# What is this style of music called?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-style-of-music-called/677974
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [January 5, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-style-of-music-called/677974 "2014-01-05T21:50:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-style-of-music-called/677974/1 "2014-01-05T21:50:48Z")
Among other music types I enjoy the bands Morcheeba, Massive Attack, and Machine Love. I really don’t know what their type of music is called but I’ve called it “Acid Jazz” but I don’t know if that is accurate.
So what is it called and can you folks suggest other bands who play the same category? Thanks.
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### Author:  [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2014, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-style-of-music-called/677974/2 "2014-01-05T21:57:53Z")
It’s generally called “trip hop”, though where the boundaries of the genre are lain is pretty fuzzy. I love most of this style, here are some others that are similar, either trip hop or having a similar jazz-electronica fusion:
Tricky
Martina Topley-Bird
Luscious Jackson
Yoko Kanno
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### Author:  [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2014, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-style-of-music-called/677974/3 "2014-01-05T22:00:22Z")
I think you’d like the Sneaker Pimps.
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### Author:  [@Crawlspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crawlspace)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-style-of-music-called/677974/4 "2014-01-05T22:01:26Z")
[Trip Hop](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trip_hop). Portishead would be a good band to check out, [Dummy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6Rvde1YeLE)in particular.
Other than that I don’t have any recommendations, haven’t made time to dive into the genre despite liking a lot of what I’ve heard.
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### Author:  [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2014, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-style-of-music-called/677974/5 "2014-01-05T22:02:37Z")
In addition to replies here, you could also try the wonderfully named site: [whatthefuckshouldilistentonow.com](http://whatthefuckshouldilistentonow.com/)
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### Author:  [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-style-of-music-called/677974/6 "2014-01-06T01:26:04Z")
Thanks for the recommendations; I look forward to checking them out. My first exposure was to Morcheeba’s Big Calm in Woodenhead Gourmet Pizza in Kingston in 1999. It’s a bit of a contrast to what I normally listen to - Sabbath and Alice in Chains.
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### Author:  [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2014, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-style-of-music-called/677974/7 "2014-01-06T04:13:35Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#):
>
> Tricky
> Martina Topley-Bird
Oh yes. For the OP, here’s Tricky’s album [Maxinquaye](http://youtu.be/z3t_siCRxgc) with Martina. You may not like the whole album but at least listen to the first song, “Karmacoma.”
Not exactly trip-hop, but have you heard [The Daou](http://youtu.be/W_FThlNAa-Y)? They only released one album but that gorgeous singer is Vanessa Daou and she became a solo artist with several albums (at some point around this time her extraordinarily multi-talented husband Peter Daou (Erica Jong’s nephew) became a progressive political writer for, among others, Salon).
I haven’t heard a big chunk of her output, but three of my favorite Vanessa Daou songs are [“How Do You Feel,”](http://youtu.be/TO2XeUiNrYw)[“Surrender Yourself”](http://youtu.be/ucazv_2snaw) and [“Sunday Afternoons.”](http://youtu.be/ucazv_2snaw)
You might also like a few Banderas songs, especially this one, [“May This Be Your Last Sorrow”](http://youtu.be/KXPjk26ee28) (another of their songs I love is [“(I Wish I Had) The Comfort of Faith,”](http://youtu.be/r10re6gct8w) with great lyrics regarding atheism)
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### Author:  [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2014, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-style-of-music-called/677974/8 "2014-01-06T04:22:42Z")
> [@Crawlspace](#):
>
> [Trip Hop](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trip_hop). Portishead would be a good band to check out, [Dummy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6Rvde1YeLE)in particular.
Dummy is may favorite album of the genre.
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### Author:  [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2014, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-style-of-music-called/677974/9 "2014-01-06T05:07:56Z")
Another vote for Portishead. I have _Dummy_ and _Portishead_. I would recommend both.
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### Author:  [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-style-of-music-called/677974/10 "2014-01-06T15:10:29Z")
I lurves me some Portishead. Are there other trip hop bands like Portishead? The written descriptions make them sound like your standard hip hop bands with some electronica added, which does not sound good to me.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-style-of-music-called/677974/11 "2014-01-06T18:01:00Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#):
>
> I lurves me some Portishead. Are there other trip hop bands like Portishead? The written descriptions make them sound like your standard hip hop bands with some electronica added, which does not sound good to me.
I would give Massive Attack’s _Mezzanine_ a shot, although the album has a lot more rapping in the vocals than Portishead. That said, I think you’d like the track “Teardrop.” That album just sucks the light right out of the room. It’s so atmospherically dark, yet sexy, which reminds me a bit of Portishead.