Since his early beginnings as a member of Bristol’s Wild Bunch collective at the start of the nineties, Tricky has continued to forge a path that’s very much his own, first emerging as a serious force on Massive Attack’s seminal ‘Blue Lines’ and ‘Protection’ albums before breaking away as a solo artist and crafting ‘Maxinquaye’, a trip hop high watermark that left a legacy that he’s seemingly spent the last two decades trying to cast off. In the years since, he’s appeared in cinema, collaborated with rock artists and launched his own label three times (Durban Poison, Brown Punk and now False Idols), whilst continuing to prolifically release albums that jump between an unpredictable range of styles. If last year’s ‘False Idols’ collection saw Tricky venturing out into more subtle loop-based grooves though, his latest tenth album ‘Adrian Thawes’ offers up what’s easily his most hard-edged, extroverted and club-oriented outing to date.
Cyclic Defrost: When an artist titles an album after their birth name, it often suggests that they consider the record to be their definitive statement, or perhaps their most personal and revealing work. Are either of those things applicable to Adrian Thaws?
Tricky: It’s not really more personal. My first album was Maxinquaye, my mum’s name, and I’ve come full circle since then. Now is the perfect time to call it Adrian Thaws because it’s a new chapter for me with False Idols. It’s me coming back to claim what’s mine. I’ve done a lot for this music industry. A lot of people sound like me and I’m still fairly underground. A lot of people have made money off me and my style of music. Some artists are doing stuff I did 15 years ago. Calling it trip hop, (a) stupid name and I keep moving.
Cyclic Defrost: As a longtime listener (since Aftermath) I’ve always found it difficult to predict what your next album was going to sound like, but it feels like Adrian Thaws is your most upbeat and hard-edged music yet – was this a deliberate approach?
Tricky: It’s just what I consider club music. It’s influences that I grew up with. It’s what I listened to when I was going to clubs as a kid. I don’t really go out to clubs anymore. DJs have this thing of being superstar DJs. Clubs are based around alcohol and drugs. When I was a kid you went out to listen to music. You didn’t expect DJs to play a certain set or a certain song. They played anything they thought was good. You learned something from the DJs. Now people just go out to see the superstar DJs rather than listening to the music. This album is what I consider club music. They are all on laptops now. DJs used to carry their own boxes of vinyl. They were knowledgable. It’s all bullshit now.
Cyclic Defrost: Whereas a lot of your previous album ‘False Idols’ felt more subliminal and downbeat, a lot of the new tracks feel more direct and in your face; was this something that you were consciously going for when you were writing the album?
Tricky: It’s anti pop music, anti money, and anti success. Artist don’t want to be outspoken about what’s going on in the world. The huge mainstream artists don’t want to go there because they won’t get their radio play. Some of these artists like their fame time. Warner own media and most of the music companies and they will shut you down.
Cyclic Defrost: Your last four albums have primarily featured vocal collaborations with newer / emerging artists, rather than established names. Are you keen to provide a launching point for new artists with your records?
Tricky: I meet people and if I like their vibe then we might record something together. Some people go out drinking, I socialise in the recording studio. With Blue Daisy we were on the tour bus last year and we ended up drinking whiskey, smoking weed and listening to music on the bus till five in the morning. I really liked the guy. I said you know what? My new album, come on it. I think it’s cool to bring in new people, to bring in people who no one’s heard of before. It shows that you’re an individual and not looking for success.
Cyclic Defrost: Can you describe what your home studio in London is like, and are you currently doing any production work for other artists?
Tricky: I’ve still got the same equipment I used years ago. I don’t go in to make a song. I go to have fun. I make music to relax. I’m at peace when I make music, so its not even like a recording process. I just play with different things. It’s always organic and natural. I don’t make music. Music makes me. I record at home and I might be there with a singer or an engineer. I don’t work late, because your ears get tired, so there is no stress when I work.
Cyclic Defrost: Do you find that it’s much easier to make and release records now that you have your own label False Idols, as compared to the old days of being signed to major labels?
Tricky: I thought Domino Records was the right place for me but as time went on it wasn’t working out. Now with my own label, I don’t have to answer to anybody. I do my records, mix when I want to mix, I don’t have to ask permission to mix and all that rubbish. I had to play demos to people when I was on Domino. So it’s about finally sorting out years of bad management. An artist is better off having no manager at all than a bad one causing damage. Now I’m more comfortable and I’ve sorted my head out. I want False Idols to be like the next Island Records. That’s a very big dream but it’s something to aim for even if it never happens. Finding the right people around me and signing the deal with !K7 has made my music stronger.
