Massive Attack - Any Love (12" Larry Heard Mix)

Massive Attack - Any Love (Larry Heard Mix) / 12 Inch Extended Remix (HQ Audio)

"Any Love" was written by David "Hawk" Wolinski for Rufus & Chaka Khan's 1979 album Masterjam.

Wolinski was an American keyboardist, producer, and songwriter who became a member of Rufus in the late 1970s. He went on to write several songs for them, including their biggest hit, "Ain't Nobody."

In 1988, Massive Attack released a cover of "Any Love" as their debut single on their own label, Massive Attack Records.

It was a radical reworking, produced by Smith & Mighty, the Bristol-based production duo credited with inventing what would come to be known as the "trip-hop" genre, the signature sound of the prolific early-1990s Bristol scene.

Vocals for "Any Love" were provided by Carlton, a.k.a. Carlton McCarthy, who released three solo singles around the same time, also produced by Smith & Mighty. These made the UK Top 100 but not the Top 40.

Massive Attack formed out of the Bristol collective The Wild Bunch in 1988. Other members included founder Milo Johnson (a.k.a. DJ Milo), Claude Williams (a.k.a. Willy Wee), Tricky, Nellee Hooper, who would later produce Madonna, among others, and future Massive Attack members Robert Del Naja (a.k.a. 3D), Grant Marshall (a.k.a. Daddy G), and Andrew Vowles (a.k.a. Mushroom).

Neneh Cherry was close with The Wild Bunch, and Daddy G credits her with encouraging Massive Attack to start recording their early tracks. Cherry also provided vocals on Looking Good Diving by Morgan McVey in 1986, a track that formed the basis of her breakthrough hit Buffalo Stance. McVey would later become Massive Attack's manager.

The version of "Any Love" here is a remix by Chicago house pioneer Larry Heard, a.k.a. Mr. Fingers, or Fingers Inc. Heard was a jazz drummer who acquired a TR-909 drum machine and a Jupiter-6 synthesizer, using them to create Chicago house classics such as "Can You Feel It?" and "Mystery of Love" by recording his first jams into a cassette recorder.

That combination of classic analog equipment, live takes, and the use of magnetic tape gives Heard's sound a warmth rarely found in dance music beyond the 1990s.

He brings that same signature warmth, melodic groove, and simplicity to this remix of Massive Attack's debut single, elevating it with the classic Chicago sound that is both radio- and dancefloor-friendly.

Heard's sound is also a perfect foundation for Carlton's sweet-sounding vocal, recorded four years earlier.

This mix appears on the Massive Attack EP, which was released in 1992, shortly after Massive Attack had broken into the UK top 20 with Unfinished Sympathy and Safe from Harm.

The EP closed Massive Attack's Blue Lines album campaign and also includes remixes of "Hymn of the Big Wheel" by Nellee Hooper, "Be Thankful" by Paul Oakenfold, and a fourth track, "Home of the Whale."

It reached number 27 in the UK singles chart, the third in a run of eight Top 30 singles that established the band's unique sound and style.

Whilst not fitting neatly into any one genre, Massive Attack went on to become regular award winners, festival headliners, and political campaigners. They often feature in lists of all-time greatest singles, and albums, both in the UK, and abroad.

Year: 1992 Label: Wild Bunch Records Cat no: WBRX4