Group Members:
Similar Artists:
- Formed: 1988, Bristol, England
- Genres: Electronica
- Representative Albums: "DJ-Kicks," "Retrospective," "Big World, Small World"
- Representative Songs: "Move You Run," "Closer," "Higher Dub"
Biography
Long before Bristol had become a recognized stronghold for downtempo trip-hop and spy-soundtrack dubs, the duo of Rob Smith and Ray Mighty teamed in the late '80s for two early breakbeat tracks, "Walk on By" and "Anyone Who Had a Heart." The anachronistic fusion of sophisticated Burt Bacharach productions with laidback hip-hop prefigured trip-hop's later fascination with the more polished end of '60s adult-pop. The pair also produced the Top Ten hit "Wishing on a Star" for the Fresh Fours, then signed with ffrr Records (who were looking for a production team with crossover abilities similar to Soul II Soul).The label later rejected both Smith & Mighty's debut album and several subsequent recordings -- claiming they were unsuitable for release -- so the duo formed their own label, More Rockers. Five years after their initial brush with major-label shenanigans, they released Bass Is Maternal. Smith & Mighty also worked on production for More Rockers signee Marxman, and released a volume in the
