- Category
- CULTURE
- Where
- UK (on tour in North America)
- When
- Published Oct 13
Tricky on hashish and albums without singles
Tricky, known for his work on Massive Attack's early records, spoke to High Times. He talked about his first album under his own name in six years, released in July, about hashish, and about how he makes records.
Tricky is a musician from Bristol, England. He appeared on Massive Attack's records in the 1990s and went on to build his own dark, beautiful sound as a solo artist. On July 17 he released Different When It's Silent, his first album under his own name in six years, on his own label, False Idols.
The interview came out on October 13, as his North American tour, which began in September, was nearing its end. He calls the new record his first indie album and says it sounds close to alternative rock.
He speaks openly about smoking hashish and about it being part of his culture. His father was Jamaican, and he started smoking with him in his mid-teens. He also says that which strains suit a person depends on how they grew up.
His approach to making music stands out too. He makes an album as a whole and chooses singles only at the end, dropping songs that might have been radio hits if they do not fit the album. The lead track, "Out of Place," has no chorus, yet it made the A-list on BBC Radio 6 Music.
What draws us to Tricky's story is that he talks about cannabis not as a way to get high but as family memory and everyday culture. It connects with how he makes records, keeping the flow of an album even at the cost of a likely hit. Taking your time and taking in the whole is the feeling we want to keep when we write about cannabis culture.