Artist

Massive Attack

1988-present·Bristol

Massive Attack came directly out of the Wild Bunch soundsystem, and its founders, Robert '3D' Del Naja, Grant 'Daddy G' Marshall, Andrew 'Mushroom' Vowles and Adrian 'Tricky' Thaws, carried that crew's magpie instinct for hip-hop, reggae and dub into a working band rather than a DJ collective. Del Naja arrived as a punk with a taste for the Dead Kennedys, Bauhaus and PiL, and that post-punk restlessness never really left the group's method: they've operated less like producers and more like a loose creative unit, pulling in whoever a track needed, whether that meant Shara Nelson's voice, a 50-piece orchestra, or the Jamaican lovers'-rock singer Horace Andy.

The full story is in Bristol Trip Hop.

At a glance

Active
1988–present
From
Bristol, England
Records in the issues
3 (1991–1998), 1 of them a Start here pick
Original labels
Circa Records and Virgin
Listening guide track
“Unfinished Sympathy”

Listen

In the Bristol Trip Hop listening guide: “Unfinished Sympathy”

In the issues

  • Bristol Trip Hop
    Principal · 1983-1998 · Members

    Bristol Trip Hop is a music scene from Bristol, England, 1983–1998. Its principal artists include Massive Attack, Portishead, Tricky and The Wild Bunch. This issue covers 9 essential albums and 11 dated events.

Records

Terms

Acid house
A style of house music characterized by squelching, resonant basslines produced using the Roland TB-303 synthesizer.
Sound system
A mobile setup of turntables, amplifiers, and large speaker stacks used to play recorded music at outdoor parties and dances, especially in Jamaican and Caribbean culture.