Faithless

Faithless is an electronic group from London, England, formed in 1995 by Sister Bliss. The original line-up consists of vocalist and rapper Maxi Jazz, keyboardist and producer Sister Bliss, instrumentalist and vocalist Jamie Catto, and keyboardist and producer Rollo Armstrong. Their music is described by one band member as a cross between trip-hop and techno.

Line-up and collaborations

Jamie Catto leaves the group after the second album, Sunday 8PM, and later works with 1 Giant Leap. Rollo Armstrong’s sister Dido appears on several Faithless tracks and also works with the group as a guest singer. She features on “Flowerstand Man” from Reverence, “Hem of his Garment” from Sunday 8PM, “One Step Too Far” from Outrospective and “No Roots” from No Roots. For the 2004 album No Roots, Faithless are joined by rapper and vocalist LSK.

Rollo Armstrong also produces the second half of Dido’s debut album, No Angel, and is noted for a studio relationship involving synesthesia, in which sounds have colour.

Albums and releases

Faithless release five studio albums: Reverence, Sunday 8PM, Outrospective, No Roots and To All New Arrivals. The first three studio albums each have a remix album, while No Roots is followed by an instrumental version. They also release the compilation Forever Faithless, two DVDs, and Renaissance 3D, a three-CD compilation for the Renaissance series. That set includes a disc of club mixes current at the time, a disc of Faithless remixes and productions, and a chill-out disc.

To All New Arrivals is the fifth studio album and takes its name from the birth of two babies to Rollo and Sister Bliss. The Dance, released in 2010, becomes the group’s best-selling album in Europe, and later receives an expanded edition with a remix bonus disc titled The Dance Never Ends.

Live work and wider recognition

The group has a reputation for live performance and one of the DVDs showcases those shows. In 2002, a remix of “Taruntula” from Forever Faithless is used by the BBC as the theme for its World Cup coverage. Faithless tour through 2005, continue with summer festival appearances in 2006 including V Festival in England, and begin the UK Music Matters tour in early 2007. Maxi Jazz later announces that Faithless will cease to be, referring to the “Thank YOU And Goodbye” tour.