Photo by Nick Mac Pherson

Massive Attack have announced their 1st N. American tour in 4 years, in support of their latest studio effort, Heligoland. The N. American dates will kick off May 7th in Toronto, ON & will wrap a few weeks later at this year’s Sasquatch Festival in George, WA. The duo will play 2 shows in New York, Los Angeles & San Francisco with general on sale beginning March 5th (all dates after the jump).

After its February 9th release, Heligoland, debuted at #46 on the Billboard 200, marking the highest U.S. chart position of Massive Attack’s career. An all star cast joined founding members Robert Del Naja (3D) & Grand Marshall (Daddy G), which included Damon Albarn, Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval, Martina Topley-Bird, Elbow’s Guy Garvey & TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe.

“Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto remix)” | download

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“Girl I Love You (She Is Danger Remix)” | download

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Grab KiD COLA’s remix of “I Feel Better”, a track featured on Hot Chip’s brand new & 4th studio album, One Life Stand.

“I Feel Better (KiD COLA remix)” | download

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One of the Netherlands’ finest live-electro-acts is back with a new video. From the same director who brought you exploding youtube-hit “The Drum” & the wrecking sweaty reality of “Purple Cactus”, they now present you the stop motion extravaganza called “Grindin’”. This sequence of 4085 photo’s was patiently created by Nobody Beats The Drum’s VJ/visual artist Rogier van der Zwaag. If you want to see the director at work, check out The Making Of Grindin’ in which you can see the last shot footage of the maker before he was put in quarantine.

“Grindin’” | download

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“Grindin’” is also available on their Focus EP available now on Beatport.

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Having formed in late 2008 in the New York district of Queens, Freelance Whales burst on to the music scene late last year following some attention grabbing shows at CMJ festival, & the stateside release of their glowingly received debut, Weathervanes.

To call them multi-instrumentalists might be a little overdone. They’re really just collectors, at heart. Over the past 2 years, they’ve been collecting instruments, gathering harmonium, banjo, glockenspiel, synthesizers, guitars, bass, drums, & a waterphone in order to craft songs filled with interlocking rhythmic patterns, lush textural layering, & an engaged group-vocal energy designed to invite the human spirit to exit the body, if only for brief moments.

On March 22nd they’ll be releasing their debut single “Generator (Second Floor)” in the UK via Chess Club, the astute London label that in its brief history has already made a name for itself with the release of debut singles by Kurran & the Wolfnotes, Mumford & Sons and White Lies.

“Generator (Second Floor)” | download

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