Massive Attack

Protection

First released1994

Protection, Massive Attack's third studio album, was recorded between 1993 and 1998 primarily at Miles Ahead Studios in Bristol, with additional sessions at other locations including The Blackmarket in London. The album was produced by Massive Attack themselves alongside producers including Trevor Horn, who contributed to the track "Man Next Door," and engineer Andrew Vowles, the group's core member. The production featured extensive use of sampling, analog equipment, and layered soundscapes, with the band experimenting with more introspective and atmospheric textures compared to their previous work. Recording took an unusually extended period due to the band's meticulous approach to arrangement and their pursuit of innovative production techniques, including manipulated vocals and unconventional instrumentation. The album marked a significant departure toward darker, more cinematic production aesthetics that influenced trip-hop's artistic evolution in the late 1990s.