Dummy
by Portishead
This album has been added to 22 private lists and 58 public lists:
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On Vinyl
Greg- Root Genre: Electronic
- Primary Branch: Trip-Hop
- Secondary Influences: Hip-Hop, Soul / R&B, Dub, Film Noir / Soundtrack, Jazz
- Textural Identity: Dusky, cinematic and claustrophobic — sampled drums, vinyl crackle, sub-bass, turntablism, sparse guitar, organ and Beth Gibbons’ haunted vocals
- Energy Axis: Low → Medium (slow and heavy, driven by tension, groove and atmosphere rather than speed)
Dummy is one of the clearest cases where Electronic → Trip-Hop is the right classification. The beats come from hip-hop and breakbeat culture, but the mood is much darker and more cinematic, with dub-style space, noirish harmony and soul-inflected vocals.
What makes the album special is how physical and intimate it sounds despite being heavily constructed. Geoff Barrow’s production uses samples and turntable textures in a way that feels deliberately worn and tactile, while Beth Gibbons gives the music an emotional vulnerability that separates it from more beat-driven electronic records.
Small review: Dummy is remarkably consistent in atmosphere without ever becoming monotonous. “Mysterons” immediately establishes the paranoid, nocturnal mood; “Sour Times” gives the album its most recognizable noir groove; “Roads” strips the sound down into something almost devastatingly bare. The production is dark, but never cluttered. Every drum hit, scratch and sustained note seems carefully placed around Gibbons’ voice. It remains one of the defining records of trip-hop because it turns beat-based production into something that feels closer to psychological cinema than club music.
Collection shorthand: Electronic → Trip-Hop.
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September.
JONIIIIREVISIT
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August.
JONIIIIREVISIT
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Albums Heard / Listening Log (2026)
sam13/04/26 (Repeat)
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1994
JamesDummy emerged during the rise of trip-hop, but it quickly transcended any genre label. The combination of Beth Gibbons' haunted vocals, dusty samples, and cinematic production creates a world that feels intimate and unsettling at the same time. Songs like "Sour Times," "Roads," and "Glory Box" drift through shadows, heartbreak, and longing with remarkable emotional power. Every detail of the album contributes to its atmosphere, from the crackling textures to the noir-inspired arrangements. Despite countless imitators, few records have ever captured this particular blend of beauty and unease. Dummy remains one of the most distinctive and influential albums of the 1990s.
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a new record everyday in 2026
judijan 12th 2026
strangers, mysterons, sour times -
52 albums
KyleThe best Trip Hop album of all time
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ouve isto
afonsohum espero que gostes deste, porque se gostares tens bom gosto (sem pressao xD)
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![1. Outside (The Nathan Adler Diaries: A Hyper Cycle) [2021 Remaster] by David Bowie](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music211/v4/5d/88/50/5d885094-c60d-9423-c79d-c2f6df212aad/190295253363.jpg/72x72bb.jpg)
Backpacking Soundtrack 1993~1998
Sean BreslinOne of the best albums ever made.
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Trip Hop
DănuțClothes out with this one.
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My top (Almost 100) Albums of all time.
GwydianHow do you smoke that much and sound that good? It's a mystery. It's the kind of album that gives me nostalgia even though I've only known of its existence for around 2 years. This alternative album feels like a perfect temperature night swim in a pool found on the top of a hotel in the city. You know what I mean? It's ahead of its time and made itself at home in our time. The production holds up, the vocals hold up, it's just a profound necessity.
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Goin' on 30 Summers
Buffy LeighListened, obviously
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Favourite Albums
Jason Lingard90s, Electronica, Trip Hop, Darkwave
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2024-01
vertino1001albums:603
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