Trip hop melts dub's deep echo and hip-hop's sampling sensibility into a slow, heavy beat. Sinking drums, vinyl crackle, string samples, and whispered (often female) vocals build a smoky, after-dark atmosphere. Rather than make you dance, its core is a cinematic mood that pulls the listener inward.

It arose around 1991 from the sound-system culture of Bristol, England. Dub and reggae brought by Jamaican immigrants mixed in the same city with American hip-hop and soul, and a distinctly slow beat rose out of the collective centered on Massive Attack.

The first thing to notice is the slowness of the tempo and the spatial treatment of deep reverb and delay wrapping the beat. Listen, too, for the gritty texture of old records and the intimacy of a small, close-up voice.

Portishead's 'Glory Box' (1994) is the dark, sensual ideal of trip hop. To hear where the scene began, try Massive Attack's 'Unfinished Sympathy' (1991).

The term 'trip hop' was coined by the press; the musicians themselves disliked the easy label and thought of their work simply as the 'Bristol sound.'