Overhauling its own vast legacy, Sony Music announced a reissue of 'Flame' — a hidden gem of early trip-hop music created by the creative genius of Crustation.
Originally released in 1997, 'Flame' was one of the last works that Bristol trio came up with. At the same time, it's also one of their most powerful pieces: the main track, filled with a hazy vocal of Bronagh Slevin, is a twisted love song full of shuffling beats and inner groove. Crustation's approach to production and composition served as an inspiration to quite amazing remixes as well. Borderline Insanity Dub Mix and Mood II Swing Vocal Mix by influential and innovative house classics Mood II Swing are definitely the stand-out acts of the record, which sound as powerful and timeless as they were two decades ago.
The trio of producers known as Crustation were quite connected in the fertile Bristol trip-hop community — they played in bands with Portishead's Adrian Utley during the 1980s, and regularly hung out with Massive Attack and Smith & Mighty. They debuted in 1994 with two EPs for Cup of Tea Records (also the home of Monk & Canatella, Statik Sound System and Purple Penguin), and released their debut album Bloom in 1998.