The Bristol collective known as Massive Attack arose out of the acid house scene of late-1980s England to become one of the 1990s' greatest innovators. The group has literally changed the face of music every time out. They invented "trip-hop" on thei…

b. R.J. Krohn, 27 May 1976, Eugene, Oregon, USA. Adopting a Star Wars-derived bastardisation of his own name, originally given to him in childhood and which he admits to hating, hip-hop artist RJD2 deftly bends, pitches and manipulates samples approp…

In the mid-1990s, the dreamy-but-grooving sound of trip-hop was confined to the U.K. underground until Portishead brought it to the worldwide mainstream. Combining electronics, lush production, Ennio Morricone-like guitar breaks, and angelic singing …

Experimental hip-hop outfit UNKLE was one of the original artists releasing material through noted UK label Mo Wax which helped launch the instrumental mid-90s downtempo breakbeat revival eventually termed trip-hop Though hardly the labels highest-pr…

French postmodernists Air raid every aspect of retro pop music, from the sublime to the ridiculous, in fashioning their sonic bricolage. Everything from Krautrock-inspired electronics to 1960s lounge music is incorporated into the work of Nicolas God…

The music of the Chemical Brothers, a pair of DJs who helped popularize the "Big Beat" electronic subgenre in the '90s, has the heft of rock, the groove of club music, and the spirit of experimentation that lifts all boats. Through their collaboratio…