Tricky’s 1995 album Maxinquaye has been remastered for a new reissue.
Out in October, the updated release features the full original album, as well as six new "reincarnated" versions of album tracks which were recorded by Tricky in 2022. You can listen to one of those reworks, ‘Pumpkin (Reincarnated)’, above.
The new release is rounded out by previously unreleased BBC session tracks recorded with a full live band in the autumn of 1995, as well as a recording of ‘Black Steel’ performed live at Glastonbury that same year and some additional rough monitor mixes. The digital version also includes all of the remixes from the original single releases, plus eight previously unreleased remixes, including one from Leftfield.
Commenting on his decision to rework some of the album’s tracks for this new release, Tricky said: "If you’re an artist or a musician and you look back at your old stuff, if you don’t think it’s dated then you’re either stood still or you’re satisfied with what you’ve done.
"I hadn’t listened to it for years! And ‘Aftermath’ was the obvious one to start with because that was my first release without any label. So it was like, ‘Okay, I’m not going to cover this.’ It’s almost like I just thought about that song and then ‘Aftermath Reincarnated’ – just how it should have sounded to me now. So I redid it as it should sound now. It’s not a cover, it’s a reminder."
Originally released in 1995, Maxinquaye is now considered a hallmark record of the trip hop genre. Featuring guest vocals from Martina Topley-Bird, Alison Goldfrapp, Ragga and Mark Stewart, it was Tricky’s debut album and was named after his late mother. The updated release of the album features new artwork in the form of a rare image of his mother. The image was recently discovered by Tricky’s cousin and is the only one that exists of him and her together.
Island will release Maxinquaye (Reincarnated) on October 13, 2023.
