Paradise Ritual

Massive Attack have re- circled into my musical orbit recently. 3D (Robert del Naja) turned sixty this week, as marked by Khayem at Dubhed, their music appeared on the TV the other night while watching the U.S.'s dystopian future become its present, and some friends saw them play live at the end of November (an experience described variously as 'dour as fuck', 'sensory overload' and 'amazing but a bit heavy in places'). When I go to Massive Attack I tend to reach for Blue Lines, Protection and No Protection but recently I've been revisiting some of the later parts of their back catalogue.

In 2010 Massive Attack released Heligoland, their fifth album, an album that saw the return of Daddy G to the band and a slew of guest vocalists and musicians- Damon Albarn, the almost ever present Horace Andy, Martina Topley- Bird, Guy Garvey, TV On The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe and Hope Sandoval. Hope sang on a song called Paradise Circus, one of the albums highlights, Hope's voice a sliver of light in Massive Attack's darkness. Not that the lyrics are remotely light- Paradise Circus is a song about sin and the devil. The shuffly trip hop drums and all pervading gloom are very slightly side lit by a piano and cinematic guitar line. 

Paradise Circus

There was a follow remix package of remixes, extra tracks on the digital release with a very smart Gui Boratto remix of Paradise Circus, skippy beats, growly bass, guitars, strings and Hope's vocal.

Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto Remix)

Massive Attack waited six years before following Heligoland. In 2016 they put out a four track EP, Ritual Spirit, this time getting Tricky back on board along with Young Fathers, Roots Manuva and singer Azekel. The four tracks, out on 12" and all done and dusted in seventeen minutes, had them back at the peak of their 21st century powers. On the title track Azekel provides a gorgeous upper register vocal singing words that sound almost Shakespearean- 'Who'll mend this broke beat star? Whose strength do I speak of?'. The drums and strings simmer with the usual menace and disquiet. 

Ritual Spirit 

I still think of 2016 as being fairly recent but it turns out its nine years ago. 

Thirty Seven Minutes Of Massive Attack

This week's Sunday half hour mix comes from Bristol courtesy of Massive Attack. It's difficult now to remember exactly the impact Massive Attack had back in 1991 when Blue Lines was released, instantly switching on the heads of people to the reggae/ dub/ hip hop (soon to be trip hop) sound. Ravers, house heads, indie kids, almost everyone, was suddenly listening to something else. They went on to make some stunning songs and records after that but maybe with slightly less of 'the shock of the new' that they had in spring '91 (a time when they also dropped the word Attack from their name due to the bombing of Iraq by the US led coalition). Protection and Mezzanine both had outstanding songs and moments (plus the various remixes and versions, not least Mad Professor's dub of the whole Protection album). After that my interest came and went and I've dipped in and out (dipping back in for the remixes from Heligoland and 2016's Ritual Spirit EP. 

The thirty seven minute mix below tries to avoid the obvious mixes even if it goes for some of the big hitter songs and has a dub vein running through it, ideal for making your Sunday breakfast too. I realised putting it together that it could be three times the length without any drop off in terms of quality. It takes in vocals from Horace Andy, Tracey Thorn, Liz Fraser and Hope Sandoval, remixes by Brian Eno, Mad Professor, Larry Heard and Gui Boratto and has the combined talents of Smith And Mighty, Johnny Dollar and Nellee Hooper at the producer's desk. 

Thirty Seven Minutes Of Massive Attack

• Hymn Of The Big Wheel (Nellee Hooper Mix)
• Protection (The Eno Mix)
• Safe From Harm (Instrumental Original Mix)
• Teardrop (Mad Professor Mazaruni Mix)
• Any Love (Larry Heard Remix)
• Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto Remix)

Headaches

Kompakt's Total 14 compilation is a really good round up of the label's current talent, a double disc set with lots of things new to me that jump out sounding great.

Gui Boratto's Take Control came out in June and is almost too much, like overdoing it on chocolate. Lovely beats and synth sounds, with some guitars borrowed from New Order, featuring Come and Hell.

Take Control

I'm really enjoying this one too, by Terranova. Lots of Kompakt artists have very anonymous, generic, forgettable names. Over a very cool house track ex-Stereo MC singer Cath Coffey vents about headaches- hangover headaches, personal headaches, political headaches, all sorts of headaches. New genre- paranoia house.