Portishead

Winner of Great Britain's Mercury Music Prize (1995), Portishead samples hip hop rhymes with dark undertones, while also adding a layer of Beth Gibbons' desperate voice. Portishead's debut Dummy (1994) was named album of the year by Melody Maker, Mixmag, and The Face, thanks largely to the hit single “Sour Times (Nobody Loves Me)”. In 1997 the band released its second album, the self-titled Portishead. Current band members include: Geoff Barrow, mixer; Beth Gibbons, lead vocals; Dave McDonald, engineer-percussionist; Adrian Utley, jazz guitarist.