The duo influenced Massive Attack and Portishead, among others.

Trip-hop precursors Smith & Mighty will be releasing a compilation of their early works, The Three Stripe Collection 1985 – 1990 on Bristol Archives Records. Robert Smith and Ray Mighty, often working with vocalists such as Jackie Jackson, Krissy Kriss, MC Kellz and DJ Lynx, created a unique blend of dub, hip-hop, and house that innovated the “Bristol Sound”. They laid out the path that would bring Portishead, Tricky, and Massive attack to fame and set the scene for genres such as trip-hop and dubstep. As for Smith & Mighty themselves, that same level of success and recognition alluded them, with only a string of singles and a botched major label deal to their name during their creative peak.

The set, compiled by Robert Smith, who has been releasing music as RSD since he and Mighty split, will be available May 14th on double LP, CD, and digital.

Listen to the duo’s Burt Bacharach rework ‘Walk On’, which opens the compilation, below.