Massive Attack

Forming in the UK city of Bristol in the late 1980s, Massive Attack are considered the originators of the trip-hop movement. Welding dub grooves and soulful melodies onto a hip-hop foundation, the group were one of the most influential artists of the late twentieth century.

Debut album Blue Lines (1991) was a club hit that soon infiltrated playlists everywhere. The languid tempos and ability to integrate wildly different musical styles captivated listeners. When you learn that the members cited influences as diverse as Herbie Hancock, Isaac Hayes, and Pink Floyd, you know you are getting a whole new fruit salad of sounds.

Mezzanine, the group’s third album, was a darker affair. But that moody melancholy and cinematic gloom did not dissuade fans; the album hit #1 in the UK and in Australia. Since 2010’s Heligoland, Massive Attack have released a couple of non-album singles and the 2020 E.P. Eutopia.

More at the Discrepancy blog

Read a review of 1998’s classic Mezzanine here.