From The Face, March 1991 — Pro Plus and Massive Attack

Old Pages, New Thoughts

By Rafi Mercer

I picked up a copy of The Face magazine today, March 1991. That’s thirty-four years ago now. Strange how time folds — how a magazine can feel like yesterday when you hold it.

Flipping through, I found a Pro Plus advert — the pre-Red Bull world, where caffeine tablets promised to keep you awake, help you focus, get through the night. And on the next page, an ad for Massive Attack’s Unfinished Sympathy. The now-legendary track, still fresh then, still testing what dance and soul and trip hop could become.

Looking at it today, tired after another long stretch of building, I see more than coincidence. Those two placements side by side weren’t just random; they were signals of a culture waking up. A new sound coming. People staying up late to make, to mix, to build scenes. The Face understood that energy — it wasn’t just reporting, it was curating.

There’s something comforting in that. To know that what felt underground then became reference later. That a small moment — an advert, a track — can end up shaping decades of sound and culture.

I’m tired tonight, but turning those pages reminded me: culture moves slowly, but it moves. Someone was awake in 1991, listening and pushing forward. We’re awake now, trying to do the same.

Rafi Mercer writes about the spaces where music matters. For more stories from Tracks & Tales, subscribe here, or click here to read more.