One of the few 45s I still own, The Slit’s wonderful cover of “Man Next Door,” a reggae classic associated with both John Holt (who wrote it) and the “Crown Prince of Reggae,” Dennis Brown (who covered it. So Did Massive Attack). This non-album, 1980 production was mixed by Adrian Sherwood, Adam Kidron and the Slits themselves. Produced by Dennis Bovell. [Source]
Hidden Conversations is the follow up to Terry Callier’s Lookin’ Out album. Following his performance at the 2008 Meltdown Festival, curated by Massive Attack – he once again teamed up with the legendary British trio and the result is this album. Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja co-wrote Wings and John Lee Hooker and exclusively wrote Live With Me. The combination of Del Naja’s haunting production and Terry’s beautiful, emotive vocals works beautifully. [Source]
[In memory of Terry Callier who passed away this weekend]
The Wild Bunch was a sound system based in the St Paul’s district of Bristol, England from 1983 to 1986. The group was renowned for playing sets that drew large crowds from the club scene and had performed shows as far away as London. They performed in soundclashes against other Bristol sound systems. The Wild Bunch’s sound incorporated a wide and disparate variety of musical styles – an unusual thing at the time. Their shows included elements of punk, R&B and reggae, with a focus on slower rhythms and ambient electronic atmospheres that would become a cornerstone of the Bristol sound, more popularly known as trip-hop. They were a key member of what became the Bristol underground scene.
The Wild Bunch is perhaps best known for having been the first group of several notable British DJs and performers:
The first Wild Bunch record was a cover of Burt Bacharach & Hal David’s ‘The Look of Love’, featuring Shara Nelson on vocals, and released in 1985.
[via Massive Attack - In memory of Hal David]
“Rabbit in Your Headlights” is a song by British electronic duo UNKLE. It was released as the lead single from their debut album Psyence Fiction (1998). The song features vocals from British musician and Radiohead member Thom Yorke. The song was written by Yorke and UNKLE member Josh Davis and produced by UNKLE, the track heavily utilizes samples from other songs. The track takes its title from a quote from the 1990 thriller film Jacob’s Ladder; dialogue from the film is also one of many samples on the song. Musically, “Rabbit in Your Headlights” combines Yorke’s moody vocals and an instrumental containing a variety of samples from sources ranging from Dutch band Supersister to the 1997 film Contact. While the single was not a commercial success, the song was positively received by critics. The song’s accompanying music video, directed by Jonathan Glazer and starring actor Denis Lavant, was widely acclaimed for its direction and cinematography, and won numerous awards.
“Teardrop” is a song by Massive Attack, which was first released on their 1998 album Mezzanine. It was released as a single on 27 April 1998. The song became another UK hit for the group, peaking at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The song features vocals by Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins. The song is also known for its use in numerous tv programs and movies, notably as the theme song, on American TV, of the medical television series House. The instrumental portions of the song at the beginning and the end which feature a bass drum beat reminiscent of a heartbeat are used in the opening theme.
The subject of prolonged rumour and intense speculation, Inhale Gold and The Vinyl Factory are proud to present Massive Attack’s long awaited collaboration with Burial, Four Walls / Paradise Circus. These new Burial mixes of previously unreleased Massive Attack track ‘Four Walls’ and Heligoland favourite ‘Paradise Circus’ are available exclusively as limited vinyl edition of only 1000 copies worldwide. Pressed on heavyweight 180g 12” vinyl housed in a stunning, hand numbered, gold glitter screen-printed sleeve designed by Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja (3D), this edition has been crafted by The Vinyl Factory, and is sure to become a highly coveted collectors item. As you’d expect from these two acts these are no ordinary remixes and Burial has completely rebuilt both tracks in his own unique style providing a masterclass in production. At around 12 minutes each, both ‘Four Walls’ and ‘Paradise Circus’ have been given the time and space to evolve and develop going way beyond the scope of normal remixes, with the end result two highly original, in every sense of the word, pieces of music. [Source]
B-side (“Paradise Circus”):
[via Stella Polaris]
The track is also known for its relatively simple video, directed by Baillie Walsh, which simply consists of one continuous shot of Nelson walking along a sidewalk, detached from her rather dark surroundings, as the members of Massive Attack gradually start walking behind her. The influence of the video can been seen in later music videos by other artists, most notably on The Verve’s 1998 video for their track “Bitter Sweet Symphony”.
[via Jesper Frydenlund]
Trentemoller’s remix of Unkle’s “The Answer” is perfect for a rainy day, where everything else is sad and boring. [Source]
[via Anders Trentemøller]
[via Sam Brox]
