The Prodigy's Keith Flint
Photo: Jo Hale/ Getty Images

We couldn't get enough of them. Their songs were our soundtrack, and we laughed, danced, cried and loved along with them. They flashed across our radio and TV burning brightly... but where have they been lately? As you'll find out in this regular feature, sometimes the stories behind your favorite songs are more interesting than the hits themselves.

It was the mid 1990s, grunge was on the wane and the boy-band/girl-singer explosion was still on the horizon. Into the void came an undergreound genre of dance music dubbed "electronica" that had been bubbling up since the late-1980s rave scene in England. It was hyped in the U.S. as the next big thing and suddenly, for a lot of music fans, guys in flannel swinging dented guitars were out and faceless, pasty studio rats wearing flashlight eyeglasses and punching buttons on keyboards and computers were in.

For a few years there, electronica and techno gave a generation of geeky bedroom rock stars a chance to play to thousands of glow-stick waving fans, but the dance didn't last long, as U.S. — and much of the rest of the world's — taste again turned to the good ol' staples of teen pop, guitar rock and hip-hop.

So, whatever became of acts like Leftfield, Autechre, Roni Size, Aphex Twin, Orbital and the Future Sound of London? For the most part, they returned to their roots as club DJs and underground dance acts, releasing mix CDs, playing clubs and remixing other artists. Or, in the case of the Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim, they kept pumping out albums with the occasional crossover hit. We tracked down the latest intel on what became of some of the genre's biggest stars.

Who: The Prodigy

Biggest hit: "Firestarter"

Why do I know that name?: Even more than electronica stars the Chemical Brothers, the Prodigy were touted as the "band" that could possibly break the genre wide open. With provocative Mohawked and nose-ringed maniac Keith Flint as its frontman — a rarity in the anonymous electronica world — the group had a high-energy live show that verged on punk rock with a drum machine. It was all fueled by the massive breakbeat and old-school hip-hop sampling of producer Liam Howlett, who was joined in the group by dancer Leeroy Thornhill and MC Maxim Reality. After scoring a British #1 with its second album, 1995's Music for the Jilted Generation, the group gained international stardom in 1997 with the #1 U.S. and U.K. debut of The Fat of the Land, which featured the signature hits "Firestarter" and the controversial "Smack My Bitch Up." After an extended period of inactivity, Thornhill split in 2002 and Maxim and Flint were largely absent from 2004's attempted comeback album, Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, which featured vocals from Oasis' Liam Gallagher and actress-turned-singer Juliette Lewis.

What now?: A greatest-hits collection, Their Law: The Singles 1990-2005, was released earlier this year and went platinum in the U.K. The band — now Maxim, Liam, Keith, a guitarist and a drummer — have played some sporadic U.S. dates in support of the two-disc set, with a pair of West Coast shows scheduled for November. According to a spokesperson, Prodigy are working on a new album due next year for a yet-undetermined label.

Who: Tricky

Biggest hit: "Christiansands"

Why do I know that name?: A former member of the Wild Bunch (which mutated into Massive Attack), Tricky rapped on MA's genre-defining 1992 Blue Lines album before he broke out with his 1995 debut, Maxinquaye, which is still considered one of the standard-bearers of the trip-hop movement. The murky album of gravely vocals and narcotic R&B had an underlying menace that was hard to pin down and would become Tricky's sonic signature. Featuring the vocals of female singer Martina, who helped reinvent Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos," the album turned Tricky into an instant electronica star. He went on to release a full album collaboration with the horrorcore U.S. rap group the Gravediggaz later that year and followed in 1996 with Nearly God, on which he worked with artists such as Björk and Neneh Cherry. He released another well-received album, Pre-Millennium Tension, later in 1996, and did remixes for everyone from Garbage to Yoko Ono to Elvis Costello. He recorded an album, Juxtapose, with Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs and Ruff Ryders' Grease in 1999. The guest-heavy BlowBack dropped in 2001 to tepid response, despite cameos from the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis and John Frusciante and Live's Ed Kowalczyk.

What now?: Tricky released the stripped-down album Vulnerable in 2003 and appeared alongside Nick Nolte in the 2004 film "Clean." According to his Web site, he's finishing work on his directorial film debut, "Brown Punk," due in 2007, and producing new acts on his Brown Punk label.

Who: Goldie

Biggest Hit: "Timeless"

Why do I know that name?: A hybrid of a hip-hop menace with his gold teeth and rave superstar thanks to his magnetic stage persona, former breakdancer Goldie was the first big star of the electronica offshoot of jungle, which was centered on a speedy drum'n' bass sound. His 1995 debut, Timeless, opened with the trippy 20-minute epic of the same name, one of several stretched out, dark jams on the album. His 1998 follow-up SaturnzReturn was an ambitious two-disc set that featured the record-breaking nearly hour-long song "Mother."

What now?: After releasing a few mix CDs, Goldie has remained a fixture on the DJ scene around the world, but has retreated from releasing new albums under his name.

Who: Underworld

Biggest hit: "Born Slippy"

Why do I know that name?: Singer Karl Hyde and guitarist Rick Smith got together in the early 1980s and released two marginally successful albums as Underworld before finally hitting it big in 1993 after recruiting techno DJ Darren Emerson into the fold. The trio's combination of trancey groove and hard-hitting breakbeats layered with jagged guitars and more pop-oriented vocals spawned the classic hit "Born Slippy," which appeared on the soundtrack to "Trainspotting." The group, which also had a graphic-design firm called Tomato that did remix work for Björk and Depeche Mode and commercials for Nike and Pepsi, never again reached the heights of the ubiquitous "Born Slippy," releasing the live album Everything, Everything in 2000, after which Emerson split to return to his life as a DJ. The duo of Smith and Hyde released their first album as a two-piece in more than a decade, A Hundred Days Off, in 2002.

What now?: Hyde and Smith have voluntarily retrenched over the past few years, concentrating on their online "Riverrun Project," which debuted in 2005 as a series of download-only "packages" of music and digital photos, featuring the song suites "A Lovely Broken Thing," "Pizza for Eggs" and June's "I'm a Big Sister, and I'm a Girl, and I'm a Princess, and This Is My Horse." The pair have also collaborated with composer Gabriel Yared on the score for Anthony Minghella's upcoming film "Breaking and Entering," which stars Jude Law, Juliette Binoche and Robin Wright Penn. They're also scoring the new film from "Trainspotting" director Danny Boyle, "Sunshine." In addition to live broadcasts from their studio, the duo are also working on a new album.

Past Where Ya Been? Artist Profiles:

• "Where Ya Been? Grunge Edition: Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, Mudhoney"
• "Marvelous 3 Now Down To One, SWV End 10 Years Of Resting Their Voices"
• "Sammie Graduating To Comeback, Third Eye Blind Can See Clearly Now"
• "Vitamin C Juicing Up A Comeback, Fastball Heading Back To The Mound"
• "Dream Wake Up, 'Sex' Burns Marcy Playground"

• Electronica: Where Ya Been?

• The Prodigy
• Tricky
• Goldie
• Massive Attack

The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne
Photo: Jim Dyson/Getty Images

The annual Austin City Limits Festival unveiled its lineup for this year's edition, and it might just be the only place you'll find Irish soul legend Van Morrison sharing a stage with modern R&B astronauts Gnarls Barkley, or classic rocker Tom Petty on the same bill as rock revivalists the Raconteurs.

With more than 100 acts on the bill for the three day blow-out (September 15-17) at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas, the festival has its usual allotment of something for everyone, including sets from the Flaming Lips, Matisyahu, Massive Attack, John Mayer, Ben Harper, the Shins, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, the New Pornographers, Nada Surf, String Cheese Incident, Feist, Phoenix, Goldfrapp, Ween, the Stills, Kings of Leon, Matt Costa and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists.

"Talent, breadth, and depth. That's what ACL is about — seeing someone that you'll never hear on the radio, or discovering someone new," said one of the event's co-producers Charlie Jones, in a statement. This year's edition will feature 130 bands playing on eight stages.

Also on the roster, according to event organizers: Iron & Wine, Aimee Mann, the Tragically Hip, Gomez, Wolf Parade, Stars, Guster, Sparklehorse, KT Tunstall, Cat Power and the Memphis River Band, Los Lonely Boys, Thievery Corporation, Kasey Chambers, Matt Nathanson, Galactic, Okkervil River, the New Orleans Social Club, Calexico, Son Volt, Explosions in the Sky, Deadboy & the Elephantmen, the Secret Machines, Brazilian Girls, I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, Los Amigos Invisibles, Murder by Death, Ben Kweller, G. Love & Special Sauce, Damien Rice and the Long Winters.

• Raconteurs
• The Flaming Lips
• Gnarls Barkley
• Tom Petty
• John Mayer

Massive Attack's frontman Robert Del Naja (a.k.a. 3D)
Photo: Virgin

Internet child pornography charges against Massive Attack's frontman Robert Del Naja (a.k.a. 3D) have been dropped because of insufficient evidence, British police said in a statement.

Del Naja was arrested February 25 as part of Operation Ore, the Internet sting in England that nabbed the Who's guitarist Pete Townshend and over 1,500 others who used credit cards to pay for access to child pornography sites (see "Pete Townshend Arrested In Child Porn Investigation").

Shortly after he was arrested, the artist issued the statement, "I have never looked at child pornography in my life. I am fully cooperating with the police and I would ask everyone not to judge me prematurely."

During the investigation, detectives seized computer equipment and a quantity of suspected drugs from Del Naja's home in Avon and Somerset, England, police said. His computer gear has been returned, but he remains on police bail for allegations of possession of a controlled drug, according to the statement.

Before being fingered in the porn probe, De Naja and Blur vocalist Damon Albarn teamed up to publicly protest the military campaign in Iraq (see "U.K. Artists Sign Petition Opposing Invasion Of Iraq").

Massive Attack's latest album 100th Window was released February 11. The group is currently in Japan, and will begin a European tour April 8. The tour will run through July 24.

• Massive Attack
• The Who
• Blur

Massive Attack's Robert "3D" Del Naja
Photo: Virgin

Amidst a continuing international crackdown on child pornography, Massive Attack leader Robert "3D" Del Naja was detained and questioned by British police for six hours on Tuesday. Del Naja, 36, was arrested and his computer seized, along with an unspecified amount of illicit drugs during a raid.

After posting bail, the Del Naja denied viewing child pornography, saying in a statement, "I have never looked at child pornography in my life. I am fully cooperating with the police. I have total faith in the justice system. I abhor child pornography and child abuse in all its forms."

While, because of British law, police did not name Del Naja as the person arrested, nor did it specify that the pornography was child-related, a media relations spokesperson for the Avon and Somerset Constabulary confirmed in a statement that, "A man in his 30s from Bristol, [England,] was arrested in connection with allegations of the possession of class A drugs and Internet porn offences." Under British law, suspects under arrest are not immediately charged, and some are released with no charge.

Police also did not specify what drugs were confiscated in the raid, but illicit substances classified as class A in England include ecstasy, cocaine, methadone, heroin and LSD.

Del Naja is out on bail pending further inquiries, said Avon and Somerset spokesperson Wayne Baker, who added that he was not aware of any connection between Del Naja's arrest and that of Who guitarist Pete Townshend. The Who leader was similarly questioned in early January after admitting to viewing child pornography while doing research for his autobiography (see "Pete Townshend Arrested In Child Porn Investigation").

At the time of his arrest and questioning, Townshend said, "I do not want child pornography to be available on the Internet anywhere at any time." Townshend was nabbed as part of Operation Ore, a British child pornography investigation that has resulted in the arrest of more than 1,300 people in England, including teachers, judges, doctors, care workers, soldiers and over 50 cops, according to the U.K. newspaper The Guardian (see "Pete Townshend Released On Bail, Expected To Undergo Further Questioning").

Operation Ore is the English response to Operation Avalanche, a U.S. Justice Department crackdown on over 250,000 suspected pedophiles around the world. That investigation was launched almost a year ago, and targeted subscribers to the world's largest Internet child porn network, which was run by a Texas couple who were jailed last year. Baker would not comment on whether Del Naja’s arrest was part of Operation Ore.

The arrest of outspoken anti-war and anti-nuclear protester Del Naja comes on the heels of the release of Massive Attack’s fourth album, 100th Window, which debuted at #1 in the U.K. The group is scheduled to begin a tour of Australia and New Zealand on March 7; it is unknown how, or if, the arrest will affect the tour schedule.

• Massive Attack

With just under two weeks until the Grammys, it's time to start revisiting the songs that were the most popular — and by extension, the most grating — last year. And what better way to jog your memory than the Grammy Nominees 2003 album?

The disc includes Pink's "Get the Party Started," Britney Spears' "Overprotected," Avril Lavigne's "Complicated," Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why," Eminem's "Without Me," Nelly's "Hot in Herre," 'NSYNC's "Girlfriend" and Nickelback's "How You Remind Me."

On the other end of the spectrum are new releases from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Massive Attack. Cave's Nocturama comes two years after No More Shall We Part and features, among other tormented songs, a 14-minute "Babe, I'm on Fire." Meanwhile, following a five-year absence, Massive Attack return with 100th Window. The album offers the standard soaring Massive Attack sound, but this time with the addition of Sinead O'Connor on "What Your Soul Sings" and "A Prayer for England."

John Mayer's live Any Given Thursday shares shelf space with cheeky Supergrass' fourth album, Life on Other Planets.

And finally, the Ramones tribute album We're a Happy Family features the second all-star lineup of the week. Rob Zombie takes on "Blitzkrieg Bop," Marilyn Manson interprets "The KKK Took My Baby Away," Green Day and the Offspring weigh in with their versions of "Outsider" and "I Wanna Be Sedated," respectively. U2 sings "Beat on the Brat," while the Red Hot Chili Peppers tackle "Havana Affair."

As for the rest of this week's releases — hey, ho, let's go ...

Out Tuesday, February 11:

• David Ackles - American Gothic (Collector's Choice)
• Alathea - What Light Is All About (Rocketown)
• Paul Anka - Absolutely the Best: The 70s (Varese)
• Atom and his Package - Attention! Blah Blah Blah (Hopeless)
• The Bad Plus - These Are the Vistas (Columbia)
• Baka Beyond - East to West (Narada World)
• Bass Hit - Bass Re-Loaded (Neurodisc)
• Bloody Mary - Day of Resurrection (Danger)
• Boulevard Knights - Boulevard Knights (Familia)
• Kenny Brown - Stingray (Fat Possum)
• Michael Bublé - Michael Bublé (143/Reprise)
• C-Bo - West Coast Mafia: Chopped and Screwed (West Coast Mafia)
• Rodney Carrington - Nut Sack (Capitol)
• Karan Casey - Distant Shore (Shanachie)
• Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Nocturama (Anti/Epitaph)
  Read: "Nick Cave Delivers More Tales From The Dark Side"
  Buy Now: Nocturama (Anti/Epitaph)
• Chevelles - Girl God (Zip)
• Coachwhips - Get Yer Body Next Ta Mine (Narnack)
• Corporation 187 - Perfection in Pain (Wicked World)
• Data 80 - Data 80 (EFA/Caroline)
• Debbie Davies - Key to Love: A Tribute to John Mayall (Shanachie)
• Dr. Demento - Hits From Outer Space (Laugh.com)
• Duke - 21st Century Man (produced by Eddy Grant) (Ice)
• Tim Easton - Break Your Mother's Heart (New West)
• Eightball and MJG - On Top of the World (Draper)
• DJ Envy - The Desert Storm Mixtape: Blok Party Vol. 1 (Desert Storm/Epic)
• Fabulous Disaster - Panty Raid (Pink & Black)
• John Fahey - Red Cross (Revenant)
• Five Way Friday - Wrecked (Redeye)
• Flatline - Dead Man Walking (Thug City)
• Matt Flinner Quartet - Walking on the Moon (Compass)
• Fo Clips - Just Be Thankful (Danger)
• Foys Boys - My Life My Hustle (Dog Team)
• Funk Porcini - Fast Asleep (Ninja Tune)
• Further Seems Forever - How to Start a Fire (Tooth & Nail)
• Jeffrey Gaines - Toward the Sun (Artemis)
• Vince Gill - Next Big Thing (MCA Nashville)
• Girls in the Club - Girls in the Club (Downsouthrap.com)
• Grade 8 - Grade 8 (Lava/Atlantic)
• Hall & Oates - Do It for Love (U-Watch)
• John Hammond - Ready for Love (Back Porch)
• Stefon Harris - The Grand Unification Theory (Blue Note)
• JoJo Hermann - Defector (Fat Possum)
• Hexstatic - Solid Steel Mix (Ninja Tune)
• Holland - Photographs & Tidal Waves (Tooth & Nail)
• Jackpot - Bone-Ville (Future Farmer)
• Jackstraw - Jackstraw (High Horse)
• Kingzmen - Not of this World (Holy Hip Hop)
• Kissing Chaos - Enter With a Bullet (Fueled by Ramen)
• DJ Krush - The Message at the Depth (Red Ink)
• Patty Larkin - Red = Luck (Vanguard)
• Erik Larson - The Resounding (Small Stone)
• Kenny Lattimore/Chante Moore - Things That Lovers Do (Arista)
• Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Hearts of Oak (Lookout!)
• Lil Mac - From the Cracks to the Stacks (Lock Down)
• Madder Mortem - Deadlands (The End)
• Madhouse - Holiday (Radikal)
• Massive Attack - 100th Window (Virgin)
  Buy Now: 100th Window (Virgin)
• John Mayer - Any Given Thursday (Sony)
• John McCusker - Goodnight Ginger (Compass)
• My Sick Friends - Simple (Hapi Skratch)
• Willie Nelson - Crazy: The Demo Sessions (Sugarhill)
• Gary Numan - Scarred: Live at Brixton Academy (2 CDs, Eagle)
• Erlend Oye - Unrest (Source/Astralwerks)
• Pacifier - Pacifier (Arista)
• Pumpkinhead - A Beautiful Mind (EP, Third Earth)
• Rae - Rae (Relentless)
• Rapture - Songs for the Withering (Century Media)
• Rush - The Spirit of Radio: 1974-1987 (Universal)
• Rusty Humphries - Bomb Iraq (Laugh.com)
• Joshua Ryan - By Design (System)
• Sanctus Real - Say It Loud (Sparrow)
• Slater - Can You Feel Me (T.O.P.)
• Stephan Smith - The Bell (Synchronic)
• Socialburn - Where You Are (Elektra)
• Sofia - Sofia (Big Sur)
• Spiv - Don'tcha Know (Pop Sweatshop)
• Tammy Faye Starlite & the Angels of Mercy - Used Country Female (Diesel Only)
• Miriam Stockley - Second Nature (Narada)
• George Strait - For the Last Time: Live from the Astrodome (MCA Nashville)
• Strapping Young Lad - SYL (Century Media)
• Supergrass - Life on Other Planets (Island)
  Read: "Supergrass Get Thrown For A L.O.O.P, Party With Skanks"
  Buy Now: Life on Other Planets (Island)
• Tech N9ne - Anghellic (MSC)
• Troika - Kingdom of the Sun (Narada)
• Twelfth Gate - Summoning (Crash Music)
• Paul van Dyk - Global (Mute)
• Vexers - The Vexers (Ace Fu)
• Cosmo Vitelli - Clean (Astralwerks)
• Viva - Blanksidesongs (Pitch a Tent)
• Otto Von Schirach - Chopped Zombie Fungus (Schematic)
• Voodou - Your Basic Evil Black Squadron (Underground Inc.)
• Doc Watson - Then and Now (Tomato)
• Carol Welsman - The Language of Love (Savoy Jazz)
• Yanni - Ethnicity (Virgin)
• Various artists - The American Song-Poem Anthology: Do You Know the Difference Between Big Wood and Brush (Bar/None)
• Various artists - "Ash Wednesday" soundtrack (Koch)
• Various artists - Buenos Aires Cafe (Narada)
• Various artists - Duck Down Records Presents: Collect Dis Edition (Duck Down)
• Various artists - Global Hits 2003 (Motown)
• Various artists - Grammy Nominees 2003 (Rhino)
• Various artists - Motown Soul Jams Vol. 1 (Motown)
• Various artists - Oil: Chicago Punk Refined (Thick)
• Various artists - Rollin on Dubs (Thump)
• Various artists - The Songs of Hank Williams Jr.: A Bocephus Celebration (Warner Bros./Curb)
• Various artists - Tribute to Bob Marley (K-Tel)
• Various artists - We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to the Ramones (DV8/Columbia)
  Read: "Garbage Give Ramones Electro Sheen While Manson Moans, Marches"
• DVD: Various artists - "Pass the Mic!" (Image Entertainment)
• DVD: The Gathering - "In Motion" (Century Media)
• DVD: John Mayer - "Any Given Thursday" (Columbia)
• DVD: Jane Monheit - "Live at the Rainbow Room" (N-Coded)

March 4:

• Cursive - Ugly Organ (Saddle Creek)
• Fabolous - Street Dreams (Elektra)
  Buy Now: Street Dreams (Elektra)
• Hootie & the Blowfish - Hootie & the Blowfish (Atlantic)
  Buy Now: Hootie & the Blowfish (Atlantic)
• Lil' Kim - La Bella Mafia (Atlantic)
  Buy Now: La Bella Mafia (Atlantic)
• Special Goodness - Land Air Sea (Control Group)
• Voivod - Voivod (Navarre)
  Read: "Jason Newsted Says His New Band Can Kick Metallica's Ass"

March 11:

• Various artists - Punk Goes Acoustic (Fearless)

March 18:

• Buzzcocks - Buzzcocks (Merge)

March 25:

• Celine Dion - One Heart (Sony)
• Linkin Park - Meteora (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Linkin Park Discuss Meteora, Plan Surreal Video"

• Nick Cave
• Massive Attack
• John Mayer
• Supergrass
• Paul Van Dyk

Blur's Damon Albarn and Dave Rowntree
Photo: MTV

Massive Attack's Robert "3D" Del Naja wants nothing to do with a potential military attack.

Del Naja joined Blur/Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn and producer extraordinaire Brian Eno (U2, David Bowie) in signing a petition that voices opposition to British involvement in a military strike on Iraq, according to a spokesperson for the Campaign for Nuclear Development.

The document was delivered to 10 Downing Street, home to the office of Prime Minister Tony Blair, on Wednesday.

"Under the present circumstances, we believe an invasion of Iraq would be unjustifiable and could have potentially horrific ramifications," the petition reads. "It would open a Pandora's box which may be impossible to close. ... We urge the British government to announce that it will not support any military assault being planned by the U.S.A. and will listen to both world opinion and the clear views of its own electorate."

Albarn and Del Naja, who have designed and placed ads in the U.K. weekly New Musical Express intended to raise awareness to the issue of Britain's participation in a U.S.-led attack on Iraq, have sided with the CND and the Stop the War coalition. The organizations are staging an anti-war demonstration in London on September 28.

• Massive Attack
• Blur
• Brian Eno

Britney Spears, 'NSYNC, Pink and Smash Mouth scored two nominations each for Nickelodeon's 15th Annual Kids' Choice Awards, scheduled for April 20 at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Aaron Carter, Lil' Bow Wow, Lil' Romeo, Usher, Backstreet Boys, Destiny's Child, Dream, Baha Men, Creed and Sugar Ray are also nominated (MTV's parent company, Viacom, also owns Nickelodeon). ... Rapper, No Limit CEO and pro hoopster Master P will serve as the Commissioner of Basketball for the third annual T.J. Martell B-Ball Classic, taking place April 25 at New York's Basketball City courts. Ten teams composed of celebrities, former pro players, music industry execs and artists will compete in a tournament to benefit leukemia, cancer and AIDS research. ... P, his son Lil' Romeo and his brother Silkk the Shocker joined Mya and members of the New York Fire Department in a Los Angeles studio last week to record "United We Sing," a charity single written by Nile Rodgers (Madonna, Elton John) and produced by Full Force ('NSYNC, Britney Spears) for the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund created to benefit the children and spouses of September 11 victims. India.Arie, Hootie & the Blowfish's Darius Rucker and others will work on the single, which is due in May, at a second session in New York City this month. ...

Grammy-winning rapper Will Smith is now an award-winning author. "Just the Two of Us," the picture book based on his song lyrics and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, won the NAACP Image Award last week for Outstanding Children's Literary Work. ... Solange, lil' sis of Beyoncé Knowles and sometime fill-in member of Destiny's Child, headlines the Young Pop Power Tour, which kicks off March 10 at the North Riverside Mall in North Riverside, Illinois. Swedish youngsters Play and 18-year-old singer Devin ("Big Momma's House" soundtrack) are also aboard the free traveling fun show, which aims to hit shopping centers all across these United States. ... Sugar Ray covers Steve Miller Band's "Abracadabra" and Uncle Kracker takes a shot at Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" on the soundtrack for "Clockstoppers," which also features album cuts from Blink-182, Third Eye Blind, Nickelback, Lit, A Simple Plan and others. The record comes out March 26 on Hollywood Records. ...

Jill Scott, Bilal and Black Thought are among the dozens of guests on the debut solo album from the Roots' beatboxer Scratch. Due June 4, The Embodiment of Instrumentation features a who's-who of Philadelphia's underground hip-hop and soul scenes performing along to Scratch's self-described "vocal turntablism." ... Sinead O'Connor will appear on two tracks on British trip-hop act Massive Attack's follow-up to 1998's Mezzanine. The as-yet-untitled album is due in the fall. ... Gorillaz producer Dan "the Automator" Nakamura, DJ Swamp (Beck) and producer Damon Elliott (Destiny's Child, Pink) appear on Electric Lotus, a compilation released March 5 of goa trance, a spiritual form of dance music. The style's founder, Baba G, also appears. ...

The Ice Man boxeth — Vanilla Ice will get into the ring with "Diff'rent Strokes" star Todd Bridges ("Willis") for Fox's "Celebrity Boxing." The show will air March 13 at 9 p.m. ET. ... The Offspring and Social Distortion will perform at Tony Hawk's Boom Boom HuckJam April 27 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Hawk will skate at the event, which also feature other top boarders, bikers and motocross riders. ... Warped Tour staples Mighty Mighty Bosstones will release their seventh album, A Jackknife to a Swan, on SideOneDummy Records on July 9. "Having spent as many years as we have inside the corporate stem and fighting it from all directions, it's nice to be in a house where the owners of that house understand who we are and let us call it home," singer Dicky Barrett wrote on the label's Web site. ...

Busta Rhymes said he plans to spend spring promoting Rulership Movement, the latest Flip Mode Squad album due in June, along with his latest film, the eighth installment of the "Halloween" series. Rhymes is also scheduled to being shooting "Narc," a "corrupt-cop film" co-starring Ray Liotta. ... Poison will have "Nothin' But a Good Time" on the road for another summer, this time with Cinderella, Winger and Faster Pussycat. The first leg begins May 16 in Tupelo, Mississippi, and wraps in late July, and dates for the second leg have yet to be announced. ... The Cranberries announced the first few weeks of dates for their spring tour in support of last year's Wake Up and Smell the Coffee. The trek begins May 11 in Toronto and is so far scheduled through May 30 in Atlanta, hitting Philadelphia, Boston, New York and other East Coast cities along the way. ...

German trance DJ Paul van Dyk, who recently recorded music for the upcoming Mexican film "La Mano del Zurdo," will spin at six North American dates later this month. The trek includes two shows at the Winter Music Conference in Miami (March 23 and 24) and his first show in New York City in nine months (March 29). ... Ben Harper will perform "Strawberry Fields Forever" on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on March 8, marking the third song from the "I Am Sam" soundtrack to be performed on the show. Previously, Michael Penn and Aimee Mann sang "Two of Us" and Rufus Wainwright played "Across the Universe." ...

03.05.02

Brandy and her mister, Robert Smith, commanded the crowd at a party Monday night to celebrate the release of her new album, Full Moon, at Blue Fin in the W New York Times Square hotel. Funkmaster Flex, Kid Capri, Al Sharpton, and Jay-Z were among those who stopped by (click for photos from the party). ... It was a full night for Jay Hova, as he and his Roc-A-Fella business partner Damon Dash were spotted at the Nelly Furtado show at nearby Hammerstein Ballroom the same night. ...

Untouchable is right — fans now won't be able to lay a hand on Korn's new album until June 11. The quintet's fifth album was pushed from its previous release date of May 14, while the Hughes Brothers-directed video for its first single, "Here to Stay," is expected to surface in mid-April. ... Jimmy Eat World have pegged "Sweetness" as the third single from their self-titled, latest album, and recently shot a video for the track in Los Angeles with director Tim Hope (Coldplay). Before the surging, call-and-response barnburner surfaces at radio in June, the group will perform on "Saturday Night Live" on April 6. ... The battery trial for Juvenile, who allegedly knocked a man out with a bottle of Moët champagne in Miami, Florida, last year, has been pushed back to May or June, the prosecuting attorney said. ...

Jennifer Love Hewitt, Shaggy and Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath will be in Monte Carlo this week hosting the 2002 World Music Awards, featuring performances by Alicia Keys, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira, Ja Rule, Kylie Minogue, Destiny's Child and O-Town. Disco queen Gloria Gaynor will receive the Legend Award for lifetime achievement at the show, which will air later this year on ABC. ... A Minor songstress Keys will also join a bill featuring Mary J. Blige and India.Arie on the main stage at the Essence Festival in New Orleans July 4-6, along with Luther Vandross, Gerald Levert, the Isley Brothers, Faith Evans, Angie Stone, Al Green and Maze. Performing on the "Superlounge" stages inside the Superdome will be Me'shell Ndegèocello, the Roots, De La Soul, Etta James, Glenn Lewis and others. ...

London electronic collective Lo-Fidelity Allstars, whose "Battle Flag" was a breakout hit in 1998, will support their second studio album with four American dates this month, beginning March 14 at the South By Southwest conference in Austin Texas, with shows in Chicago (March 16), New York (18) and Los Angeles (20) to follow. Don't Be Afraid of Love is due Tuesday (March 5). ... A bonus track and a Timbaland remix of Aaliyah's "I Am Music" will be featured on a re-released version of Timbaland and Magoo's second album, Indecent Proposal, which was originally released last November. The new version is due April 23. ... Last week's benefit concerts for the Recording Artists Coalition raised about $2.5 million for the Don Henley-founded organization, which is currently lobbying for better artist contracts. Highlights of the four shows included Radiohead's Thom Yorke appearing with Beck at the Wiltern Theater and Tom Petty joining Stevie Nicks at the Great Western Forum. ...

Former Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, Ronnie Spector, Graham Parker, Steve Earle and Ivan Neville will perform with the Nicholas Tremulis Band at the Waltz IV benefit March 23 in Chicago. Wilco's John Stirratt, Alejandro Escovedo, Jon Langford (Mekons), Sonia Dada and others will also participate in the event, which featured Billy Corgan and Marianne Faithfull last year. ... Boston alternative act Throwing Muses — featuring Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly — are getting ready to release their first record since breaking up in 1996. The disc is recorded but not yet mixed and is due out in January of next year. ... Custom, the New York City singer/songwriter behind the single "Hey Mister," is kicking off a month-long tour on March 12 in New Haven, Connecticut, in support of his debut, Fast, due March 19. The trek wraps April 23 in Pelham, Alabama.

• Britney Spears
• *NSYNC
• Master P
• Mya
• Massive Attack

David Bowie
Photo: Virgin

A techno "Nature Boy" will groove its way into the 21st century with David Bowie and Massive Attack's version of the 1940s standard.

The collaboration will appear on the soundtrack to "Moulin Rouge," the Baz Luhrmann film starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor.

Bowie recently recorded his vocals for the updated "Nature Boy" in New York and sent the track off to Massive Attack's Robert '3D' Del Naja in London.

Bowie described the rendition as "slinky and mysterious" in a statement issued through his publicity firm. " '3D' has put together a riveting piece of work," Bowie said. "I'm totally pleased with the end result." Bowie and Massive Attack met when they shared a festival bill in Israel in the '90s.

Nat "King" Cole took "Nature Boy" to #1 on the pop chart in 1948. The song was written by Frank DeVol, who also penned the music to the "Brady Bunch" theme.

The "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack, due May 8, will also feature renditions of two of Bowie's '70s classics — Beck and Timbaland reworked "Diamond Dogs," while the film's ensemble sings a medley that includes "Diamond Dogs" and "Heroes." The first single from the soundtrack is the just-released remake of LaBelle's 1975 #1 disco hit, "Lady Marmalade," featuring Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mya and Lil' Kim.

The film, set in a Parisian nightclub in 1899, is expected to hit theaters in May.

• David Bowie
• Massive Attack
• Nat King Cole

Massive Attack
Photo: Virgin

Massive Attack have provided further clues to the direction of their upcoming fourth album with their remix of A Perfect Circle's "3 Libras," released in Britain this week. Featured as a B-side to the "3 Libras" single, the "All Main Courses mix" spins the original song out to more than double its three and a half minutes, drowning it in a deep, dark collage of looped vocals, haunting keys and otherworldly echoes.

It's uncertain whether the A Perfect Circle remix, which is available for download on MTV.com, will be released commercially in the U.S., according to Virgin Records.

In remixing "3 Libras," the members of Massive Attack — Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall — ended up with two distinct songs: the remix itself and a track of their own, called "All Main Courses" — according to a post from del Naja on the group's official Web site, www.massiveattack.co.uk.

"All Main Courses" may appear on the forthcoming Massive Attack album, which will also feature vocal work from previous collaborator and former Cocteau Twin Liz Fraser along with other, as-yet-unnamed vocalists (possibly including reggae veteran Horace Andy, who has appeared on every Massive Attack full-length to date).

The "3 Libras" remix follows the band's offering late last year of a new track, "The Nature of Threat," for download on its Web site. Other recent work for the U.K. trip-hop originators includes scoring a boxing sequence in Guy Ritchie's latest film, "Snatch," which hits theaters Stateside on January 19. The new offering won't appear on the film's soundtrack, which comes out Tuesday, though the group's single "Angel," from 1998's Mezzanine, will.

In other Massive news, the online art gallery Eyestorm.com is selling Fitting In, a limited-edition, 112-page art book featuring del Naja's paintings, photographs and multimedia artwork. Only 150 copies of the book were produced, and only 50 of those are available to the public.

As for the other 100, "Robert has basically given [them] away to friends, family and associates," explained Eyestorm's Richard Taylor.

Fitting In is available exclusively through the art site for the hefty price of $600. Each copy of the book is signed by the artist, and all profits are being donated to the British Red Cross. Del Naja has been creating visual art since the 1980s when he was a member of the Wild Bunch, the Bristol, England, collective from which Massive Attack sprung. Originally recognized for his work as a graffiti artist, del Naja has had his pieces placed in exhibitions as well as printed in magazines and on album covers.

Massive Attack have also recorded music for an autobiographical film by British artist Marc Quinn, Taylor said. Due to be released later this year, the movie's soundtrack will feature "The Nature of the Threat."

• Massive Attack
• A Perfect Circle

Massive Attack has decided to license out a song, "Angel," for use in a commercial for the He/She fragrance after striking a deal with Emporio Armani to donate the band's fee to several charity programs.

Emporio's use of the song, which appeared on the trip-hop group's 1998 album, "Mezzanine," will raise an estimated $250,000 that will be divided between the British Red Cross and the Beira Fund, the latter of which is based in Massive Attack's homebase of Bristol, England.

The Beira Fund is a non-profit organization that is sending aid to the town of Beira, Mozambique for use in rebuilding schools that have been destroyed in the recent torrential flooding in southern Africa.

"The music that's used in ads is becomingly increasingly homogenized," Massive Attack declared in a statement heralding the charitable deal, "and the agencies are resorting to cheap rip-offs of other people's styles.

"This is not something we want to be a part of, but if we can redirect the money to people that need it, then it's worth it."

Massive Attack is currently working on its next album at the band's studio in Bristol and has been collaborating with Lupine Howl, the group formed by guitarist Mike Mooney, bassist Sean Cook, and percussionist Damon Reece after they split from Spiritualized last year.

Since the release of "Mezzanine," Massive Attack has slimmed down to a duo of just Daddy G and 3D, as Mushroom officially split from the group last September (see "Massive Attack Loses Member?").

• Massive Attack