Go! Beat Records (1994)
Bristol has always had a rich musical heritage, with the early nineties representing a city at its creative peak. Bristol’s musical identity stemmed from its multiculturism, embracing musical diversity and experimentation during an era of collaboration, where cultures and musical genres collided to create interesting, engaging music. Massive Attack were the first group from the sound system period in Bristol to attain national acclaim, along with their longtime collaborator Tricky. Their 1991 record Blue Lines transcended boundaries, a sleek, intricate, and profoundly urban record.
1991 also saw the tentative beginnings of Portishead, a chance meeting between producer and DJ Geoff Barrow and vocalist Beth Gibbons at an Enterprise Allowance course. While recording at Coach House Studios in Bristol, they met musician Roger Utley, who had previously played guitar in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Utley brought a huge array of vintage instruments and studio equipment while Barrow, a hip-hop fanatic, taught Utley sampling. Gibbon’s brought a stunning voice, dripping with emotion and vulnerability. The result was 1994’s Dummy.
Dummy is simply a masterpiece, a smoky, claustrophobic album that is paradoxically brooding and soothing, with a beautiful yet haunting languid intensity. It’s edgy and dangerous, full of seductive grooves, with an unyielding intimacy throughout, Gibbon’s voice sucking you in. The album was preceded by To Kill a Dead Man, a ten-minute short spy film made by the band that revolves around an assassination. The record is appropriately cinematic; its atmosphere is very Film noir, with tracks that sound like they belong in dark alleyways and on late-night stake outs.
Musically, Dummy doesn’t miss a note, creating a unique sound that generates a moody, foggy atmosphere. Barrow’s expertise is evident; the album’s production uses numerous hip-hop techniques, such as sampling, scratching, and loop-making, the whole record dripping with a gorgeous, vintage crackle. The records use of sampling is cleverly sparse, allowing space for Utley’s skills as a musician to shine through. The instrumentation is fantastic throughout, matched by Gibbon’s supreme voice, with a vocal range that can cause you chills or uplift you in the space of an octave, effortlessly able to convey emotion as she explores themes of loneliness and heartbreak.
Gibbon’s vocals are matched by her poetic lyrics, singing, “Divine upper reaches/Still holding on/This illusion/Will not be grasped” on ‘Mysterons’. ‘Mysterons’ is a gripping opener, with its crackly rhythms and the ominous, haunting sound created by Utley’s theremin before the tremolo-laden guitars flood in after the chorus; it’s a song shrouded in suspense. ‘Sour Times’ sees Gibbons ratchet up the emotional intensity, singing “Cause nobody loves me, it’s true” with a desperate desolation. The song is beautifully arranged, with the melancholic sound of the Hammond organ floating in and out, while the track features a wonderful sample from Argentina composer Lalo Schifrin’s ‘Danube Incident’.
‘Strangers’ sounds like a late-night drive, the pounding kick drums giving it the feel of a chase, Gibbon’s voice huskier, the beep sound throughout, sampled from Eddie Harris’s ‘Wait Please’, giving the song a dangerous edge. ‘It Could be Sweet’ is similarly ominous; with its bass-heavy beats, it’s the record’s most stripped-back affair, Gibbon’s singing “Cause I don’t wanna lose what we had last time”, her voice perfectly encapsulating her vulnerability, as she strains to hold on. ‘Wandering Star’ is a bleak, edgy affair, Gibbon’s dragging you into this abyss of grief; “The blackness, the darkness, forever”. The track features Barrow scratching the start of War’s “Magic Mountain”, another example of the record’s innovative use of sampling.
‘It’s A Fire’ has a mournful quality from the cinematic string opening to the gently drifting Hammond organ, the looped drums giving it a funeral march feel, heightened by Gibbon’s singing, “So breathe on, sister, breathe on”. ‘Numb’, the album’s first single, is driven by moody, spaced-out beats, with the quiet shimmer of the snare in the background; it has a dense, claustrophobic sound, echoing the loneliness Gibbons sings about. ‘Roads’ is another song about loneliness, a sorrowful affair, Gibbons fighting her inner demons, searching the endless roads for inner peace. ‘Pedestal’ is a sultry affair, the trumpet solo giving it a dark, romantic energy, Gibbon’s voice at its huskiest.
The album finishes powerfully, starting with the smoky, reverb-filled ‘Biscuit’. The track features a sample of Johnnie Ray’s 50’s bubblegum pop effort ‘I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’, which slowed down, brings an eerie, disturbing feel to the track. ‘Glory Box’ provides the stunning conclusion the record deserves; the intro unfurls beautifully before Gibbon’s almost bluesy vocals drift in. The track samples Isaac Hayes ‘Ike’s Rap’, but dials it up, taking it from soothing to sultry. It’s an entrancing track, an intimate, seductive affair, a slow dance for departing lovers. Gibbons effortlessly shifts the track from tender to intense in the space of a note. The track also features a majestic guitar solo which, combined with the track’s perpetual crackle, brings a dark, romantic quality.
Dummy provided an excellent alternative to the Britpop mania flooding Britain in 1994. It’s a record that lingers with you, refusing to let go, an astoundingly crafted album, desolate and downbeat but with a captivating beauty.