Faithless, Tricky, Phil Hartnoll, et Leftfield (DJ)

Comprised of revered vocalist Maxi Jazz, multi-instrumentalist Sister Bliss, who electronically composes most of the music, producer Rollo Armstrong, and Jamie Catto, Faithless formed in 1995. Prior to Faithless, Rollo had earned success producing the club hit “Don’t You Want Me” under the moniker Felix, and remixing the likes of the Pet Shop Boys and Björk. The band’s debut single “Salva Mea (Save Me)” was issued in July 1995, and became one of the biggest dance hits of the year. With the success of “Salva Mea (Save Me)”, Faithless went on to issue the subsequent singles “Insomnia” and “Reverence”.

A year later arrived Faithless’ debut album “Reverence” was released on Rollo’s Cheeky Records and debuted at No. 26 on the UK albums chart. The album was succeeded by “Sunday 8pm” in 1998, and aided by the hits “Bring My Family Back”, “God Is a DJ” and Take The Long Walk Home”, reached No. 10 on the UK’s album chart.

The group continued their trend into the Top 10 with the subsequent album “Outrospective” in 2001, which reached No. 4 in the chart. 2004’s “No Roots” marked the addition of vocalist LSK to the group and became the band's first No. 1 album. Further guest vocalists included Dido, who is Rollo’s sister, and late jazz singer Nina Simone. The album earned rave reviews from the musical press and cemented the band’s position as a staple of British dance music.

Faithless returned in 2006 to release “To All New Arrivals” however despite contributions from Cat Power and Robert Smith the album failed to achieve the success of its predecessor. Ahead of the release Faithless issued the single “Bombs”, the video of which caused a stir for its depiction of war scenes in daily life. The band subsequently performed at the 2007 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, before releasing the album “The Dance” in 2009. After an eight year break, Faithless returned to Glastonbury Festival’s Pyramid Stage in 2010, followed by a couple farewell performances at Brixton Academy in 2011.

Growing up in a rough neighbourhood, Tricky was involved in multiple crimes and misdemeanours from a young age. When he turned 15, Tricky began meddling in music and started writing lyrics that reflected the reality of his life. After meeting DJ Milo and spending increasing amounts of time with his group of friends, Tricky found himself a part of the group that was destined to become Massive Attack in 1987.

Interested in pursuing his own music, though, Tricky left Massive Attack in 1994 just shy of the release of his first album, “Maxinquaye”, which was named in honour of his mother who had commit suicide when Tricky was just four years old. This trip hop album proved to be a massive success both critically and commercially, charting at the number three position on the UK album charts.

Tricky’s subsequent 10 studio albums failed to gain the same success as “Maxinquaye”, but albums “Nearly God”, “Pre-Millennium Tension”, “Angels with Dirty Faces” and “Juxtapose” were all top 30 hits on the UK album charts.

In addition to his work with Massive Attack, Tricky has collaborated extensively with artists such as Beyoncé, Yoko Ono, Pete Doherty, INXS, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Grace Jones and UB40. His talent means that his work shines in any genre and speaks to people from all over the world. A true talent, Tricky and his unconventional yet gripping style will certainly win him success for many years to come.