Massive attack mezzanine4/12/2023 "Exchange (Mountain Steppers Dub)" is bright and woozy, its swirl and lumbering gait evoking the haze of a magic mushrooms trip on a sunny day. The LP could even, at points, be called summery. It's one for crafty DJs looking to turn heads and melt hearts at the afterparty. Fraser puts a spring in the step of famously dusky tracks like "Angel," "Inertia Creeps" and "Teardrop." His "(Mazaruni Dub 1)" of "Teardrop" is a particular delight, tweaking and splintering the sombre pads, harpsichord melody and Elizabeth Fraser's vocals into a smoky, bassy beauty. But Part II is, for the most part, an upbeat record. The soulful dubbiness of Blue Lines and Protection gave way to rockier, more paranoid atmospheres. The album's dramatic shift in sound was the result of bitter infighting, missed deadlines and months of neurotic tinkering. Mezzanine, Massive Attack's most commercially successful album, was a torment to make as its members argued over the band's direction. This is a great thing-like No Protection, Part II is a fantastic record, presenting fresh, cosmic versions of classics and lesser-known tracks. (Another track, "Risingson (Setting Sun Dub 2)," was uploaded anonymously to launch the band's Myspace page in 2007.) Still, it's the first time they've all been available in the same place, both digitally and on vinyl. Five of its eight tracks may already be familiar to diehard fans, having appeared on various 12-inches and compilations before and after Mezzanine's original release. ![]() Last month, Massive Attack V Mad Professor Part II (Mezzanine Remix Tapes '98) was finally released as part of Mezzanine's 20th anniversary. ![]() What's more difficult to ascertain, though, is why the Mezzanine remix project, which was due to be released in 1998 alongside the album, was eventually shelved. That LP, which featured dub versions of tracks from Massive Attack's second full-length, Protection, sold more than a million copies, becoming "one of the best-selling dub albums ever," according to Mad Professor, real name Neil Fraser. One can confidently assume that the legendary dub engineer Mad Professor was asked to remix Mezzanine, the third Massive Attack album, off the back of the runaway success of 1995's No Protection.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |