The catalog of Bristol, UK’s Adrian Nicholas M. Thaws, better known as Tricky, has served as an important key to my musical exploration. It’s his earlier works, Maxinquaye and Nearly God, that would guide me to the discovery of English trip-hop and the Icelandic songstress Bjork. And only after years of listening to 1996’s Pre-Millenium Tension, which came out when I was 10, would I grasp the album’s Rastafari influence. This realization primed my fascination with Jamaican political music, but more importantly provided an example of an artist who could merge cultural references with personal revelations – a base for my lyrical criticism. During the past 15 years, Tricky has continued to expand his character by pressing the boundaries of genres, collaborating with an array of artists, and working in some pretty cool films.
So it comes as good news that Tricky’s newest narrative, Mixed Race, is set to hit the streets September 27th via Domino Records. Speaking about the record, Tricky revealed that it comes from a place of light — no longer being stuck in the prevailing darkness of his early career.
“I used to hide in the shadows when I played live, now I perform. I used to hate doing interviews, now I feel honoured that people would be interested in what I have to say. I’ve spent my life going between cultures; Mixed Race is about that, and in a very direct way.”
To help with this re-emergence, Tricky called on a few close friends — Terry Lynn, Bobby Gillespie, Hakim Hamadouche, Blackman, and his youngest brother Marlon Thaws were all invited into his Parisian recording studio to finalize the release.
Mixed Race will be available on CD, LP, and via digital download. To further entice you, the album’s first single, “Murder Weapon”, is available below, as well as the complete tracklisting. Tricky is currently performing across the UK during their many summer festivals, but no North American dates have currently been announced. We will keep you updated on any tour announcements, as I will be the first in line to purchase tickets.
Mixed Race Tracklist:
01. Every Day
02. Kingston Logic
03. Early Bird
04. Ghetto Stars
05. Hakim
06. Come To Me
07. Murder Weapon
08. Time To Dance
09. Really Real
10. Bristol To London
Tricky 2010 Tour Dates:
08/21 – Chelmsford, UK @ V Festival
08/22 – Staffordshire, UK @ V Festival
09/11 – Isle Of Wight, UK @ Bestival
