Smith & Mighty

Ashley Road

Rob Smith and Ray Mighty met in the band Sweat in the mid-1980s and bonded over drum machines and synthesizers. Their base for nearly 15 years was a studio on Ashley Road in St Pauls, Bristol, which Roni Size, Suv, DJ Krust and DJ Die also used. Smith told Ban Ban Ton that at a 1986 live set at the Apres Ski Party, Mark Stewart said it was brilliant and Tricky rapped over the tune on stage; Stewart later recorded vocals over it, released as "This Is Stranger Than Love" (Mute, 1987), with Smith and Mighty credited as producers.

They launched their own label, Three Stripe, in 1988 with "Walk On", a cover of Dionne Warwick's "Walk On By" with Jackie Jackson, and followed with "Anyone". They produced Massive Attack's first single, "Any Love", remixed Neneh Cherry's "Manchild" (a top five hit) and produced Fresh 4's "Wishing on a Star" (1989, UK 10). A major-label deal with FFRR followed, which Bristol Archive called disastrous, and they produced Carlton's The Call Is Strong (1990). The Steppers Delight EP (1992), including "Killa", was reportedly sped up by rave DJs, said to feed into jungle. Smith founded More Rockers in 1994.

Bass Is Maternal (1995) reached 35 on the Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart. A Radio 1 Essential Mix in November 1996 led to DJ-Kicks (1998, !K7). Big World Small World followed in 2000 (1999 on one source), Life Is... in 2002, the compilation Retrospective in 2004 and The Three Stripe Collection 1985-1990 in 2012. The Ashley Road Sessions 88-94, ten unreleased tracks, came out in 2018 on Punch Drunk and Tectonic to mark 30 years since "Walk On". Ray Mighty told the Vinyl Factory we didn't reach too high so we didn't fall too far, and a Ban Ban Ton piece says they laid the blueprint for drum and bass, dubstep and grime.