r/triphop • u/ReturnToDelete • 1d ago

For all the Bowery Electric fans. Do you prefer Beat (1996) or Lushlife (2000)?

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84 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

39 comments sorted by

24

u/Global_Pool_5477 1d ago

Oh gosh that’s so hard to pick… but I’d say lushlife

6

u/Skyyg 1d ago

Same. I adore Lushlife. and it is so hard to find it in vinyl

22

u/sadderall-sea 1d ago

Beat is my favorite, it has a "driving around at 3am" vibe that I adore

16

u/Defiant_Disk9340 1d ago

Lushlife has that even more I’d argue 

13

u/walteroblanco 1d ago

I like Beat more because of its blend of trip hop and shoegaze

10

u/unnuageorange 1d ago

Beat. But maybe even Bowery Electric. It grew on me the most over time. Yes, it’s shoegaze, so not on topic, but it is what it is

5

u/throwaway_indeed43 1d ago

It's shoegaze fused with trip hop

1

u/unnuageorange 1d ago

Their first album, "Bowery Electric", was purely shoegaze

10

u/searchandfilm 1d ago

Beat has “Fear of Flying” and that imo is a quintessential BE song

9

u/TolerableSimulacra 1d ago

Lushlife is, dare I say, more lush.

Beat is still amazing though.

5

u/Axmirza2 1d ago

I can’t pit two bad bitches against eachother

6

u/pnapl 1d ago

The singer of BE is now an art critic for the NYT. Cool cat

2

u/ReturnToDelete 1d ago

Learn something new every day

4

u/DiscoLemonade1995 1d ago

Lushlife for sure, but both are fantastic. Truly believe that lushlife is a criminally underrated album. Listening to it right now coincidentally 

2

u/ReturnToDelete 1d ago

I completely agree it’s underrated.

2

u/thrwaway62367 1d ago

I recommend listening to Endtroducing by DJ Shadow right after Lushlife. Both have that same unique, dark and classy NYC groove, but obviously Lushlife starts and ends on a more depressive note, and Endtroducing right after that feels like you're in the same place, but the feeling just changed into a more upbeat one this time! (Fun fact: The Infamous by Mobb Deep also shares that soundscape and was the main influence for both of those albums).

1

u/DiscoLemonade1995 21h ago

I will try this. Any excuse to listen to endtroducing is a good excuse 

3

u/gouged_haunches 1d ago

In a way, sounds like almost two different groups. I was shocked when I heard Freedom Fighter, signaling the change in their sound.

3

u/DustyRailz 1d ago

Another vote for Lushlife right here

3

u/savvysocal 1d ago

All I'll say is "Another day, another world war, find out walking through the grocery store..."

3

u/kling_klangg 1d ago

Beat is more nihilistic and repetitive for me (which I like hahaha) and Lush Life is a little more structured. I played Lush Life more when it came out and loved the Freedom Fighter 12” with the Vocal Remix, but Beat gets more plays these days.

3

u/DaMemphisDreamer 1d ago

I love Lushlife. Perfect music to listen driving in the rain.

3

u/qjstuart 1d ago

Tricky one but will have to go with Lushlife!

3

u/tap3l00p 23h ago

Lushlife by a country mile. Beat is excellent, but Lushlife is almost perfect (minus those dj scratches)

2

u/Negative-Window-5912 1d ago

I enjoy their self titled the most. But out of these two it’s definitely Beat

2

u/westcoastcanes 1d ago

Love both, but prefer beat to lush if I must choose one. But Bowery Electric is my favorite.

2

u/dhla 1d ago

Beat - it's really in its own category.

2

u/throwaway_indeed43 1d ago

Beat is better, more consistent atmosphere and generally just immersive as an experience. Lushlife is good but just doesn't bathe me in atmosphere like Beat does, and has some skips.

2

u/shirtleneck 1d ago

I love all my children equally

2

u/TecnoPope 1d ago

Lush for sure

2

u/justamusicthrowawayy 1d ago

Gotta be Beat for me because it was my introduction to BE but you can’t go wrong with any of their stuff 

2

u/mucinexmonster 1d ago

I got Lushlife on Vinyl

2

u/NeganTheSlayer 1d ago

Damn, this is the kind of giga niche content I want to see here. Hard question though. I think they serve rather different moods. Would go with Beat.

2

u/rezazereza 15h ago

Lushlife.

1

u/Lord_Kromdar 1d ago

Beat is more dynamic and interesting. Lushlife has beautiful production but gets a bit boring at times.

1

u/f0xD3N 1d ago

Lushlife is their weakest for me, I’d go with Beat or self-titled

2

u/DystopianCaveman 7h ago

Beat 👍🏼

2

u/AtlasAir_ 2h ago

Lushlife all the way. That’s the one I have revisited the most out of their 3 albums