Across the Pond: Trip-hop innovator Massive Attack brings cultural flavors of Bristol

There’s something about the British Isles that consistently produces musical greatness; it is inherent to the country, its people and its culture. Popular culture has been defined by bands and artists from the UK; they have consistently created new genres and musical subcultures – from the Beatles’ psychedelic rock in the ’60s all the way through to the explosion of dubstep and drum ‘n’ bass in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Every week, “Across the Pond” will cover a British artist, or an aspect of British music, that has defined modern culture.

It all began in Bristol, in the southwest of England. Historically an important trade stop, the port of Bristol was an amalgam of different cultures and traditions. A major point on the trade route during the times of the slave trade, today Bristol is a typical cosmopolitan melting pot of nationalities from around the Caribbean, Africa and Europe. The large proportion of Bristolians hailing from the West Indies and Africa are a major influence for shaping the city’s culture, tradition and music. It was in this context of a cultural hotpot, that Massive Attack emerged as genre-bending.

There are only a few select bands out there who can claim to have redefined a musical genre, and even fewer that can attest to creating a genre in its entirety, but with the release of its first album, “Blue Lines,” in 1991, Massive Attack created a sound that had never been heard before. Coined as “trip-hop” by journalists, it was a culmination of Bristol’s multicultural history, combined in a way that was both a nod to the past and a sound of the future.

The group made use of sounds inspired by the large West Indian population of Bristol – the influence of Caribbean dub and reggae music can be heard throughout the album – and paired it with hip-hop drum beats, ambient electronica, jazz samples and orchestral strings. Featuring female vocals and MC Tricky mumbling his way through most of the songs, “Blue Lines” was dark, ambient and atmospheric, yet still carried a danceable Caribbean funk.

Massive Attack will play in Los Angeles on Thursday, Oct. 16 at the Greek Theatre; its cinematic production and intense sounds are a perfect match for the outdoors theater. Having begun its career practically bringing the music scene in Bristol to a halt, Massive Attack is now a seasoned veteran, able to hold its distinct sound throughout a large, open-air venue. Far removed from its beginnings as the fresh new band, Massive Attack instead arrives in Los Angeles as legendary pioneers.

The Bristol underground music scene, where Massive Attack had its beginnings, was a collection of rave clubs that catered to university students willing to explore experimental styles, and served as the perfect springboard for the group to unleash their innovative new sound.

The group’s debut album “Blue Lines” was met with widespread, unanimous critical acclaim. Adored for its seamless soulful and emotional depth, it was cited by many as a game-changing release for the Bristol music scene and British music in general. The album paved the way for other trip-hop artists, such as Portishead, to forge successful careers of their own, and influenced countless modern American artists from Lana Del Rey to Nine Inch Nails and DJ Shadow.

Massive Attack’s release of “Blue Lines” as a result of their collaboration with Neneh Cherry created music that became the soundtrack for students after a night of raving. The music was calming; the vocals blended into the beats, almost as an added instrument, yet the drumbeats ensured that listeners would keep their feet moving and their heads nodding. “Blue Lines” bridged the gap between the night before and the morning after: The sounds are nocturnal, but it is clear that the sunrise is soon coming.

Following Blue Lines, Massive Attack would go on to release a further four albums to various degrees of acclaim; its third album, “Mezzanine,” was seen as the band’s magnum opus and the most commercially successful album to date. As the band grew older, its sound became more polished, less embellished and the band remains a major force in the trip-hop genre.