Items12The creator’s order
  1. 1Mezzanine (1998)Mezzanine (1998)Released 1 Jan 1998Dark, heavy and claustrophobic, Massive Attack's third album merged slow hip-hop breakbeats with distorted rock guitars and cavernous dub basslines. Guest vocalists Horace Andy and Elizabeth Fraser provide emotional warmth against brooding, industrial textures on iconic tracks like Teardrop and…0
  2. 2Dummy (1994)Dummy (1994)Released 1 Jan 1994Beth Gibbons's trembling, heartbreaking torch singing and Geoff Barrow's dusty turntable wizardry defined cinematic downtempo. Built from scratchy vintage film samples and haunting electric piano chords, Glory Box and Sour Times turn personal sorrow into sublime nocturnal drama.0
  3. 3Maxinquaye (1995)Maxinquaye (1995)Released 1 Jan 1995Named in tribute to his late mother, Tricky's solo debut is an intoxicating, paranoid journey through Bristol's underground. Martina Topley-Bird's eerie, deadpan vocals contrast with Tricky's raspy whispers over mutated hip-hop loops, creating an intense, smoky fever dream.0
  4. 4Big Calm (1998)Big Calm (1998)Released 1 Jan 1998Morcheeba, the Godfrey brothers with singer Skye Edwards, made a warm, psychedelic-soul take on trip-hop that glows rather than broods. Skye's silky phrasing glides over acoustic guitars and gentle scratching on The Sea, and Part of the Process shows how strong the songwriting is underneath. The…0
  5. 5Becoming X (1996)Becoming X (1996)Released 1 Jan 1996Sneaker Pimps' debut paired gritty, propulsive electronics with Kelli Dayton's cool, charismatic hooks (she later recorded as Kelli Ali), balancing an underground edge with pop accessibility. 6 Underground is the obvious way in, a genuine hit with a chorus to match its atmosphere, and Spin Spin…0
  6. 6A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular (1997)A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular (1997)Released 1 Jan 1997Belgian quartet Hooverphonic brought dreamy, widescreen cinematic grandeur to the trip-hop template. Featuring sweeping orchestral strings, warm tremolo guitars and Liesje Sadonius's breathy, romantic vocals on 2Wicky, the album feels like a lost vintage French film soundtrack.0
  7. 7Endtroducing..... (1996)Endtroducing..... (1996)Released 1 Jan 1996DJ Shadow built his debut entirely from vinyl samples, and it earns a place on a songs list because its pieces have the shape of songs: themes that return, build and resolve. Midnight in a Perfect World, with its plaintive piano loop and floating voice, is as memorable as any chorus. The one…0
  8. 8Lamb (1996)Lamb (1996)Released 1 Jan 1996Manchester duo Lamb created a striking tension between acoustic folk intimacy and frenetic drum programming. Lou Rhodes's vulnerable, poetic songwriting and soaring acoustic voice cut through Andy Barlow's intricate, hyper-speed polyrhythms on Gorecki, achieving transcendent emotional release.0
  9. 9Flying Away (1997)Flying Away (1997)Released 1 Jan 1997Smoke City, the London group fronted by Brazilian-born singer Nina Miranda, fused sultry bossa nova melodies with slow, smoky trip-hop grooves. Underwater Love, the hit that soundtracked a Levi's advert, glides on acoustic guitar and murmured English and Portuguese vocals. The pick for a warm,…0
  10. 10Psyence Fiction (1998)Psyence Fiction (1998)Released 1 Jan 1998UNKLE, James Lavelle with DJ Shadow on production, gathered rock and rap guests for a dark, cinematic record. Thom Yorke's devastating vocal on Rabbit in Your Headlights is the reason to come, a slow build from near-whisper to howl over piano and strings, and Richard Ashcroft's Lonely Soul offers a…0