Smith & Mighty

Smith & Mighty

Smith & Mighty are a Bristol-based group active since 1987, made up of Rob Smith, Ray Mighty and Peter D. They are associated with trip-hop, dub, downtempo, electronic and chillout, and are regarded as part of the early Bristol scene that helps shape those styles.

Early recordings

In the late 1980s, Rob Smith and Ray Mighty record two early breakbeat tracks, “Walk on By” and “Anyone Who Had a Heart”. These combine Burt Bacharach songs with a laidback hip-hop approach, anticipating the later use of polished 1960s pop material within trip-hop.

The duo also produce “Wishing on a Star” for the Fresh Fours, which reaches the Top Ten.

Record labels and releases

Smith & Mighty sign to ffrr Records, which looks for a production team with crossover appeal. Their debut album, and several later recordings, are rejected by the label as unsuitable for release. In response, they set up their own label, More Rockers.

Five years after their first major-label problems, they release Bass Is Maternal. Two years later, they follow it with Big World, Small World. In 1998, they release a volume in the DJ-Kicks series.

Other work

Smith & Mighty also produce for Marxman, who are signed to More Rockers. Rob Smith also records with the trip-hop trio Jaz Klash.