Horace goes Massive

Reggae legend rejoins Massive Attack for new album

18 Apr 2008 - We know Massive Attack are releasing a new album this summer, and now we have a major clue as to it's sound.

Horace Andy is one of the best known vocalists with trip hoppers Massive Attack. The reggae legend, famous for his falsetto vocals, added his distinctive voice to tracks like One Love and Five Man Army from their debut Blue Lines and Angel from their third album Mezzanine, to name a few.

Horace Andy dropped into the 6 Music studios as he is over here playing some live shows, and says he's already been recording tracks for Massive Attack's next instalment:

"They send the lyrics for me to learn, I've done three tracks. I never know what they are going to choose, I am supposed to be going up to Bristol very soon. Four years now and they haven't come with an album yet, if I was to stick around and wait on Massive, man, oh my God…"

Meltdown

It seems a tour is on the cards too, and he'll be performing a slot at The Meltdown festival the duo are curating on the South Bank in June:

"I'm going on tour with them in June/ July and I think they said they want me with acoustic and blah blah blah... Then I hear them say about The Meltdown."

"We vibes, you know?" -   Horace Andy

The recording process

Andy went on to describe the recording process when he gets to the studios in Bristol, it seems pretty straight forward:

"They send me lyrics, I go up and we vibes you know? They play and I get the melody and 3D will give me the lyrics and I will get a really wicked melody and sing the lyrics, and they go and work around it."

Most of the time I only go up record, and come back. And then I will hear that the Massive Attack album will be released and I have two songs on it and then I hear the songs, I don’t really go into the decision making process.

They are Massive, you know, so they do all the work."


Ruth Barnes