Tricky talks going "indie" on new LP, The Specials, 'The Fifth Element,' more

This week we're talking to the one and only Tricky. Having come up in the '80s as part of Bristol, England's Wild Bunch Soundsystem, Tricky was a member of Massive Attack before going solo in 1995 with his iconic debut Maxinequaye. Thirty-one years later he's just released Different When It's Silent, the first proper Tricky album in six years which is also one of his best.

We talked with Tricky about how the album came to be, how his new manager Alan McGee played into that, how he considers this to be his first "indie" album, the new collaborators on this one including singer-songwriter Mitch Sanders and Bristol rapper Run Red Rambo, and his upcoming North American tour. Plus: how he feels about the term "trip hop" in 2026, why he doesn't act anymore, the influence of The Specials on his music and more.

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Credits:

Hosted & produced by Bill Pearis

Mixed and mastered by Nick Gray

Theme music by Michael Silverstein

photo: Steve Gullick