Re: american artists


Steve Oldmeadow (soldmeadow@bigpond.com)
Fri, 3 Dec 1999 10:20:16 +1100



----- Original Message -----
From: Dirk van den Heuvel <dirkv@groovedis.com>
To: <fish@yesmate.com>; Acid-Jazz Mailing List <acid-jazz@ucsd.edu>
Sent: 03/12/1999 09:24
Subject: RE: american artists (was RE: downtempo in movies)

> Okay someone has gotten close for American trip hop. Thievery Corp is up
> there (quality if not popularity wise) with Massive and Portishead..though
> then again Thievery Corp has never written any classic "songs" in the vein
> of "Sour Times" or "Protection" or "Unfinished Sympathy" or "Safe From
Harm"
> ..okay I'm sticking to my guns..there's no American artists doing trip hop
> in the league of Massive Attack or Portishead (but Esthero come
> close--though they'd be considered Canadian right?).

I think the operative word there is "doing". Massive Attack and Portishead
aren't exactly doing much now. IMHO both MA and Portishead are veering
dangerously close to being rock bands and certainly crossed over to that
market with their last studio albums.

Thievery Corporation on the other hand are very active. I also think they
are responsible for expanding the genre with their Bossa Nova influences.
They may not have written an "Unfinished Sympathy" but I don't really think
that is their thing. Basically I think Thievery Corp. are owed a lot of
respect. I also dig what I've heard of Thunderball (on ESL) but they are
more drum & bass than downtempo.

On the subject of downtempo and nationality has anyone noticed that Germany
and Austria seem to be the current world leaders? Anyone care to speculate
why that is?

Steve



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