A legendary debut that leads the Trip-Hop pack, we dove into Portisheads Dummy, looking at how and why the unexpected success is still to this day a hugely influential record.

Date published: 26th Jul 2023

In a summer most people define through Oasis's Definitely Maybe and Blur's Parklife, a hauntingly unique debut emerged from the west country backstreets of British music. Portishead's Dummy, draped in downbeat gloom and raw nerve, stood as a moody drifter amidst the upbeat sounds of its contemporaries. 

The album was dark and brooding with lyrics whispered and crooned, emotionally mature and glooming none more so exemplified by the haunting hook of "Wandering Star" - "For whom it is reserved / the blackness, the darkness, forever."

Rooted in the trip-hop heritage of Bristol, the album bore echoes of icons like Tricky and Massive Attack but possessed its own distinct, claustrophobic essence that captivated listeners and lulled them into a mesmerized state. 

The Bristolians displayed a passion for vintage samples, from jazz and soul saxophone licks to crisp hip-hop drums and velvety piano melodies. Their production felt precise and studious, with Beth Gibbons' haunting vocals adding unsettling poetry to the mix. Portishead emerged as outliers, crafting a sound that blended trip-hop practices with a gothic edge.

The band's soundscape aligned with what today's sound gurus refer to as hauntology, drawing on older ethereal sounds to evoke memories and emotions from the past. Their sonic abstractions resonated with audiences worldwide, and the album's success catapulted them into the spotlight.

While Bristol's music scene was embracing breakbeats and jungle, Portishead ventured in a different direction, sampling artists like Ray Charles on ‘Numb’ and Weather Report on ‘Strangers’; also incorporating rare cuts, most notably on ‘Sour Times’ with a spy soundtrack from Lalo Schifrin. They were a group unafraid to buck the trend of new digital soundscapes that characterized the time.

Yet, whilst you can definitely praise such an obsessive search for the right sample, the irony of Portishead’s association with this is that the majority of the music on the record is their own. But it’s what they did with it they vie them their label. The band created their own soundscape to cut up, mix and loop. 

And that they did. 

They played them back through broken amps, pressed them onto vinyl to scrub like DJs, and manipulated them like a Hip-hop producer would. A technique and method unheard of at the time, but one that undoubtedly set them so far apart from everyone else at the time. 

Interestingly, Portishead was not even a fully formed band at this point. Beth Gibbons revealed that she had sung more in her bedroom than on a stage, and most of the members had little experience with touring. Yet, such anonymity held by Gibbons, only added to the allure of the record. Who was this woman whose words were so etched in sorrow, whose breathly delivery sounded equal parts bleak and flirtatious? The inherent mystery that surrounded the band and its members was so alluring and matched the atmosphere of the record so well that, it all seemed deliberate. 

The thing is, it most likely was. 

There isn't a lick or syllable out of place on Dummy. As a record, it feels less like a collection of songs, and more like a 50-minute exploration of a feeling. The tracks ooze into each other, a perpetual sound where every second contributes to its atmosphere. 

The unexpected success of the record thrust this group of introverted music enthusiasts into the spotlight. Before long they were embarking on international tours. Before long they were beating the aforementioned contemporaries winning them the prestigious Mercury Prize and inspiring countless imitators. 

A trailblazer of the genre, Dummy left an indelible mark on trip-hop folklore and became a go-to source for sampling in 90s hip-hop production. Its influence reverberates through the music of contemporary artists like Lana Del Rey, showcasing the album's enduring legacy and the lasting impact of Portishead's haunting and distinctive sound.

 

 

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