What is typical of trip hop?

Slow beats, samples and moody vocals

Trip Hop Quiz: Bristol's Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky

This trip hop quiz drifts into the smoky sound that came out of Bristol in the 1990s. Play 10 interactive questions on the Wild Bunch sound system, Massive Attack's Blue Lines and Unfinished Sympathy, Teardrop, Portishead's Dummy and its Mercury Prize, Beth Gibbons, Tricky's Maxinquaye, slow hip-hop beats, samples and vinyl crackle.

Start Trip Hop Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

City
Which English city is the home of trip hop?
Crew
Which sound system crew came before Massive Attack?
Debut
What was Massive Attack's debut album?
Song
Which Massive Attack song features sweeping strings?
Teardrop
Which Massive Attack song became a TV theme?
Portishead
Where does Portishead's name come from?
Dummy
Which Portishead album won the Mercury Prize?
Singer
Who is Portishead's singer?
Tricky
What was Tricky's debut album?
Sound
What is typical of trip hop?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which English city is the home of trip hop?
Answer: Bristol
It is in the southwest.
Q2: Which sound system crew came before Massive Attack?
Answer: The Wild Bunch
They threw parties in Bristol.
Q3: What was Massive Attack's debut album?
Answer: Blue Lines
It came out in 1991.
Q4: Which Massive Attack song features sweeping strings?
Answer: Unfinished Sympathy
Shara Nelson sings it.
Q5: Which Massive Attack song became a TV theme?
Answer: Teardrop
It opened the series House.
Q6: Where does Portishead's name come from?
Answer: A town near Bristol
Geoff Barrow grew up there.
Q7: Which Portishead album won the Mercury Prize?
Answer: Dummy
It came out in 1994.
Q8: Who is Portishead's singer?
Answer: Beth Gibbons
Her voice is haunting.
Q9: What was Tricky's debut album?
Answer: Maxinquaye
He had worked with Massive Attack.
Q10: What is typical of trip hop?
Answer: Slow beats, samples and moody vocals
Vinyl crackle adds texture.

Bristol's Slow and Moody Sound

Trip hop emerged in Bristol in the early 1990s, blending slow hip-hop beats, samples, dub bass and moody vocals. It grew from the Wild Bunch, a sound system crew whose members formed Massive Attack.

Massive Attack's debut, Blue Lines, came out in 1991 and included Unfinished Sympathy, with sweeping strings and Shara Nelson's vocals. Their 1998 song Teardrop later became the theme of the TV series House. Tricky, who had worked with them, released Maxinquaye in 1995.

Portishead, named after a town near Bristol, released Dummy in 1994, with Beth Gibbons' haunting voice and Geoff Barrow's production. It won the Mercury Prize. Vinyl crackle and spy film samples gave trip hop its cinematic feel.

What This Quiz Teaches

Music fans will enjoy these questions.

Where trip hop began
Who the key bands are
Which albums stand out
Which songs became famous
What the sound is like

Did You Know?

Mezzanine is a darker Massive Attack album.
Glory Box is a Portishead classic.
Bristol's graffiti scene was linked.
The style inspired film soundtracks.
Zero 7 followed in a similar mood.