The band was formed in 1993 by Tony Nwachukwu and Charlie Dark. Charlie Dark was a part time journalist and DJ and had been approached by James Lavelle to produce and engineer tracks for his Mo Wax record label.
Their first release, Vibes, Scribes and Dusty 45's Ep, contained the down tempo classic Contemplating Jazz. Featuring the vocals of third member Roba El-Essawy, Attica Blues' sound contained the trademark trip-hop aspects like heavy beats, vocals and deep dark atmospheres. They released a follow up album, Blueprint.
Attica Blues were also often solicited for remixing and producing.
After the Mo Wax album Blueprint, they released a second album, Test,Don't Test on Sony Records.
Medieval
Attica Blues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Anyway to escape
And leave it all behind
But the dense layer lingers on
With promised blue skies beyond
What once were rainbows
Now hazy shades of pastel grey
Circles ever viscious
Will I really ever live to tell the
Bitter tale of my quest?
Wandering through the corridors of time
I find wider divides
Primordial plans for a new day dawning
Without mourning
Past moons
That once shone on the ones that today
Left behind
Visionary dreams dissolve in our hands
Such potent potential for transcending
Dimensions
Do you pass or do you fail on the
Consciousness scale
Do your inhibitions lie in body or mind
Are you relying on that silver lining?
Bewitched
Bewildered
And
Begulied
I lie
Like the tornado's eye
Whilst all around you the madness swirls
Until drawn in
It hurls you high
And lets you fly for a while
But then it lets you fall
It lets you
It makes you
Fall...
The Attica Blues's song Medieval is a reflection on a personal struggle to escape a difficult situation. The lyrics describe the singer's journey through a maze of confusion and frustration, searching for a way out. The opening lines "Lost in mirrored labyrinths I strive to find, anyway to escape," evoke a sense of confusion and disorientation, highlighting the difficulty of finding clarity amidst chaos. The singer expresses a desire to leave everything behind and escape, but is held back by a dense layer that lingers on. The promised blue skies beyond are a symbol of hope, but the rainbow that once shone brightly is now replaced by hazy shades of pastel grey. The circles that they move through are viscous and unyielding, while contentment is ever-sparse.
The second stanza of the song introduces questions about the nature of existence and consciousness. The singer wanders through the corridors of time, finding wider divides and primordial plans for a new day dawning. They reflect on visionary dreams that dissolve in their hands, highlighting the transience of experience in the face of infinite potential. The song asks listeners to consider their place on the consciousness scale, and to question whether they are relying on a silver lining to get through difficult times. The final lines of the song describe the singer as bewitched, bewildered, and beguiled, lying like the eye of a tornado while madness swirls all around them. Despite the temporary reprieve of being hurled high and allowed to fly for a while, they ultimately fall, as the chaos of the world around them drags them down.
Line by Line Meaning
Lost in mirrored labyrinths I strive to find
I am struggling to find my way out of the confusing and repetitive paths of life.
Anyway to escape
I am trying to find any means to free myself from this situation.
And leave it all behind
I am determined to forget about everything that has happened before.
But the dense layer lingers on
Although I tried to move on, the memories of past experiences still haunt me.
With promised blue skies beyond
Despite the challenging situation, I still have hope for a better future.
What once were rainbows
The happy memories from the past.
Now hazy shades of pastel grey
These memories seem to have faded and lost their clarity over time.
Circles ever viscious
Life seems to be stuck in a never-ending cycle.
Content ever sparse
Happiness is scarce, and life appears to be unfulfilling.
Will I really ever live to tell the
I wonder if I will even survive to share the story of my struggles.
Bitter tale of my quest?
The negative experiences I faced on this journey and the difficulties I had to overcome.
Wandering through the corridors of time
Reflecting on past events and memories.
I find wider divides
As I look back, the differences between the past and present become more apparent.
Primordial plans for a new day dawning
Hopeful ideas and visions for a better future.
Without mourning
Without being weighed down by past failures and losses.
Past moons
The things that have happened before.
That once shone on the ones that today
Memories of happier times.
Left behind
But are now gone and remain only as memories.
Visionary dreams dissolve in our hands
The grand dreams and ideas we had are fading away, and it is becoming difficult to hold onto them.
Such potent potential for transcending
The immense possibility of surpassing our present circumstances.
Dimensions
The different levels or aspects of life.
Do you pass or do you fail on the
Will you succeed or give up?
Consciousness scale
The level of awareness and mindfulness in your life.
Do your inhibitions lie in body or mind
What is preventing you from achieving your goals? is it physical or mental barriers?
Are you relying on that silver lining?
Are you depending on hope to come through for you?
Bewitched
Overwhelmed by feelings of powerlessness.
Bewildered
utterly confused about what to do.
And
Begulied
Deceived by false promises or illusions, causing you to lose sight of reality.
I lie
I am still waiting with bated breath, trying to regain my sense of self.
Like the tornado's eye
Quietly observing the chaos around me.
Whilst all around you the madness swirls
As the world crashes around me, I try to maintain my balance.
Until drawn in
I am inevitably caught up in the chaos as well.
It hurls you high
In the midst of all the chaos, there might be moments of great heights.
And lets you fly for a while
During these moments, you may feel like you are soaring.
But then it lets you fall
However, as all things in life, it comes to an end.
It lets you
It makes you
Fall...
The cycle continues, and it's time to start again.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dj Palox
AWESOME tune, release, band, and paintings!! :D))) GOOD MUSIC NEVER GET OLD
Pascal Santoni
Attica is one of the best band I ever ear, thank you !!
Bus3204
Very Nice! I *JUST* discoverd this song a couple days ago, and can't stop playing it! The British music influence is so amazing that someone would get the idea to develop a trip-hop jam with a Medieval Shawm playing with the bassline!
Best Of Trip-Hop & Electronic
Nice tune, mix of breakbeat and medieval instruments :)
MrHumanracin
Love this tune, pity no new album from A B :(
solweintraub
une tuerie ce son !!!!!
monQsurlaKomod
I'm glad about that kind of positive & enlightened comments.. I listen to A.B at least once a week, for nearly 10 years..PEACE TO YOU
monQsurlaKomod
I can't write how I'm happy to read this kind of thing... Hope the video I've made reached the level of that sound. PEACE
MrHumanracin
Any chance of a new Attica Blues album?
Nathaniel Cole
Around the 01:15 this gets so sick