Solid Gold

Released 25 years ago, Massive Attack’s third album, ‘Mezzanine’, signalled the closing of a chapter for the influential Bristol electronic group, and the beginning of a new one for British music as a whole. Spliced with jagged post-punk guitars, their final album as a trio predicted an end-of-century turn for the dark and brooding at the twilight of the rave era

Neneh Cherry’s 1989 debut LP, featuring beloved tracks like ‘Buffalo Stance’ and ‘Manchild’, was the product of both a bohemian free thinker and a groundbreaking musical collective. Here, Ben Cardew explores how Cherry's introduction to the world told an an inspiring tale of collaborative creative freedom, and blazed a trail for the influential Bristol sound of the '90s

Brimming with intricate synth patterns and serpentine drums, ‘The Art Of Music’ is perhaps K-Hand's most straightforwardly beautiful and coherent recording. Its 10 tracks are minimal in their way, with little more to them than a handful of elements, but each layer is its own miniature work of art, honed to perfection. As part of our Solid Gold series, Ben Cardew remembers a standout album from Kelli Hand, a fiercely independent artist named the First Lady of Detroit by the city’s council

After six years of standalone productions and remixes, Ali “Dubfire” Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi’s 1998 debut LP as Deep Dish marked a transition for the duo, crafting a rock / house fusion that shouldn’t work — but, 25 years on, somehow does

Released in 1997, Drexciya's double-vinyl compilation 'The Quest' marked the duo's breakthrough onto a larger public stage, as well as their first, temporary, retirement. With liner notes that sharpened their Afrofuturist mythology into focus , it is also the record that cemented many fans' sonic liaison with the Detroit duo, following a series of 12" releases that perfected their musical ideas. Here, Ben Cardew reflects on a record that most perfectly encapsulates the style, grace, and range of James Stinson and Gerald Donald's project

Urban Tribe, aka Sherard Ingram (DJ Stingray 313), released 'The Collapse Of Modern Culture' in 1998. Enlisting a host of Motor City legends and stepping outside the restraints of tempo and genre, Ingram created a slice of future-proof ambience. Here, Jack Anderson explores the largely under-the-radar LP

Released in early 1998, Versailles duo Air’s debut album ‘Moon Safari’ was a gentle antidote to the wave of French Touch at the time. With an emphasis on melody and mood, it became a ubiquitous soundtrack to the end of the 20th century, and still sounds inspired today. Here, Ben Cardew explores its legacy

Mixing elements of jazz and ambient with drum & bass, LTJ Bukem’s now-classic 1996 release via Good Looking Records was a statement of intent, and remains one of the genre's most fulfilling and impactful releases to this day 

33 years after its release in 1989, Larry Heard’s debut album as Mr. Fingers is a profoundly moving document of timeless electronic music, brimming with tracks of unrivaled beauty from the then-young world of house

Manchester's Happy Mondays drew influence from funk, house, and psychedelia to pioneer the Madchester sound. Here, Ben Cardew explores the lasting legacy of their 1990 album, ‘Pills ’N’ Thrills And Bellyaches’, which dropped in the midst of the Baggy takeover, and defined an era

In 2002, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and DJ Viktor Duplaix debuted his entry for K7! Records DJ-Kicks series, blending some of the best broken beat of the era. Here, Ben Cardew explores the compilation's lasting legacy
 

Brooding and austere, Richie Hawtin’s third album under the Plastikman alias is a minimalist masterwork

Detroit saxophonist, producer, and vocalist Norma Jean Bell is responsible for some of house music’s most glorious moments, and has worked alongside the likes of Moodymann, K-Hand, Ron Trent and George Clinton. Her full-length opus, 'Come Into My Room', released in 2001, proved that she really is “the baddest bitch in this room”

Released on Tresor in 1992, Jeff Mills' debut LP ‘Waveform Transmission Vol. 1’ is a record that stands for repetition and filth, forged from wrought steel and imbued with scuffed-up funk. Here, 30 years after its release, Ben Cardew takes a deep dive into the sound, origins and legacy of an album that birthed a new breed of techno 

On 1996's ‘Let No-One Live Rent Free In Your Head’, Scottish singer, songwriter and producer Nicolette worked alongside 4Hero’s Dego, Plaid, Alec Empire and Felix to create an album that mixed jungle, trip-hop, industrial techno and avant-pop into a singular work full of sharp, incisive lyricism. Ben Cardew explores the legacy of the album, and its vision for the future of electronic music

‘Come With Us’ was the birth point of The Chemical Brothers 2.0, and it came at a vital time, with the dance music slump of the early '00s leaving many big electronic groups looking vulnerable. Here, on the 20th anniversary of the release of the album, Ben Cardew looks back at how 'Come With Us' reinvigorated their career