Scottish folk here John Martyn meets Portishead and trip-hop grooves in his lesser-known ’90s era.

In the mid ’90s, trip-hop was taking the UK music scene by storm led by Bristol groups Massive Attack and Portishead. A few skips away, Scottish folk hero John Martyn was well past his prime, but continued to experiment with new forms. In the previous decade, Martyn had moved away from his early acoustic guitar style into more whole band line-ups featuring fretless bass, drum machines, synthesizers, and other bits of electronics. By the time trip-hop hit the scene, Martyn was primed for another re-invention, and the genre’s malleable downtempo sound, blending hip-hop beats with jazz, dub, and psychedelia, proved to be fertile ground for his next phase.

On the sleeve notes for his And Live album featuring performances from 1996, writer John Hillarby reflects on Martyn’s sonic connection to trip-hop:

“Trip-Hop is music that is slowed down with dub influences and rounded, sometimes indistinct and slurred vocals that fuse seamlessly with the music. Nothing new for John Martyn fans here, John has been singing in this way and using his voice as another instrument for many years. John’s pronunciation is reminiscent of that of an educated palette tasting a fine wine. He doesn’t so much sing the words as caress them and roll them around his mouth before delivering them in his own unique way. A captivating voice of effortless charm, love and sensuality that is also capable of explosive anger, jealousy and hate.”

Martyn would release two trip-hop and downtempo infused albums in the ’90s, And. along with The Church With One Bell, the latter of which featured a gorgeous cover of Portishead’s 1994 hit “Glory Box.”

“If you stick to things for too long you’re in danger of forming a cliche; just disappearing up your own whatever.”

Interestingly but maybe not surprisingly, Martyn was also quite a big fan of hip-hop himself. In an interview featured on his website, he shares:

“I’m really in to hip-hop. I’m mad for 2-Pac. I like Outkast, it’s a real fusion of nonsense. It’s funky stuff. I play hip-hop and John Coltrane.”

Next Tuesday, December 9th, we’ll be presenting “Past, Present, Future” listening session dedicated to downtempo and trip-hop. The session will include classics from Massive Attack, Portishead, DJ Shadow, Smith & Mighty, along with lesser-known projects including tracks from Martyn’s trip-hop era. Tickets are available now and moving fast!

Below, a few more ’90s favorites from John Martyn: