Massive Attack reissue DNA-embedded ‘Mezzanine’ in aerosol spray paint
Massive Attack‘s debut album, Mezzanine, turned 20 this spring, a musical milestone that the British group commemorated in an unconventional manner. Massive Attack observed the iconic record’s 20th anniversary by encoding Mezzanine in DNA, making for an unprecedented first in the context of modern day album storage. Massive Attack expressed that DNA encoding “could be an answer to the problem of archiving the increasing amount of information that the world is creating” at the time of the production’s conversion from digital audio file to DNA molecules.
Now, the album stored in the microscopic DNA strands gets an even more eccentric reissue: matte black DNA encoded spray paint, enclosed within an aerosol can. “It’s a creative way to store your back catalogue, although DNA-encoded spray paint is unlikely to be adopted by street artists seeking anonymity,” Massive Attack’s 3D, explains. Each of the aerosol cans contains an approximation of one million DNA encoded copies of the album.
The DNA spray paint precedes the more traditional special edition double CD re-release of Mezzanine, slated to arrive in November. A box set of three-colored vinyl will follow the CD set in December. Each remastered edition will feature exclusive and previously unreleased Mad Professor dub remixes, creating a novel listening experience, despite the record’s long venerated status. The three-part vinyl set will include an image book with pictures provided by Massive Attack members Robert Del Naja and Nick Knight, and will additionally arrive in a “heat sensitive box” that allows the sleeve color to change in response to different temperatures.
H/T: Mixmag
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