Following up Grunge vs Britpop, lets have another clash of the 90s fads, keeping the same format...

1) Which sounds less dated?
2) Which genre had more excellent albums?
3) And of the acts still ploughing their furrow and eking out a career, which are generally better?

1. Trip-hop is probably the one that's been most obviously hauled out of the past and given a re-spray. Maybe that means the stuff from the first time around sounds more dated in comparison? Big Beat was probably more maligned at the time, but it was often kinda knowingly cheesy fun and throwaway, but having said that, breakbeaty stuff can have a kinda timeless quality.

2. Don't make me choose between my babies. (Defo more favourite albums for me from amongst this crop than the Grunge vs Britpop collection.)

3. People still properly dig Portishead innit. Massive Attack, too, yeah? Sadly, Death in Vegas kinda soiled a beloved pas with their last album. Tricky still has moments worth listening to. Gonna take a bit of a liberty and put Prodigy in the Big Beat camp - they're still very much a going concern, right? Kinda lost the thread of what the Chemical Brothers have ended up doing. Lots of Big beat folk seem to pop up from time to time in other guises and roles (like the Bentley Rhythm Ace guys etc). David Holmes is coining it in via Holywood. DJ Shadow is really great live - catch him if you can.