Massive Attack life and biography

Massive Attack are a British DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall.

The pioneering force behind the rise of trip-hop, Massive Attack were among the most innovative and influential groups of their generation; their hypnotic sound — a darkly sensual and cinematic fusion of hip-hop rhythms, soulful melodies, dub grooves, and choice samples — set the pace for much of the dance music to emerge throughout the 1990s, paving the way for such acclaimed artists as Portishead, Sneaker Pimps, Morcheeba, UNKLE and Tricky, himself a Massive Attack alumnus. Their history dates back to 1983 and the formation of the Wild Bunch, one of the earliest and most successful sound-system/DJ collectives to arrive on the UK music scene; renowned for their seamless integration of a wide range of musical styles, from punk to reggae to R&B, the group’s parties quickly became can’t-miss events for the Bristol club crowd, and at the peak of their popularity they drew crowds so enormous that the local live music scene essentially ground to a halt.

Their debut album, Blue Lines (1991), was co-produced by Jonny Dollar and Cameron McVey, who also became their first manager. Massive Attack went on to critical acclaim for their ever-changing line-up of distinctive, often 'ethereal' or whispery guest vocalists, interspersed with Del Naja and Marshall's (initially Tricky's) own,'and other eclectic references, musical and lyrical.

With the coffee-table chill-out of Protection in 1994, a rather heavier, guitar-upgraded Mezzanine in 1998, and then the denser, more clinical soundscaping of Robert Del Naja's essentially solo 100th Window in 2003, Massive's overall sound grew persistently more experimental and melancholy, having a greater degree of gothic post-punk texture and moodily cinematic electronica integrated into it. The band became known for often not being able to easily get along with one another and working increasingly separately. Andrew Vowles, aka Mushroom, reluctantly and acrimoniously left Massive Attack altogether in late 1999, at the behest of his colleagues. Daddy G had also effectively left by 2001, but returned to a studio role with greater commitment in 2005, having joined the touring line-up of 2003/4, though he did produce "Live With Me", with Terry Callier, the one new track from [Disc 1 of] 2006's Collected.

A record label, Melankolic, was started back in 1995 (as an imprint of Virgin Records), but had completely folded by 2003. Over the decades, the Bristol collective have collaborated with Neneh Cherry, Madonna, David Bowie, Mos Def and Sinéad O'Connor amongst many others. Roots reggae veteran, Horace Andy has featured on all of their studio LP's.

Throughout 2009, Massive Attack completed their fifth studio LP Heligoland with production from Neil Davidge (and mixed by Mark 'Spike' Stent).

The Splitting The Atom EP, featuring vocals from Massive Attack, Horace Andy, Tunde Adebimpe, Martina Topley-Bird and Guy Garvey was released on October 5 2009 to buy as a digital download and limited edition vinyl. Heligoland was released on February 9th 2010.

On October 10, 2011, a limited 12" was announced, called "Four Walls / Paradise Circus". The record contains a long awaited collaboration with Burial, as well as his remix of "Paradise Circus". The record is limited to 1000 copies. The song "Paradise Circus" is used during the opening credits of BBC series Luther, whilst the song has also been remixed by several prominent artists, such as Canadian electronic music duo Zeds Dead.

On December 11, 2011, their song Splitting The Atom premiered as the theme song on the new HBO Series: Luck, starring Dustin Hoffman. The instrumental portions of their song Teardrop were used as the theme song for the popular US television series "House".

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