Trip hop song with male vocalist stuck in my head
October 2, 2012 9:36 PM   Subscribe

Downtempo/Trip Hop/Chillout song stuck in my head in a huge way. It's something I've heard dozens of times before but now, of course, I can't identify it. It's got a male vocalist, possibly British-sounding. The song is somewhat popular - it may be on a bunch of compilations and chillout/downtempo internet radio stations.

3/4 of the way through it, there's a 'break' with a sweeping low-pass to high-pass filter. For a downtempo song, it gets pretty intense.

I've searched a bunch of top lists on iTunes and rdio but can't find this song. It's killing me!
posted by neilkod to Media & Arts (28 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Any lyrics?
posted by ocherdraco at 9:37 PM on October 2, 2012


Response by poster: None that i can remember...I tried humming a few bars into soundhound but no dice :/
posted by neilkod at 9:39 PM on October 2, 2012


Response by poster: I know I'm not making things easy but lets hear some suggestions. I don't think it's Air, Massive Attack, UNKLE because I've been combing their catalogs for two days. And male trip hop vocals are somewhat hard to come by.
posted by neilkod at 9:42 PM on October 2, 2012


So what do you know about it? Male vocalist, possibly british, downtempo or something, break with a sweeping filter.

That's not very much to go on. Can you hum some of it for us?
posted by aubilenon at 9:48 PM on October 2, 2012


When's it from? is it current?
posted by aubilenon at 9:48 PM on October 2, 2012


Response by poster: @aubilenon I think it's been out for a few years. Sorry I don't have more to go with but I think this is a landmark Trip Hop song given by the number of plays it gets on Groove Salad and other internet stations.
posted by neilkod at 9:51 PM on October 2, 2012


How about the tone? Warm? Dark? Smoky? Trancy? Melodic? Crunchy?

The term "trip-hop" got pretty overused when trip hop was big. I guess I'll just try to think of things like Air, Massive Attack, and UNKLE.

It's actual lyrics and not samples, right? Sung, rather than rapped?
posted by aubilenon at 10:04 PM on October 2, 2012


Something by Tricky? Maybe "Hell is Around the Corner"? It was on the Maxinquaye album, but it also received significant airplay because of the Transporter 3 soundtrack.

Some of the beats/samples are VERY similar to Portishead (without Beth Gibbons' vocals, of course), so you might have heard some of the samples from there, as well.

"Hell is Around the Corner" has a female chorus, but the majority of the vocals are Tricky. It might not be your song, but it might be a good place to start. (The album).
posted by Master Gunner at 10:04 PM on October 2, 2012


Response by poster: @aubilenon the lyrics are sung, definitely not rapped. It's melodic and maybe a little melancholy but not too much.

@MasterGunner definitely not Tricky/MA. Not as dark as Tricky's music either.
posted by neilkod at 10:16 PM on October 2, 2012


Ah... then perhaps Sneaker Pimps post-Kelli Dayton.

After "Becoming X", they didn't make too big a splash, but some of their tracks from Bloodsport got decent airplay.
posted by Master Gunner at 10:20 PM on October 2, 2012


It may not be what you're looking for, but this search has gotten me listening to the K&D Sessions again. Man those are great.
posted by aubilenon at 10:22 PM on October 2, 2012


Response by poster: @MasterGunner nope, not post-Kelli Sneaker Pimps. Ironically, though, is that 6 underground came on after this song finished playing yesterday. I didn't have my phone with me otherwise I would have Shazam'd it :/
posted by neilkod at 10:27 PM on October 2, 2012


GusGus?
posted by aubilenon at 10:35 PM on October 2, 2012


Moby maybe? That song from The Beach has been everywhere for years.
posted by mannequito at 10:41 PM on October 2, 2012


God I love Porcelain (that Mannequito linked) but if that's it "maybe a little melancholy" would have been a pretty enormous understatement.
posted by aubilenon at 10:44 PM on October 2, 2012


Something from The Crystal Method?
posted by maggieb at 11:35 PM on October 2, 2012


Warm Sound by Zero 7?
posted by mykescipark at 11:53 PM on October 2, 2012


something by Air?
posted by aloiv2 at 12:20 AM on October 3, 2012


Infinity by The XX?
posted by cardamon at 12:48 AM on October 3, 2012


Something by Röyksopp - maybe Circuit Breaker?
posted by protorp at 1:54 AM on October 3, 2012


Could it be Faithless - Insomnia? (I can't get no sleep...)
posted by zer0render at 2:08 AM on October 3, 2012


Don't know how famous or popular it is, but the first track that came to mind from that description was Telefon Tel Aviv - At the Edge of the World You Will Still Float.
posted by anthom at 5:11 AM on October 3, 2012


It's not James Blake, I Never Learnt To Share is it?
posted by punilux at 5:22 AM on October 3, 2012


Butterfingers?
posted by empath at 7:32 AM on October 3, 2012


Seconding Aubilenon: Gus Gus sounds like a possibility. Polydistortion was an amazing album.

Polyesterday

Believe

Gun

or maybe a DJ Shadow track? Or David Holmes?

How long ago do you first recall hearing it?
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:46 AM on October 3, 2012


Groove Salad's playlists and charts
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:51 AM on October 3, 2012


Bush, "letting the cables sleep" from Cafe del Mar 7?
posted by msali at 8:29 PM on October 3, 2012


I was wondering if it could be something by Thievery Corporation, Talvin Singh, Groove Armada, or Deadmau5, but I don't have any song suggestions, mainly because I don't know what low-pass/high-pass filter means, sorry.
posted by désoeuvrée at 12:17 AM on October 4, 2012


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