British rapper Rodney Smith AKA Roots Manuva, who performed the vocals on the Dead Editors track found on the Ritual Spirit EP.
UK Release: 28th January (Ritual Spirit EP)
UK Highest Chart (Ritual Spirit EP): #2
Track Duration: 04:45
Formats: CD, Vinyl, Digital. View Discography Entry.
Written By: Robert Del Naja, Euan Dickinson, Rodney Smith and Herbie Hancock
Produced By: Robert Del Naja and Euan Dickinson
Vocals: Roots Manuva
Additional Vocals: Cold Specks
Mastered By: Tim Young
Mixed By: Bruno Ellingham
The basis for Dead Editors comes from the writing sessions for The UK Gold documentary soundtrack which 3D and Euan Dickinson produced during 2013 (but not released to the public until 2015). One half of the soundtrack was provided by Massive Attack while the other was from Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich of Radiohead. The instrumental version of Dead Editors (sans the Herbie Hancock sample in the EP version) was the final track of the soundtrack release. The term “Dead Editors” also comes from The UK Gold documentary which was about tax evasion in the City Of London.
In 2015, Massive Attack contacted alternative hip-hip producer Roots Manuva to lay down vocals for the track which they felt was strong enough to stand apart from its original soundtrack origins.
Canadian soul singer Cold Specks (Ladan Hussein) provided additonal backing vocals on Dead Editors.
Roots Manuva has worked with many artists int he electronic and alternative hip-hop scenes before his work with Massive Attack. Such bands include Leftfield, UNKLE, DJ Shadow, Gorillaz and Nightmares On Wax.
Canadian alternative soul singer Cold Specks (Ladan Hussein) was drafted in by Massive Attack to provide background vocals on Dead Editors. This is her first and so far only collaboration with Massive Attack so far.
The Ritual Spirit EP (which Take It There appears on) marks the first major release to bear the Massive Attack name to feature Euan Dickinson, who had previously worked as a studio engineer/programmer before being promoted to co-producer/writer alongside 3D when Neil Davidge left the band. Daddy G by contrast, much like he did with 100th Window, did not take part in the Ritual Spirit EP sessions.
A quick one minute instrumental version of Dead Editors was played as the opneing track at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland on the opening night (19th January) of the 2016 tour. It would also be its only appearance in live form for the rest of the 2016 tour.
Instrumental – A shortened instrumental version of Dead Editors was first released almost one year before the Ritual Spirit EP version of the track as part of The UK Gold soundtrack in February 2015. It is therefore likely that the genesis of the track was originally from the scoring sessions for the UK Gold documentary which happened in 2013.
Herbie Hancock pictured in the Massive Attack studio in March 2012 with Neneh Cherry. Herbie Hancock’s track “Watermelon Man” was sampled in Dead Editors.
Dead Editors uses a sample from the song “Watermelon Man†by jazz fusion artist Herbie Hancock. It appears primarily on his 1973 album Head Hunters. Massive Attack had previously used a Herbie Hancock sample before in Safe From Harm when they sampled his track “Chameleon”, which was also on his 1973 Head Hunters album.
Herbie Hancock actually visited the Massive Attack studio in 2012, presumably to work on new material with Massive Attack. While it appears he did not contribute directly in the writing of Dead Editors, the use of a sample of one of his songs is probably indicative that his studio visit with Massive Attack went well and the possibility of material from this session appearing in the future cannot be discounted.
Dead Editors first appeared in instrumental form on the 2015 soundtrack to The UK Gold documentary.
Conveying myMy swaying tieConveying myThat’s way insideTapestryI see tapestryI see tapestryCooling tapestryFlashing light yearsFlashing light yearsWhat would it take to get back to the blacknessUp there out thereWanna gonna be like starsConstellations in installations of my fixation of so sensational ohWhat would it take to knowWith a viewing of the night skyTaking a peep at the historyMessages in the mysteryFurther to what the eye may seeEye to eye with these reasoningsMore to gain from than leaving inBut on the low now we leave it inWashing away that dependencyWho the wheres and the why forA cause to live or to die forWe all search for some kind of truthHurt will make it inclined to beType or type for self righteousCool and pure with no hype justBlack before and behind usNature might remind usFear for fear but where time livesSecretly with those eyelidsAll for one with one irisBlack before and behind usNature might remind usFear for fear but where time livesSecretly with those eyelidsAll for one with one irisFlashing light yearsFlashing light yearsFlashing right hereFlashing light yearsNumb to the point these timelinesKnowing that the time liesBefore and ahead of usLose your head then head it upJust now we get perspectiveDeep love for the unexpectedThat special request isMade for the soul investmentsThe bank of all these fortunesJust can’t be exhaustedThose infinite resourcesJust don’t need to force itThe work is where the force isTransport for sport isAmongst and beyond itThe seekers and the findersSure as death can find usOne inside the tapestryFlashing light yearsFlashing light yearsFlashing right here