Bristol trip hop dons Massive Attack could be set to work with former MC Tricky once again.

From small acorns come mighty oaks. Back in the 80s, Bristol’s nightlife was ruled by the forward thinking soundsystem Wild Bunch whose number included both Massive Attack and Tricky.

Massive Attack’s dense production style was matched by Tricky’s half-spoken vocals. Whispering into the mic, The Tricky Kid - as he was then known - appears on the first two Massive Attack albums.

However cracks began to appear in the relationship and Tricky stopped working with the group in 1994. Deciding to use his songs for a solo project, the resultant album ‘Maxinquaye’ stands as one of the finest of the 90s.

Now, however, the twin giants of trip hop could be set to kiss and make up. In a new interview Daddy G claimed to have met Tricky, with relations between the two seeming to be fairly warm and open.

“Things seem like they’ve healed between us and Tricky,” the producer told BBC 6Music. “It’s been quite well documented how us and Tricky get on, hasn’t it?

“It’s not that well, but things have changed. Things have softened up. We saw Tricky a couple of weeks ago in Paris and it was quite an amicable meeting after five or six years.”

“I did actually ask Tricky to come on board for this album and there’s talk about him maybe coming on the next album,” Daddy G revealed.

The new cordiality with Tricky has allowed Massive Attack to recruit Martina Topley Bird for their new album ‘Heligoland’. “It was one of those things where we’ve always wanted to work with Martina because we’ve always thought she was amazing, but politically we never really approached her because of the Tricky situation,” Daddy G said.

Massive Attack are set to release their new album ‘Heligoland’ in February.

www.clashmusic.com 09/12/09