9. PortisheadDummy

Electronic music was seeping into my evolving music library. I already adored Kraftwerk and regarded The Man-Machine as 36 minutes of synth pop perfection. I remember hearing this strange, robotic music when I was a young child, not knowing what to think. By my late teenage years and into my early 20s, everyone I knew was going out dancing to electronic music. After meeting a group of what one of our mothers called ‘heathens’ at university, we started listening and dancing to EDM throughout the 90s at illegal, secret parties, in warehouse-style venues and super clubs. This is the record we would put on when we returned in the early hours, to soothe ourselves to bed. Beth Gibbons was the defining voice of that era, and ‘Glory Box’ was the ultimate DJ set closer. We saw them play on the acoustic stage at Glastonbury in 1995. It was my first time at the festival, and it proved to be a defining moment in my youth.  

There is a wonderful film of Portishead performing songs from Dummy in 1997, with a 30-piece orchestra, at the Roseland Ballroom in New York. Beth doesn’t need to do anything on stage – her voice is enough. I’m still listening to this album; in fact, I only had the CD until recently, when I spotted the vinyl at my local record shop and bought it. I proudly bought Lola a CD copy that she presented to me with great excitement when we were out record shopping last weekend. I love that all three of my children adore this album, too.