Tricky
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Tricky returns (via his own False Idols label) with some of his strongest material in years. The new track 'Nothing's Changed' featuring vocalist Francesca Belmonte is streaming now. The 'False Idols' album also features vocals from Nneka, Peter Silberman (of The Antlers) and Fifi Rong.
Tricky is back. Back with a new studio album, 'False Idols', and his own label (also bearing the False Idols name), but also back in a personal sense. "I was lost for ages," he says. "I was trying to prove something to people, trying to do something to please other people and also myself at the same time, which is never going to work. To be honest with you, I've been floating around since Chris Blackwell and Island. My last two albums, I thought they were good, but I realize now they weren't. This album is about me finding myself again."
Adrian Thaws is, perhaps, being a bit hard on himself. However, there is no doubt that False Idols stands as his most accomplished album since his earliest works. It opens with a cover of a Van Morrison song, 'Somebody's Sins' which sees Tricky and vocalist Fran Belmonte whispering "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine" over a sparse groaning bass. The lead single 'Parenthesis', which features a vocals from Peter Silberman of The Antlers, has more rhythmic grunt, which gives a different dimension to the dark gothic atmosphere that pervades the record. No-one does this kind of thing better.
The spirit of Tricky's '90s output looms large over 'False Idols'. There are times when his entire career has seemed like a stubborn refusal to be defined by its success or sound. He has finally come to terms with it, even learned to embrace it. The lightbulb moment came when he was sending demos to a friend. "All the songs which were easy for me to write, which I wrote in two hours, he sent me a message saying, 'This is why I loved you in the beginning.' The stuff that I'd thought about more, that stuff he was like, 'It's OK, yeah.' So then I knew. It brought me back to my natural instincts."
The resemblance to 'Maxinquaye' is undeniable, though the material on 'False Idols' is gentler; more mature. "Of all my records, the majority of people are into 'Maxinequaye'," says Tricky. "That's because it was a time and a place. 'Maxinquaye' was a part of their life. Some people say it was the soundtrack to their youth. You can't challenge that. But musically this is a better album." He pauses before adding. "Of course I know that people might not agree with that." Let's just say it's a stunning return to form and leave it at that.
Many of the songs on 'False Idols' feature artists signed to Tricky's new label, including 24-year Londoner Francesca Belmonte and Fifi Rong. The album also includes collaborations with Nigeria's new global star Nneka, the afore-mentioned Peter Silberman. In the months before the album's release, 'False Idols' will also release two EPs showcasing the label's roster on new, non-album material produced by Tricky.
Why the name 'False Idols'? "Because there's so much bollocks going on at the moment mate," Tricky fires back. "People follow celebrities and read every little thing they do. It's living vicariously through someone else. Get your own life. All this stuff is 'False Idols'. That's what helps keep the status quo." As to the label's mission, Tricky puts it thusly: "I signed to Island because of the artists and some of the stuff they've done Bob Marley, Tom Waits. Who could I sign to now? Am I going to sign to a label because they've got Lady Gaga? I don't want to be part of that bollocks music industry. I'm trying to bring that Island kind of thing back. Obviously False Idols is never going to be an Island Records, but it's my way of trying to keep that part of the music industry going."
This commitment to the survival of artistry in new music seen Tricky collaborating with young musicians from Creep to Maya Jane Coles, popping up on Zebra Katz underground smash 'Ima Read' with Gangster Boo and remixing 'Crest' by Antlers.
"This new album I'll stand behind every track," Tricky says. "I don't care whether people like it. I'm doing what I want to do, which is what I did with my first record. That's what made me who I was in the beginning. If people don't like it, it don't matter to me because I'm back where I was."
Tricky
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07 Oct, 2018
Tricky: On New Ghostface Killah Album
Tricky features on Ghostface Killah's latest album 'The Lost Tapes', teaming up with Snoop Dogg and E-40 on the 'Saigon Velour' remix.
See Tricky live in Mexico on 12th / 13th October, details on his artist page. -
22 Jan, 2018
Tricky: Spanish Tour
Tricky will play dates in Spain during March 2018, see his artist page for details.
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20 Oct, 2017
Tricky: German Tour Dates
Tricky will play three shows in Germany, throughout November 2017. See his artist page for full details.
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02 Aug, 2017
Tricky: Video Premiere For 'When We Die'
Following the announcement of his 13th album 'ununiform', Tricky presents the video for single 'When We Die , featuring Martina Topley-Bird. It offers an intimate look at the diverse range of people going about their individual, and individually complex, city lives - a filmic treatment of the "Humans of New York" story-telling approach.
Eerie, haunting yet enveloped by a sense of peace and acceptance, 'When We Die' sees Tricky take hold of a new zest for life he has come to possess: "If you don t accept death you don t really accept life", says Tricky.
www.stereogum.com/1954856/tricky-when-we-die-feat-martina-topley-bird-video/video
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13 Jul, 2017
Tricky: The New Album 'Ununiform'
His 13th studio album 'Ununiform' arrives on 22nd September and features new tracks 'When We Die' featuring the welcome return of long-time collaborator Martina Topley-Bird plus 'The Only Way' harking back to the sounds of his classic LP, 'Maxinquaye', currently on 6Music's B List.
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09 Jun, 2017
Tricky: New Release 'The Only Way'
Tricky unveils brand new material in the form of 'The Only Way', an orchestrated soul-barer with more than a nod to his 'Maxinquaye' era and featuring his own trademark vocals taking centre-stage over a smoke-filled melodic backdrop.
Recorded in Moscow late last year and described by Tricky himself as 'Hell Is Round The Corner Part 2', 'The Only Way' is a beautifully rare glimpse into the now Berlin-based Tricky's future, released on his own label imprint False Idols (via !K7 Music) on 9th June.
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17 Mar, 2017
Tricky: New Track From 'Ghost In The Shell' Album
Tricky's new track 'Escape', is featured in the 'Ghost In The Shell: Music Inspired By The Motion Picture' album, to be released on 31st March.
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11 Oct, 2016
Sinners Day 2016
The Sinners Day festival will take place at the Ethias Arena in Hasselt, Belgium on 20th November. Primary Talent International artists taking part will be:
...The Sisters Of Mercy
...Public Image Ltd.
...Tricky
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19 Jun, 2016
Tricky: To Join Massive Attack At BST
Tricky will join Massive Attack onstage at their BST Hyde Park event on 1st July. Also appearing on the bill will be Patti Smith & Her Band & Ghostpoet.
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31 Mar, 2016
Tricky: 'Skilled Mechanics' At 6 Music Festival
Tricky presents 'Skilled Mechanics' at the BBC Radio 6 Music Festival, held in his home town of Bristol, in February.