Massive Attack are an English
trip hop
Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tem ...
collective formed in 1988 in
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...
by
Robert "3D" Del Naja
Robert Del Naja (; born 21 January 1965), also known as 3D, is a British artist, musician, singer and songwriter. He emerged as a graffiti artist and member of the Bristol collective the Wild Bunch, and later as a founding member and sole con ...
,
Adrian "Tricky" Thaws,
Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and
Grant "Daddy G" Marshall.
The debut Massive Attack album ''
Blue Lines'' was released in 1991, with the single "
Unfinished Sympathy
"Unfinished Sympathy" is a 1991 song by the English trip hop group Massive Attack, released under the temporary group name Massive. It was written by the three band members Robert "3D" Del Naja, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Mars ...
" reaching the charts and later being voted the 63rd greatest song of all time in a poll by ''
NME''. 1998's ''
Mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft with non-sloped ...
'' (containing the top 10 single "
Teardrop") and 2003's ''
100th Window
''100th Window'' is the fourth studio album by English electronic music group Massive Attack, released on 10 February 2003 by Virgin Records. The album was mainly produced by lead member Robert Del Naja, as the group's producer Andrew Vowles d ...
'' charted in the UK at number one. Both ''Blue Lines'' and ''Mezzanine'' feature in ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
''s list of the
500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
The group has won numerous music awards throughout their career, including a
Brit Award—winning Best British Dance Act, two
MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an a ...
, and two
Q Awards
The Q Awards were the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine '' Q''. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards became one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards. Locations for the awards ceremony included Abbey Road Studios ...
. They have released five studio albums that have sold over 13 million copies worldwide.
Throughout their history, Massive Attack have been supporters and activists for political, human rights and
environmental
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scal ...
causes.
History
Deejays Daddy G, Andrew Vowles, musician and rapper Tricky, and
graffiti
Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
artist-turned-
rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
Robert Del Naja met as members of partying collective
the Wild Bunch
''The Wild Bunch'' is a 1969 American epic Revisionist Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, Edmond O'Brien, Ben Johnson and Warren Oates. The plot concerns an aging outlaw ga ...
. One of the first homegrown
soundsystems in the UK, the Wild Bunch became dominant on the Bristol club scene in the mid-1980s.
Massive Attack started as a spin-off production quartet in 1988, with the
independently released song, "Any Love", sung by
falsetto
''Falsetto'' (, ; Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave.
It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentou ...
-voiced singer-songwriter
Carlton McCarthy, and then they signed to Circa Records in 1990—committing to deliver six studio albums and a "best of"
compilation. Circa became a subsidiary of, and was later subsumed into,
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a world ...
, which in turn was acquired by
EMI.
''Blue Lines'' (1991), was co-produced by
Jonny Dollar and
Cameron McVey
Cameron Andrew McVey (born 11 March 1957) is an English singer, songwriter and music producer. He worked with the bands Massive Attack, Portishead, All Saints, Sugababes/Mutya Keisha Siobhan and his wife Neneh Cherry. He is the father of ...
, McVey also became their first manager.
McVey (credited at the time as 'Booga Bear') and his wife,
Neneh Cherry
Neneh Mariann Karlsson (born 10 March 1964), better known as Neneh Cherry, is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, occasional DJ and broadcaster. Her musical career started in London in the early 1980s, where she performed in a number of punk an ...
, provided crucial financial support and in-kind assistance to the early careers of Massive Attack,
Portishead, and
Tricky during this period, even paying regular wages to them through their Cherry Bear organisation. Massive Attack used guest vocalists, interspersed with their own ''
sprechgesang
(, "spoken singing") and (, "spoken voice") are expressionist vocal techniques between singing and speaking. Though sometimes used interchangeably, ''Sprechgesang'' is directly related to the operatic ''recitative'' manner of singing (in which p ...
'' stylings, on top of what became regarded as an essentially British creative sampling production; a trademark sound that fused down-tempo
hip hop,
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...
,
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
and other eclectic references, musical and lyrical.
[
In the 1990s, the members worked increasingly separately. Adrian "Tricky" Thaws left Massive Attack in 1995 and Andrew Vowles (Mushroom) left Massive Attack in late 1999. Despite having taken Del Naja's side and participating in a webcast as a duo the following year, Grant Marshall (Daddy G) took a personal break in 2001. Marshall rejoined the band for their following tour in 2003 and 2004,] and returned to a studio role in 2005, and also Thaws rejoined Massive Attack in early 2016.
''Any Love'' beginnings
Unsigned, Mushroom (Andy Vowles), Daddy G (Grant Marshall), 3D (Robert Del Naja) and Tricky (Adrian Thaws) put out "Any Love" as a single, co-produced by Bristol double-act Smith & Mighty
Smith & Mighty are an English trip hop group from Bristol, England, consisting of Rob Smith and Ray Mighty. Their first releases, in the late 1980s, were breakbeat covers of " Anyone Who Had a Heart" and " Walk On By". Both songs entered the U ...
.
''Blue Lines'' and "Unfinished Sympathy"
3D co-wrote Neneh Cherry's "Manchild", which peaked at number 5 in the UK single chart. Cameron McVey and Neneh Cherry helped them to record their first LP, ''Blue Lines'', partly in their house, and the album was released in 1991 on Virgin Records.
The album used vocalists including Horace Andy
Horace Andy (born Horace Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", as well as "Angel", "Spying Glass" and "Five Man Army" with English tr ...
and Shara Nelson
Shara Nelson (born 1965) is an English singer and songwriter. She worked with Massive Attack in the early 1990s, and as a solo artist had five UK top 40 hit singles. Her 1993 debut album, '' What Silence Knows'', was shortlisted for the Mercur ...
, a former Wild Bunch cohort. MC's Tricky and Willie Wee, also once part of the Wild Bunch, featured, as well as Daddy G's voice on "Five Man Army". Neneh Cherry sang backing vocals on environmentalist anthem, "Hymn of the Big Wheel".
That year they released "Unfinished Sympathy
"Unfinished Sympathy" is a 1991 song by the English trip hop group Massive Attack, released under the temporary group name Massive. It was written by the three band members Robert "3D" Del Naja, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Mars ...
" as a single, a string-arranged track at Abbey Road
''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It is the last album the group started recording, although '' Let It Be'' was the last album completed before the band's break-up in April 1970. It was mostly ...
studio, scored by Will Malone
Wil Malone (born 1952, in Hornsey, North London) is a British music producer and arranger, who has worked with artists including Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Todd Rundgren, The Verve, Massive Attack, Depeche Mode and Italian rocker Gianna Nann ...
, that went on to be voted the 10th greatest song of all time in a poll by ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
''.
The group temporarily shortened their name to "Massive" on the advice of McVey to avoid controversy relating to the Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
. They returned to being "Massive Attack" for their next single, "Safe from Harm
''Safe from Harm'' the second album from Dusted, was released in 2005. It was a reworking of the outfit's 2001 debut, and was accompanied by an 80-page, illustrated hardcover book with the same name.
Track listing
#"In the Beginning" – 4:06
# ...
".
''Protection'' and Melankolic
After Shara Nelson left, the band brought in Everything but the Girl's Tracey Thorn and Nicolette as vocalists and released "Protection" on 26 September 1994.
With McVey out of the picture, Massive Attack enlisted the production talents of former Wild Bunch Nellee Hooper
Nellee Hooper (born Paul Andrew Hooper on 15 March 1963) is a British record producer, remixer and songwriter known for his work with many major recording artists beginning in the late 1980s. He also debuted as a motion picture music composer w ...
to co-produce some songs on it, with Mushroom. Other tracks were co-produced by the Insects and 3D. A dub version, '' No Protection'', was released the following year by Mad Professor. ''Protection'' won a Brit award for Best Dance Act. The other collaborators on ''Protection'' were Marius de Vries
Marius de Vries (born 1961) is an English music producer and composer. He has won a Grammy Award from four nominations, two BAFTA Awards, and an Ivor Novello Award.
Education
Marius de Vries was educated at St Paul's Cathedral School, Bedfor ...
, Craig Armstrong, a Scottish classical pianist, and Tricky. Tricky's solo career was taking off at this time and he decided not to collaborate with Massive Attack after this.
1994/1995 was also the period of Portishead's '' Dummy'' and Tricky's ''Maxinquaye
''Maxinquaye'' is the debut album by English rapper and producer Tricky, released on 20 February 1995 by 4th & B'way Records, a subsidiary of Island Records. In the years leading up to the album, Tricky had grown frustrated with his limited rol ...
'' albums and the term "trip hop" was coined. The media started to refer to the "Bristol scene".
In 1995, Massive Attack started a label distributed by Virgin/EMI, Melankolic, and signed Craig Armstrong and a number of other artists such as Horace Andy, Alpha
Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἄλφα, ''álpha'', or ell, άλφα, álfa) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter aleph , whi ...
, Sunna, and Day One Day One may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Day One'' (1989 film), a 1989 television film
* ''Day One'', also known as ''To Write Love on Her Arms'', a 2012 drama film
* ''Day One'' (2015 film), a 2015 short film
* ''Day One'' (TV series), a ...
. The group espoused a non-interference philosophy that allowed the artists to make their albums in the way they wanted.
The same year the Insects became unavailable for co-production and having parted ways with Nellee Hooper, the band were introduced to Neil Davidge, a relatively unknown producer whose main claim to fame thus far had been an association with anonymous dance-pop outfit DNA. The first track they worked on was "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game", a cover version sung by Tracey Thorn for the ''Batman Forever'' soundtrack. Initially, Davidge was brought in as engineer, but soon became producer.
The group increasingly fractured in the lead-up to the third album, Davidge having to co-produce the three producers' ideas separately. Mushroom was reported to be unhappy with the degree of the post-punk direction in which Del Naja, increasingly filling the production vacuum, was taking the band.
In 1997, the group contributed to the film soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
of '' The Jackal'', recording "Superpredators (Metal Postcard)", a song containing a sample of Siouxsie and the Banshees
Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine ...
' "Mittageisen
"Mittageisen" is a song by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It originally appeared on the band's 1978 debut album ''The Scream'' as "Metal Postcard (Mittageisen)"; the track was re-recorded in 1979, this time with the lyrics sung in ...
" and "Dissolved Girl", a new song with vocals by Sarah Jay (that was later remixed for the next album), which was featured at the beginning of the 1999 film ''The Matrix
''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...
'', although it was not on the official soundtrack.
Later that year they released a single, " Risingson", from what would be their third album, ''Mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft with non-sloped ...
''.
''Mezzanine'', "Teardrop", Vowles's departure and Marshall's absence
In 1997, Del Naja became the band's main producer in the recording sessions that made ''Mezzanine'', Massive Attack's most commercially successful album, selling nearly four million copies. It featured Neil Davidge as a sound engineer and co-producer, and Horace Andy
Horace Andy (born Horace Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", as well as "Angel", "Spying Glass" and "Five Man Army" with English tr ...
and Elizabeth Fraser
Elizabeth Davidson Fraser (born 29 August 1963), is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician. Hailing from Grangemouth, Scotland, she is best known as the vocalist for the pioneering dream pop band Cocteau Twins who achieved international s ...
as the main guest vocalists. During recording, Angelo Bruschini
Angelo Bruschini is a guitarist from Bristol who has been a member of The Numbers, Rimshots, The Blue Aeroplanes, and currently with Massive Attack. He produced Strangelove's eponymous album in 1997. He also played guitar for Jane Taylor's aw ...
became their permanent lead guitarist both in the studio and live.
The lead single, after "Risingson", was " Teardrop", sung by Elizabeth Fraser
Elizabeth Davidson Fraser (born 29 August 1963), is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician. Hailing from Grangemouth, Scotland, she is best known as the vocalist for the pioneering dream pop band Cocteau Twins who achieved international s ...
of Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins was a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instr ...
. The song was accompanied by a video directed by Walter Stern, of an animatronic
Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions.
It is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy a ...
singing fetus. Horace Andy sang on three songs, including "Angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles ...
". A track the band made for the film '' The Jackal,'' "Dissolved Girl", sung by Sarah Jay, was remixed for inclusion on the record.
''Mezzanine'' went on to win a Q Award for Best Album as well as being nominated for a Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the ...
.
Touring extensively, friction between Mushroom and the others came to a head. Mushroom was unhappy with the direction of the group and having to appear on tour.
Around this time, Del Naja, with Davidge decamped into Ridge Farm studio with friends and band members of Lupine Howl
Lupine Howl were a rock band formed in Bristol, England in 1999, by Sean Cook (vocalist, bassist), Mike Mooney (guitarist) and Damon Reece (drummer). The three had been dismissed from their respective roles in Spiritualized by that band's frontm ...
(made up of former members of the band Spiritualized
Spiritualized (stylised as Spiritualized®) are an English rock band formed in 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Jason Pierce (often known as J. Spaceman), formerly of Spacemen 3. After several line up-changes, in 1999, the band centered on Pi ...
, including Damon Reece, who went on to be Massive Attack's permanent drummer and one of two live drummers) towards a fourth Massive Attack LP, taking things even further into a rock direction.
2001 also saw the release of ''Eleven Promos,'' a DVD of all Massive Attack's 11 music videos thus far, including "Angel", a £100,000+ promo.
''100th Window'', Marshall's return and ''Collected''
With Daddy G temporarily no longer involved in the studio, Davidge and Del Naja steered "LP4" on their own. Enlisting the vocals of Sinéad O'Connor
Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, '' The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want Wha ...
and Horace Andy, ''100th Window'' was mastered in August 2002 and released in February 2003.
Featuring no samples or cover versions, ''100th Window'' was not as critically well received in Britain as the other records, although the album received a warmer reception internationally, scoring a 75 out of 100 on review aggregation site Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
.
The group collaborated with Mos Def
Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...
on the track "I Against I", which appeared on the "Special Cases" single and the soundtrack for ''Blade II
''Blade II'' is a 2002 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Blade, directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by David S. Goyer. A sequel to '' Blade'' (1998), it is the second installment in the ''Blade'' franchise, f ...
.'' "I Against I" is also notable as the only track from the ''100th Window'' sessions that features a writing credit from Daddy G.
Also in 2003, Del Naja was arrested on child porn allegations, which were reported widely in the media. Del Naja was soon eliminated as a suspect (although he was charged with ecstasy possession and unable to get a U.S. visa for a while) with Daddy G and fans proffering their support. The arrest affected the beginning of the ''100th Window'' tour schedule.
''100th Window'' sold over a million copies and was toured extensively (including Queen Square, Bristol—a one-off sell out concert set up in the city centre park, which was seen as a homecoming).
Afterwards, Del Naja and Davidge agreed to an offer from director Louis Leterrier, to score the entire soundtrack for '' Danny the Dog,'' starring Jet Li
Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, martial artist, and retired Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singaporean citizen.
After three years ...
. Dot Allison, who had sung with the band on the ''100th Window'' tour, sang the end titles track, "Aftersun". Del Naja and Davidge also scored the soundtrack for the ''Bullet Boy
''Bullet Boy'' is a 2004 British crime drama film directed by Saul Dibb, written by Saul Dibb and Catherine Johnson, and stars Ashley Walters. The film's original music was composed and performed by Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack, who rel ...
'' film, with Del Naja on the end titles' vocals.
In 2005, Daddy G started coming into the studio, although little came of the material. He decided to instead work with a production duo, Robot Club, in another studio, feeling that he would be more free to develop tracks in the way he wanted. Meanwhile, Del Naja and Davidge recorded with a number of different singers as well as creating a track named "Twilight", for UNKLE's '' War Stories'' album. Later that year, Massive Attack decided to release their contractually obliged compilation album '' Collected'' in 2006. They released it with a second disc, made up of previously released non-album songs and unreleased sketches.[
]
"Weather Underground" / ''Heligoland'' era
In 2007, Del Naja and Davidge scored three soundtracks, ''In Prison My Whole Life'' (which featured a track called "Calling Mumia" with vocals by American rapper Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
), ''Battle in Seattle
''Battle in Seattle'' is a 2007 political action-thriller film written and directed by Stuart Townsend, in his directorial debut. The story is loosely based on the protest activity at the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999. The film premiered o ...
'' and '' Trouble the Water.''
In February 2007, Massive Attack hosted a charity benefit for the Hoping Foundation, a charity for Palestinian children. In 2008, it was announced that Massive Attack were to curate the UK's Southbank Meltdown
Meltdown may refer to:
Science and technology
* Nuclear meltdown, a severe nuclear reactor accident
* Meltdown (security vulnerability), affecting computer processors
* Mutational meltdown, in population genetics
Arts and entertainment Music
* ...
, a week-long event. It was suggested in interviews that this event would inspire Massive Attack back into action, having spent several years drifting towards the completion of their fifth studio album.
Later that year, Del Naja and Daddy G headed to Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtua ...
's studios for some writing and jamming. Around this time, Davidge scored the soundtrack for a Paul McGuigan film, ''Push
Push may refer to:
Music
* Mike Dierickx (born 1973), a Belgian producer also known as Push
Albums
* ''Push'' (Bros album), 1988
* ''Push'' (Gruntruck album), 1992
* ''Push'' (Jacky Terrasson album), 2010
Songs
* "Push" (Enrique Iglesias s ...
'' and in December, Del Naja completed the score for '' 44 Inch Chest'' with the Insects and Angelo Badalamenti
Angelo Daniel Badalamenti (March 22, 1937 – December 11, 2022) was an American composer, best known for his work scoring films for director David Lynch, notably '' Blue Velvet'', the ''Twin Peaks'' saga (1990–1992, 2017), '' The Straight S ...
.
Davidge and Del Naja got back together in 2009 with Daddy G to finish the fifth album, incorporating bits of the Albarn material. Later it was announced that the band were to headline the 2009 Bestival
Bestival was a four-day music festival held in the south of England. It had been held annually in the late summer since 2004 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. In 2017 the festival relocated to the Lulworth Estate in Dorset. The event was organ ...
festival, and soon after that they were to tour the UK and Europe. In May, Robert Del Naja's instrumental "Herculaneum", featured in the film '' Gomorra,'' won an Italian award for Best Song. Later that month, Del Naja and Marshall picked up a special Ivor Novello award
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been ...
for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.
On 29 May Jonny Dollar died of cancer aged 45, survived by his wife and four children. Dollar was the programmer and hands-on producer behind ''Blue Lines,'' writing some of the melodies that were the basis for the string arrangements in "Unfinished Sympathy".
On 25 August their new EP, '' Splitting the Atom,'' was announced. The other new tracks on the EP were Tunde Adebimpe's "Pray For Rain", Martina Topley-Bird
Martina Gillian Topley-Bird (''née'' Topley; born 7 May 1975) is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who first gained fame as the featured female vocalist on trip hop pioneer Tricky's debut album, '' Maxinquaye'' (1995). ...
's "Psyche" and Guy Garvey
Guy Edward John Garvey (born 6 March 1974) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and BBC Radio 6 Music presenter. He is the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Elbow.
Early life
Garvey grew up in Bury, Lancashire. His father was ...
's "Bulletproof Love". The latter two tracks appear as remixes of the album versions.
The fifth album was released on 12 November 2009, called ''Heligoland
Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possession ...
,'' after the German archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...
of Heligoland
Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possession ...
, after a previous project called "Weather Underground" was abandoned. Del Naja said "I think it's got definitely a more organic feel". The opening track, "Pray For Rain" featured guest vocals of TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe, and Damon Albarn and Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Santa Monica, California, from remnants of the group Opal. Founding member David Roback's friend Hope Sandoval became the group's vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal.
Mazzy St ...
frontwoman Hope Sandoval also provide guest vocals on the album. Del Naja said in October 2010, to the Spinner website, that his plans were now for "unorthodox" releases of several EPs in 2011, rather than an album.
''Ritual Spirit'' EP, the return of Tricky, and new songs
In a 2013 interview for his first solo art show since 2008, Del Naja confirmed that not only was new Massive Attack material in the works, but that rumours of a reunion with Tricky were true. Tricky had not been featured on a Massive Attack album since 1994's ''Protection.''
On 5 February 2014, it was confirmed that Massive Attack would headline at Secret Solstice, a new music festival in Reykjavík
Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
in June. On 21 February 2015, it was confirmed through the Massive Attack Facebook page that they would be collaborating with Run the Jewels.
On 21 January 2016, the iPhone application "Fantom" was released. The application was developed by a team including Massive Attack's Del Naja and let users hear parts of four new songs by remixing them in real time, using the phone's location, movement, clock, heartbeat, and camera.
On 28 January 2016, Massive Attack released a new EP, '' Ritual Spirit,'' which includes the four songs released on Fantom. The EP was written and produced by Del Naja and new collaborator, Euan Dickinson.
It was their first release since the 2011 '' Four Walls / Paradise Circus'' collaboration with Burial
Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
, and the first time since 1994 that Tricky had been featured on Massive Attack content. Scottish hip-hop group Young Fathers
Young Fathers are a Scottish band based in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2014, they won the Mercury Prize for their album '' Dead''.
History
Formed in Edinburgh in 2008 by Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and Graham 'G' Hastings, the group st ...
, London rapper Roots Manuva
Rodney Hylton Smith, better known by his stage name Roots Manuva (born 9 September 1972), is a British rapper and producer. Since his debut in 1994, he has produced numerous albums and singles on the label Big Dada, achieving commercial succ ...
and singer Azekel also featured on the EP.
On 26 July 2016, Massive Attack previewed three new songs: "Come Near Me", "The Spoils", and "Dear Friend" on the Fantom iPhone application on which they previously previewed the four songs from the ''Ritual Spirit'' EP.
On 29 July 2016, they released a new EP, " The Spoils", which includes "The Spoils" and "Come Near Me", both previewed on Fantom. "The Spoils" features vocals from American singer-songwriter Hope Sandoval, and "Come Near Me" features British vocalist Ghostpoet
Obaro Ejimiwe (born 18 January 1983) is a British singer, songwriter and musician better known by his stage name Ghostpoet. His first album, '' Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam'', was shortlisted for the 2011 Mercury Prize. His 2015 album '' ...
. A music video for "Come Near Me", directed by Ed Morris, and featuring Kosovan actress Arta Dobroshi
Arta Dobroshi (born 2 October 1980) is a Kosovo-Albanian actress and producer. Dobroshi is the first Kosovan actress to walk the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival and b ...
, was released the same day as the single. The video for "The Spoils", featuring Cate Blanchett
Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor. Regarded as one of the finest performers of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. She has received n ...
, and directed by Australian director John Hillcoat, was released on 9 August 2016.
''Eutopia'' EP and audiovisual releases
In July 2020, Massive Attack released a political audiovisual EP called '' Eutopia''. The three track fusion was created across five cities during the COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...
global lockdown period, and was part-formed by generative algorithmic visuals from AI art pioneer Mario Klingemann and collaborations with Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques d ...
, Young Fathers
Young Fathers are a Scottish band based in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2014, they won the Mercury Prize for their album '' Dead''.
History
Formed in Edinburgh in 2008 by Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and Graham 'G' Hastings, the group st ...
and US poet Saul Williams
Saul Stacey Williams (born February 29, 1972) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, musician, poet, writer, and actor. He is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop, and for his lead roles in the 1998 independent film '' Slam ...
. The conceptual project, co-written and produced by 3D and documentary filmmaker Mark Donne, featured strong arguments for global system change from UN Paris Climate Agreement author Christiana Figueres
Karen Christiana Figueres Olsen (born 7 August 1956) is a Costa Rican diplomat who has led national, international and multilateral policy negotiations. She was appointed Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNF ...
, founder of the Universal Basic Income
Universal basic income (UBI) is a social welfare proposal in which all citizens of a given population regularly receive an unconditional transfer payment, that is, without a means test or need to work. It would be received independently of ...
Principle Professor Guy Standing and inventor of the US "Wealth Tax" policy Professor Gabriel Zucman.
Each video ends with a quote from Thomas More's ''Utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island soc ...
''.
Massive Attack were scheduled to headline the 2022 edition of the Primavera Sound music festival in Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
, but an unnamed band member's serious illness forced the band to cancel its appearance with the rest of its European tour.
Musical style
Some of their most noted songs have been without choruses and have featured dramatically atmospheric dynamics, conveyed through either distorted guitar crescendos, lavish orchestral arrangements or prominent, looped/shifting basslines, underpinned by high and exacting production values, involving sometimes copious digital editing and mixing.[ The pace of their music has often been slower than prevalent British ]dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...
of the time. These and other psychedelic
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science o ...
, soundtrack-like and DJist sonic techniques, formed a much-emulated style journalists began to dub "trip hop
Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tem ...
" from the mid-nineties onwards, though in an interview in 2006, Daddy G said, "We used to hate that terminology rip-hopso bad,' laughs. 'You know, as far we were concerned, Massive Attack music was unique, so to put it in a box was to pigeonhole it and to say, "Right, we know where you guys are coming from.""
Other projects
'Fire Sale' exhibition
A solo exhibition of Del Naja's art was held at the Lazarides gallery in central London, from 24 May to 22 June 2013. The show's content spanned a period of over twenty years and featured many of the art pieces that Del Naja created for Massive Attack. Each piece, reinterpreted especially for the exhibition, was hand-printed and finished. The show also featured three one-off 'digital infinity mirrors', two of which contained phrases supplied by Reprieve that were extracted from drone
Drone most commonly refers to:
* Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg
* Unmanned aerial vehicle
* Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft
* Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone
Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...
pilot dialogues. Del Naja performed a DJ set during the opening night on 23 May 2013.
Massive Attack and Adam Curtis
Del Naja conceived and designed an eight-night festival with filmmaker Adam Curtis
Adam Curtis (born 26 May 1955) is an English documentary filmmaker.
Curtis began his career as a conventional documentary producer for the BBC throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The release of '' Pandora's Box'' (1992) marked t ...
—in collaboration with UVA ( United Visual Artists)—that premiered in Manchester, UK in July 2013. The festival featured Curtis's film, unofficially titled ''The Plan,'' which was projected on a huge screen surrounding the audience, while music from Massive Attack was interweaved throughout the film. Del Naja, who orchestrated the film's soundtrack, described the experience as a "collective hallucination" and the film was also shown at the Manchester International Festival
The Manchester International Festival is a biennial international arts festival, with a specific focus on original new work, held in the English city of Manchester and run by Factory International. The festival is a biennial event, first tak ...
in July 2013. Music created by Del Naja for the festival became the score for a BBC production entitled ''HyperNormalisation
''HyperNormalisation'' is a 2016 BBC documentary by British filmmaker Adam Curtis. It argues that governments, financiers, and technological utopians have, since the 1970s, given up on the complex "real world" and built a simpler "fake world" ...
'' in 2016.
In 2019, Del Naja and Adam Curtis teamed up for a second time on a live show based on the band's Mezzanine album. The show challenged the idea of nostalgia and power, and featured machine learning GANS and deep fakes from Mario Klingemann, as well as new films from Curtis that were used to tell a narrative story. They were used as visuals for cover versions of non Massive Attack songs based on samples and loops that made up the album's identity.
Mezzanine DNA
In April 2019, it was reported that Massive Attack had encoded ''Mezzanine'' into DNA to mark the 20th anniversary of the seminal 1998 album.
The album has also been made available in the form of a matte black spray paint can. A limited number of spray cans will contain the DNA encoded audio within matte black paint and each can will contain approximately one million copies of the album. Addressing the novel storage method, Del Naja – who is also known as a graffiti artist as ‘3D' – said: “It’s a creative way to store your back catalogue, although DNA-encoded spray paint is unlikely to be adopted by street artists seeking anonymity”.
Decarbonisation project
On 28 November 2019, Robert Del Naja announced that Massive Attack partnered with a research centre based at the University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The university owns and operates majo ...
to explore the music industry's climate impact. He wrote in a column in ''The Guardian'': "the commissioning of the renowned Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research is an organisation based in the United Kingdom that brings together scientists, economists, engineers and social scientists to "research, assess and communicate from a distinct trans-disciplinary p ...
to map the full carbon footprint of typical tour cycles, and to look specifically at the three key areas where CO2 emissions in our sector are generated." This will include information about band travel and production, audience transport and venue. "The resulting roadmap to decarbonisation will be shared with other touring acts, promoters and festival/venue owners to assist swift and significant emissions reductions." (See 'Environmentalism' below)
Activism and politics
Anti-war advocacy
Robert Del Naja was critical of the policies of the UK government under Tony Blair. He was strongly opposed to the 2003 war against Iraq, and with fellow musician Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtua ...
personally paid for full-page advertisements against the war in the '' NME'' magazine.
Massive Attack have worked with Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is an organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuc ...
and Stop the War Coalition, while also having helped fund a legal challenge to military intervention in international courts.
Human rights
In 2008, Massive Attack curated the annual Meltdown festival
Meltdown is an annual festival held in London, featuring a mix of music, art, performance and film. Meltdown is held in June at Southbank Centre, the arts complex covering and including the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and ...
on London's South Bank
The South Bank is an entertainment and commercial district in central London, next to the River Thames opposite the City of Westminster. It forms a narrow strip of riverside land within the London Borough of Lambeth (where it adjoins Alber ...
. During the two weeks of live performance, cinema and art, they worked with human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith
Clive Adrian Stafford Smith (born 9 July 1959) is a British attorney who specialises in the areas of civil rights and working against the death penalty in the United States of America. He worked to overturn death sentences for convicts, and h ...
and his organisation Reprieve which uses the law to enforce the human rights
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
of prisoners.
In 2010, the video shot by Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin for the song " Saturday Come Slow", featuring Albarn, drew attention to the use of music in torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts ...
.
Massive Attack donated all proceeds from their 2010 EP ''Atlas Air'' to War Child, a charity the band previously supported when they contributed to ''The Help Album
''The Help Album'' is a 1995 charity album to raise funds for the War Child charity, which provided aid to war-stricken areas, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. All the songs were recorded in a single day. The album features British and Irish ar ...
.''
In late July 2014, Del Naja and Marshall visited the Bourj El-Barajneh refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displaced peo ...
in Lebanon to meet with Palestinian volunteers at an educational centre. The band's profit from the show in Byblos was donated to the centre.
In 2017, Massive Attack performed three shows in support of Hoping, an organisation that helps raise money and supports projects for Palestinian youth in refugee camps in the Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...
and the West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
, Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...
and Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
.
British politics
In 2007, Del Naja, musicians Albarn and Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop a ...
, and United Visual Artists contributed to a Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...
demonstration against the renewal of the Trident nuclear programme
Trident, also known as the Trident nuclear programme or Trident nuclear deterrent, covers the development, procurement and operation of nuclear weapons in the United Kingdom and their means of delivery. Its purpose as stated by the Ministry of ...
that was held on board the Arctic Sunrise on the River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
.
On 14 November 2012, on the eve of the Bristol Mayor election, the band caused some surprise by endorsing independent millionaire and former Liberal Democrat George Ferguson, citing the need for a mayor who would help facilitate creative projects to the city, and wasn't simply following a party political agenda. Previously, Del Naja had openly criticised Ferguson for being a member of the Society of Merchant Venturers
The Society of Merchant Venturers is a charitable organisation in the English city of Bristol.
The society can be traced back to a 13th-century guild which funded the voyage of John Cabot to Canada. In 1552, it gained a monopoly on sea tradin ...
, an organisation dating back to the 16th century which had many connections with the Bristol slave trade. Del Naja endorsed Ferguson again in the 2016 election.
in September 2018, Massive Attack criticised the Mayor of Bristol for cancelling the Bristol Arena project in the Temple Meads area of Bristol. The Mayor had announced a private sector company, YTL would build a privately funded arena in Filton, a northern suburb of Bristol and the band announced they would not play there. Despite this, when a pop up arena was temporarily erected on the Filton site, Massive Attack played two gigs in March 2019.
In November 2019, along with other public figures, Massive Attack signed a letter supporting Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialis ...
describing him as "a beacon of hope in the struggle against emergent far-right nationalism, xenophobia and racism in much of the democratic world" and endorsed him in the 2019 UK general election
The 2019 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 12 December 2019. It resulted in the Conservative Party receiving a landslide majority of 80 seats. The Conservatives made a net gain of 48 seats and won 43.6% of the popular vote ...
.
International politics
During a concert in Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
in 2014, Massive Attack named those who died in anti-government protests on the outdoor screen at their back with the following sentences: "Their killers are still out there" and "We won't forget Soma
Soma may refer to:
Businesses and brands
* SOMA (architects), a New York–based firm of architects
* Soma (company), a company that designs eco-friendly water filtration systems
* SOMA Fabrications, a builder of bicycle frames and other bicycle ...
".
Massive Attack have previously played two shows in Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, but have declined recent offers. They have described this "not an action of aggression towards the Israeli people" but "towards the sraeligovernment and its policies", arguing that "the Palestinians n Gaza and the West Bankhave no access to the same fundamental benefits that the Israelis do."
Del Naja and Thom Yorke
Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been descri ...
of Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass ...
threw an unofficial party at the occupied UBS
UBS Group AG is a multinational investment bank and financial services company founded and based in Switzerland. Co-headquartered in the cities of Zürich and Basel, it maintains a presence in all major financial centres as the largest Swi ...
building in the city of London in December 2011, in support for the international Occupy movement
The Occupy movement was an international populist socio-political movement that expressed opposition to social and economic inequality and to the perceived lack of "real democracy" around the world. It aimed primarily to advance social and econo ...
.
Environmentalism
In 2010, Massive Attack donated the income from a Lincoln car commercial to the clean up campaign after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill (also referred to as the "BP oil spill") was an industrial disaster that began on 20 April 2010 off of the coast of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico on the BP-operated Macondo Prospect, considere ...
.
Since October 2018, Massive Attack have also been supporting the climate activists
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorological ...
of the Extinction Rebellion group, also known as XR, which conducted protests in London in October 2018 then April 2019. On 21 April, Massive Attack played a DJ set for the Extinction Rebellion protesters in the heart of London in Marble Arch. In July and October 2019, the group protested in 60 other cities worldwide, Robert Del Naja providing a portable radio network using speakers in backpacks with receivers and transmitters for the campaigners in London.
In 2021 the band published a report they had commissioned from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. The report examined the impact of live music on the environment and gave a set of recommendations for meeting the Paris agreement
The Paris Agreement (french: Accord de Paris), often referred to as the Paris Accords or the Paris Climate Accords, is an international treaty on climate change. Adopted in 2015, the agreement covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and ...
targets. Del Naja criticised the UK government for not doing more to meet the targets.
Other
In 2005, Del Naja organised and performed at a charity concert in Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...
for Tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...
Relief with Adrian Utley and Geoff Barrow
Geoffrey Paul Barrow (born 9 December 1971) is an English music producer, composer, and DJ. He is a member of the bands Portishead, Beak and supergroup Quakers, and has scored several films.
Portishead—formed in 1991—was named after the ...
of Portishead. The two-night event featured Massive Attack, Portishead, Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following th ...
, the Coral and Albarn.
In March 2018, following the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal, Massive Attack suspended their Facebook page, stating: "In light of Facebook’s continued disregard for your privacy, their lack of transparency and disregard for accountability – Massive Attack will be temporarily withdrawing."
Band members
Current members
* Robert "3D" Del Naja
Robert Del Naja (; born 21 January 1965), also known as 3D, is a British artist, musician, singer and songwriter. He emerged as a graffiti artist and member of the Bristol collective the Wild Bunch, and later as a founding member and sole con ...
– vocals, keyboards, guitars, programmer, arranger, producer, mixer (1988–present)
* Adrian "Tricky" Thaws – vocals, keyboards, bass, producer (1988–1995; 2016–present)
* Grant "Daddy G" Marshall – vocals, keyboards, guitars, programmer, producer (1988–2001; 2005–present)
Former members
* Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles – keyboards, drums, turntables, arranger, producer, mixer, programmer (1988–1999)
* Neil Davidge – bass, guitars, drums, keyboards, piano, occasional backing vocals (1998–2012)
* Horace Andy
Horace Andy (born Horace Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", as well as "Angel", "Spying Glass" and "Five Man Army" with English tr ...
– vocals (1990–2011)
* Shara Nelson
Shara Nelson (born 1965) is an English singer and songwriter. She worked with Massive Attack in the early 1990s, and as a solo artist had five UK top 40 hit singles. Her 1993 debut album, '' What Silence Knows'', was shortlisted for the Mercur ...
– vocals (1990–1994)
* Tracey Thorn – vocals, guitars (1994–1996)
* Stephanie Dosen
Stephanie Dosen (born May 12, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter, knitwear designer and member of the band Snowbird. She was raised in Wisconsin. Her songs have been featured on the soundtracks of the TV shows ''Dawson's Creek'', ''NUMB3RS' ...
– vocals, guitars (2008–2010)
Touring members
* Elizabeth Fraser
Elizabeth Davidson Fraser (born 29 August 1963), is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician. Hailing from Grangemouth, Scotland, she is best known as the vocalist for the pioneering dream pop band Cocteau Twins who achieved international s ...
– vocals, guitars (1998–present)
* Deborah Miller – vocals, percussion (1990–present)
* Horace Andy
Horace Andy (born Horace Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", as well as "Angel", "Spying Glass" and "Five Man Army" with English tr ...
– vocals (1990–present)
* Angelo Bruschini
Angelo Bruschini is a guitarist from Bristol who has been a member of The Numbers, Rimshots, The Blue Aeroplanes, and currently with Massive Attack. He produced Strangelove's eponymous album in 1997. He also played guitar for Jane Taylor's aw ...
– guitars (1995–present)
* Alex Lee – guitars (2019–present)
* Winston Blissett – bass guitar (1995–present)
* Damon Reece – drums (2006–present)
* Julien Brown – electronic drums (2014–present)
* Euan Dickinson – keyboards (2016–present)
Former touring members
* Kwame Boaten – bass (1996-1999)
* Andrew Smalls – drums, electronic drums (1995-2008)
* John Pierce – bass (1998-1999)
* Michael Timothy – keyboards, samples (1998)
* Hazel Fernandez – vocals (2004)
* Yolanda Quartey
Yolanda Claire Quartey (born 31 July 1983), known professionally as Yola or Yola Carter, is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. Her debut studio album ''Walk Through Fire'' (2019) received critical acclaim and earned her four G ...
– vocals (2004)
* Azekel – vocals (2016)
* Dot Allison – vocals, guitar, electronic drums (2003)
* Arden Hart – keyboards (2003, 2006)
* Lucy Wilkins – violin, keyboards (2003)
Timeline
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at:26/09/1994
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at:10/07/2020
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Discography
* '' Blue Lines'' (1991)
* '' Protection'' (1994)
* ''Mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft with non-sloped ...
'' (1998)
* ''100th Window
''100th Window'' is the fourth studio album by English electronic music group Massive Attack, released on 10 February 2003 by Virgin Records. The album was mainly produced by lead member Robert Del Naja, as the group's producer Andrew Vowles d ...
'' (2003)
* ''Heligoland
Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possession ...
'' (2010)
Awards and nominations
Billboard Music Awards
The ''Billboard'' Music Awards honor artists for commercial performance in the U.S., based on record charts published by ''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
''. The awards are based on sales data by Nielsen SoundScan
Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
and radio information by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems
Broadcast Data Systems (also known as BDS or Luminate BDS), is a service that tracks radio, television and internet airplay of songs. The service, which is a unit of MRC Data, is a contributing factor to North American charts published by co-owned ...
. The award ceremony was held from 1990 to 2007, until its reintroduction in 2011.
, -
, rowspan=2, 2003
, Massive Attack
, Top Electronic Artist
,
, -
, ''100th Window
''100th Window'' is the fourth studio album by English electronic music group Massive Attack, released on 10 February 2003 by Virgin Records. The album was mainly produced by lead member Robert Del Naja, as the group's producer Andrew Vowles d ...
''
, Top Electronic Album
,
D&AD Awards
Design and Art Direction (''D&AD'') is a British educational charity
Charity may refer to:
Giving
* Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons
* Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing
* C ...
which exists to promote excellence in design
A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...
and advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
.
, -
, rowspan=3, 1999
, rowspan=2, " Teardrop"
, Direction
, style="background:#FFBF00", Yellow Pencil
, -
, Special Effects
, style="background:#BF8040", Wood Pencil
, -
, ''Massive Attack - Teaser''
, Music Packaging and Print Promotion/Promotional Poster
, style="background:#FFBF00", Yellow Pencil
, -
, rowspan=2, 2011
, " Splitting the Atom"
, Music Video
, style="background:#BF8040", Wood Pencil
, -
, "Atlas Air"
, Animation
, style="background:#8a8b89", Graphite Pencil
Denmark GAFFA Awards
Delivered since 1991. The ''GAFFA'' Awards (Danish: GAFFA Prisen) are a Danish award that rewards popular music awarded by the magazine of the same name.
, -
, rowspan=2, 1999
, ''Mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft with non-sloped ...
''
, Best Foreign Album
,
, -
, " Teardrop"
, Best Foreign Music Video
,
Edison Awards
The Edison Award is an annual Dutch music prize, awarded for outstanding achievements in the music industry. It is one of the oldest music awards in the world, having been presented since 1960.
, -
, 1992
, rowspan=2, Themselves
, Best International Dance/Hip-Hop
,
, -
, 1999
, Best International Group
,
Fryderyk
The Fryderyk is an annual award ceremony in Poland, presented by the Związek Producentów Audio Video, the IFPI Poland, since 1994.
, -
, 1998
, ''Mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft with non-sloped ...
''
, Best Foreign Album
,
GAFFA Awards
Delivered since 1991. The GAFFA Awards (Danish: GAFFA Prisen) are a Danish award that rewards popular music, awarded by the GAFFA magazine.
, -
, 1998
, " Teardrop"
, Årets Udenlandske Musikvideo
,
Hungarian Music Awards
Hungarian Music Awards is the national music awards of Hungary, held every year since 1992 and promoted by Mahasz.
, -
, 1999
, ''Mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft with non-sloped ...
''
, New Trend Album of the Year
,
, -
, 2011
, ''Heligoland
Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possession ...
''
, Alternative Music Album of the Year
,
International Dance Music Awards
The International Dance Music Award
The International Dance Music Awards or IDMAs is an annual awards ceremony held in Miami Beach, Florida, United States as a major part of the Winter Music Conference. The awards have been held every year since the conference's creation in 1985 e ...
was established in 1985. It is a part of the Winter Music Conference, a weeklong electronic music event held annually.
, -
, 2011
, " Paradise Circus"
, Best Underground Dance Track
,
Ivor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards are awarded for songwriting and composing. The awards, named after the Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...
born entertainer Ivor Novello
Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century.
He was born into a musical ...
, are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA).
, -
, 2009
, Themselves
, Outstanding Contribution to British Music
,
MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an a ...
were established in 1994 by MTV Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Massive Attack has received two awards from three nominations.
, -
, 1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
, , " Protection" , , Best Video , ,
, -
, rowspan="2", 1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
, , " Teardrop" , , Best Video , ,
, -
, ''Mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft with non-sloped ...
'' , , Best Album , ,
, -
NME Awards
The ''NME'' Awards are annual music awards show founded by the music magazine '' NME''.
, -
, rowspan=3, 1999
, Themselves
, Best Group
,
, -
, ''Mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft with non-sloped ...
''
, Best Album
,
, -
, " Teardrop"
, Best Single
,
, -
, 2000
, "Unfinished Sympathy
"Unfinished Sympathy" is a 1991 song by the English trip hop group Massive Attack, released under the temporary group name Massive. It was written by the three band members Robert "3D" Del Naja, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Mars ...
"
, Best Ever Single
,
Q Awards
The Q Awards
The Q Awards were the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine '' Q''. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards became one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards. Locations for the awards ceremony included Abbey Road Studios ...
is the UK's annual music awards held by music magazine '' Q'' for excellence in music. Massive Attack has received two awards from two nominations.
, -
, rowspan="1", 1998 , , ''Mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft with non-sloped ...
'' , , Best Album , ,
, -
, rowspan="1", 2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, , Massive Attack , , Innovation in Sound Award , ,
, -
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards
The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
are the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...
's annual pop music awards.
, -
, rowspan="2", 1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...
, , " Protection" , , Best British Video , ,
, -
, Massive Attack , , Best British Dance Act , ,
, -
, rowspan="5", 1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
, , ''Mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft with non-sloped ...
'' , , MasterCard British Album , ,
, -
, rowspan="2", " Teardrop" , , Best British Single , ,
, -
, Best British Video , ,
, -
, rowspan="2", Massive Attack , , Best British Group , ,
, -
, Best British Dance Act , ,
, -
UK Music Video Awards
The UK Music Video Awards is an annual celebration of creativity, technical excellence and innovation
Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed enti ...
in music video and moving image for music.
, -
, rowspan="3", 2010 , , " Paradise Circus" , , rowspan="2", Best Dance Video , ,
, -
, rowspan="2", " Splitting the Atom" , ,
, -
, Best Animation in a Video , ,
, -
, rowspan="2", 2011 , , rowspan="2", "Atlas Air" , , Best Animation in a Video , ,
, -
, Best Visual Effects in a Video , ,
, -
Viva Comet Awards
VIVA Comet Awards were an annual awards ceremony, organised by VIVA Germany.
, -
, 1995
, Massive Attack
, Best Avantgarde Act
,
Žebřík Music Awards
!Ref.
, -
, 1998
, " Teardrop"
, Best International Video
,
,
, -
, 2006
, '' Collected''
, Best International Music DVD
,
,
Notes
Bibliography
Chemam, Melissa, ''Massive Attack: Out of the Comfort Zone'', Tangent Books (2019) ,
References
External links
*
*
'Massive Attack: Out of the Comfort Zone'
{{Authority control
Brit Award winners
MTV Europe Music Award winners
English electronic music groups
Musical groups from Bristol
Musical groups established in 1988
Trip hop groups
British musical trios
Virgin Records artists
Musical collectives
British environmentalists
Political music groups
1988 establishments in England
Environmental musical artists