has voiced opposition against labeling their work as trip hop music because they feel this undersells what their work stands for; many argue that their pieces more closely resemble soundtracks or experiences than regular pieces of music.
Rafi:ki is an outstanding example of such an online channel that specializes in trip hop music. His playlist of chill beats and lo-fi hip hop tunes make studying or relaxing an absolute pleasure, with only the finest songs being selected to offer to his listeners.
Styles
Though most artists associated with trip hop would likely balk at its label (some argue that it underestimates what they aimed for), this genre was among the first commercially significant hybrids to make an impactful crossover from dance-based listening music to mainstream charts. Trip hop served as the bedrock for an era that saw experimental hip-hop, chillout and ambient merging with jazz, electronica and soul. Furthermore, its success inspired generations of beat producers fusing drum machines, synths sampling and sound collage into beat production while tastemakers looked towards its instrumental aesthetic and dub-influenced production techniques as models for their own works.
No doubt it would be difficult to select just one album from this era; however, some of the finest examples of trip hop can be found in the albums by DJ Shadow, DJ Krush and Portishead. Tricky’s tantalizing mumbles and cinematic eloquence on his 1994 record Dummy served as a major influence for generations of electronic musicians alike, while Morcheeba left their mark through its dreamy string melodies and psychedelic spoken word samples on Blue Lines by Morcheeba.
Mo’ Wax, Coldcut and Ninja Tune labels became synonymous with trip hop in London during the early 1990s. Mo’ Wax, Coldcut and Ninja Tune all recognized its meditative quality that blended dub, jazz and electronica for an immersive listening experience.
More recently, trip hop has seen a renewed surge thanks to artists like Flying Lotus, Black Thought from The Roots and Skylab (a short-lived collective). Their work combines elements of hip-hop and trip hop with strong instrumental aesthetics; furthermore rapping talents like CL Smooth have demonstrated its potential as an arena for great lyricism.
Artists
Bristol was where trip hop’s roots first took form, where its combination of styles first found expression. Rave culture’s chill-out rooms gave way to jazz-tinged grooves, dubby basslines, Rhodes licks and wraithlike vocals that spoke both to premillennial anxiety and escapist bliss – giving rise to Massive Attack’s epic comedowns, Tricky murmured incantations and Portishead sombre noir sound; other musicians contributed such as Howie B deconstructions or Lamb and Goldfrapp. Each artist created their own path through this music scene that helped define trip hop’s territory –
DJ Shadow was one of the pioneers in his genre for his exploration and use of sampling techniques to form cohesive musical pieces, such as his album Endtroducing… which encompassed everything from movie sound tracks to 1970s funk and cool jazz.
James Braddell (also known by his pseudonym Funki Porcini) is another British composer known for creating trip hop-influenced work. His debut album for Ninja Tune, 1994’s The Outsider, set an early precedent that Howie B and U.N.C.L.E would later emulate. Braddell used dusty hip-hop rhythms, deep dub bass tones, and swirling reverb to create his unique sound world.
Another often-overlooked but significant figure in the development of trip hop was US producer Prince Paul, who released several albums for Wordsound that showcased its signature soulful, downtempo sound. Psychoanalysis (1991), was notable as being the first fully instrumental hip-hop release incorporating elements of trip hop (although at that time the label tended more toward illbient).
Tracks
There are various tracks that fall under the category of trip hop music. They range from instrumental hip hop beats, spoken word samples and spoken word samples, strings, psychedelic melodies and slow tempos with prominent bass to spoken word samples, spoken word samples and strings psychedelic melodies with prominent bass. All music on this site is royalty free and may be used commercially provided you credit the artist.
Chilli Music is a YouTube channel specializing in hip hop chill and lounge. Their soothing vibes provide the ideal environment for studying or relaxing, plus there’s something here for every genre imaginable – plus plenty of new artists you should check out.