IN FEBRUARY,Massive Attack's 3D, also known as Robert Del Naja, was investigated about internet pornography. It was part of Operation Ore, the national police crackdown on child porn. After less than a month of looking through all of 3D's items at home, there were no charges brought against him and all his property was returned. It was understandably a very testing time for him but in the end it brought himself and other MassiveAttackmember Daddy G (aka Grant Marshall) back together. The last album,100thWindow, was almost entirely 3D's own work while his partner took time off for his family. But as with all friends the crisis eventually brought them closer together. Daddy G says: "I've known 3 D for 18 years and we have had our ups and downs. We've gone through a bit of a rough patch as friends and colleagues over the last two years. I didn't have much to do with the album. I hadalittle baby at the time and wanted to spend time with her as the nature of our business means that you never get to see them otherwise. Me and D have had a few musicalfallouts." But as the media machine rolled into motion over the accusations against 3D it was his old friend and band member that jumped to his defence. "I know this is ******** what they were writing about him. At that point, it was one of the lowest points of his life. We started talking again. I could see that he was having a really hard time. We have known each other for such a long time that I wasn't going to turn my back on him. In the face of adversity,I was going to stand by him, Massive or not. It's not really about that. "We got talking. We arebackon tour again and the future is looking a lot brighter than it has been. We are going to go back into the studio and make some music. The early part of this year was really bad but after the touring you would think that it was two different years. The tour is going well. `'At last,me and D are getting some communication together and it's all looking a lot more positive for this next album. I think the sun is going to come out for this next album." The pair alsobecamecloser by getting back on the road. They have just completed a big worldwide tour and the future is looking brighter. It was this touring though that was exactly what was needed to help with the reconciliation. Daddy G says: "When you are thrown into a situation where it is just you and your partner... there was me and D on tour and Angelo Bruschini, that was the Bristol core of the band. Me and D had literally not spent any time together in two years. Being in such close proximity has helped in a way to heal some of the wounds." The group a reheadlining Creamfields this year although according to Daddy G the idea of all this dance music does not fit with the band too easily.
He says: "We have never looked at ourselves as being a dance band as such. The music that we first started to make was anti-that really. When we started it was all rave and house and stuff like that. We came out with this sort of grave march music. Music for your head rather than your feet. But also because we have come from the Wild Bunch and Djing, people look at Massive Attackas an extension of that. Some of that ethos and those ideas came with us into the studio when we made the first studio album. Since then we have expanded on our ideas and sort of moved away from the dance thing really. "Subconsciously, people associate Massive Attack as coming from that (dance) genre. There is an affiliation to that genre obviously. I still DJ in dance clubs. I play music for people to dance to so I still have that idea of making people dance."
By Chris Brown