Massive Attack

United Kingdom, 1988–now

Bristol collective formed in 1988 out of the Wild Bunch sound system, pioneers of trip-hop. Blue Lines (1991) and Mezzanine (1998) fused hip-hop breakbeats, dub bass, soul and dread atmosphere into a slow, cinematic sound that reshaped British electronic music.

MusicRoots documents 7 artists who influenced Massive Attack and 8 artists Massive Attack influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Massive Attack?

• Bob Marley — Dub and reggae bass and space are foundational to Massive Attack's Bristol sound, descending from the Jamaican tradition Bob Marley carried worldwide.
• Public Enemy — Massive Attack grew from the hip-hop the Wild Bunch spun; the breakbeats and politically charged production of acts like Public Enemy shaped their approach.
• Pink Floyd — Massive Attack cite Pink Floyd among their influences — the spacious, atmospheric psychedelia feeds the cinematic drift of Blue Lines and Mezzanine.
• Isaac Hayes — Isaac Hayes's orchestral, slow-burning soul is a direct model for Massive Attack's lush, string-laden arrangements.
• Kraftwerk — Kraftwerk's electronic pulse is part of the machine side of Massive Attack's sound.
• Brian Eno — Brian Eno's ambient textures inform Massive Attack's atmospheric, studio-built soundscapes.
• Joy Division — Joy Division's cold, dread-laden post-punk is an acknowledged touchstone for the darkness of Mezzanine.

Which artists did Massive Attack influence?

• Gorillaz — Damon Albarn has said the self-titled Gorillaz debut was meant to be a combination of Massive Attack and The Specials — Massive Attack's trip-hop is the electronic, downtempo half of that formula.
• Geoff Barrow — Barrow learned his craft as a tape operator on Massive Attack's Blue Lines, absorbing their Bristol trip-hop blueprint into his own production.
• Portishead — Portishead emerged from the same Bristol scene as Massive Attack, sharing the slow, dread-laden trip-hop template.
• Zero 7 — Massive Attack's trip-hop template — slow beats, deep atmosphere, guest vocalists — underpins Zero 7's chill-out sound.
• Morcheeba — Morcheeba's warm, soulful downtempo descends directly from the Bristol trip-hop Massive Attack pioneered.
• Sneaker Pimps — Massive Attack's downtempo blueprint underpins Sneaker Pimps' beat-driven electronica.
• Dido — Dido's mellow, downtempo debut sound came out of the trip-hop world she entered through her brother Rollo's Faithless — the atmospheric, beat-driven template Massive Attack pioneered.
• Faithless — Faithless's spoken-word-over-electronics approach owes much to Massive Attack's trip-hop.