The Publics

Years ago, possibly even decades, there existed a loosely defined genre of music that was marketed under the blanket term “Trip-Hop”, which encapsulated a sound notorious for its lo-fi extrapolation of dark, ambiguous jazz samples and tight sets of compressed drum beats. Trip-Hop was short lived and strictly Trans-Atlantic, with the majority of artists coming from NYC, Bristol and London. The architects of the sound were mostly downtempo outfits like Massive Attack and Portishead, but American stand-outs like the afro-futurist acid-rap duo Dr. Octagon (Kool Keith & Dan The Automator) also made a definitive contribution.

After a decade-long hiatus, Portishead released their aptly titled “Third” album back in April to an elated, critically-lauded reception. A trip-hop revival is still a distant reality, but if your memories of a bygone era of pre-apocalyptic mushroom-chomping heroics are still in tact, flush the coke-disco down the toilet and vibe out to these paranoid rec-room bangers.

Dr.Octagon: 3000