Did you miss Trip Hop?

I missed Trip Hop as it was evolving. My friends and I were deeply into the Grunge music of Seattle and the local musicians of Vancouver venues (anyone else remember The Town Pump?).

I worked at a local coffee shop to help get me through university. It was cool actually. It was a coffee kiosk on Granville Street back when no one had done that before. We would wheel a big stainless steel cart out every day, steam up pretty bad coffee, and listen to tunes on a really cheap speaker. One of my coworkers introduced me to Portishead, then Tricky, and I soon found Massive Attack.

So the scene is 4 pm on a cold wet November night, downtown in busy Vancouver. There's Santa across the street blasting carols. The buses drown out most of the music, but what can be heard is the lush downbeats and crooning vocals of Beth Gibbons.

Trip Hop rapidly became the soundtrack to my life. I'd listen while driving, while cooking, while chilling with friends.

I created my Trip Hop Guided Listening Journal because I wanted to dive into it more deeply. I was also able to make a cool Deezer playlist (see QR code in the book).

I don't get into music history with this book. It's purely a listening experience.

Check it out digitally here, or grab a printed copy through Lulu.