When Sister Bliss walked into the Service95 office, she was everything I’d imagined the frontwoman of ’90s dance legends Faithless to be – and then some. Since we’re based in Camden, the North London local only had to stroll down the road to meet us. With pink dip-dyed hair poking out from under a flat cap, a denim bomber and matching blue high-tops, she looked just the part. Known to most as ‘Blissy’, the artist born Ayalah Bentovim’s warmth is infectious; she has this brilliant way of telling stories from the old Faithless days that makes you wish you’d been there. (Honestly, it felt like I’d missed out on some pretty insane parties...)
Since the mid-’90s, Faithless has been at the heart of UK dance culture: the makers of era-defining anthems like Insomnia and God Is a DJ; tracks that continue to soundtrack late nights and countless festival fields around the world. They’re more than just a dance act, they’re storytellers: marrying political consciousness with euphoric melodies and pushing electronic music into deeper, more human territory.
Now, nearly three decades on, the collective return with their eighth studio album, Champion Sound. Released on 5 September, it’s a four-part project, with each section acting as a self-contained piece of music. Over the summer, the sides were released individually before being brought together as one expansive double-vinyl release.
“There’s plenty of dance music on there, of course, plus Maxi’s last vocal recording before he passed away,” says the frontwoman. “We’ve also got collaborations with Bebe Rexha, LSK (a longtime friend of Faithless), Antony Szmierek, the spoken-word artist Emmanuel Jal and Suli Breaks. The whole record feels really alive and warm.”
Each side takes listeners on a distinct sonic journey, reflecting everything Faithless have always celebrated about UK music. Blissy describes the second side, Phone Number, as a “bleary-eyed, post-rave love story: did you actually get her number, or did you imagine it? Is it love, or was it just the drugs?”
The third, Book of Ours, is a beautiful ambient chill-out piece, while the fourth side – Champion Sound – is an unapologetic homage to the culture that shaped Faithless: “the mash-up of sound system and sound clash culture, from reggae to rave, dub poetry to rap, diva vocals to big basslines. It’s a bouncy, energetic side of the record, I reckon we’ve saved the best until last,” says Blissy.
Making this record was as much about looking forward as it was about honouring the past. The absence of Maxi Jazz, Faithless’ frontman and songwriter who tragically died in 2023, is deeply felt. “Making it without Maxi was a huge thing to carry – we miss him so much – but the album is also about honouring him through the music,” Blissy explains. “I hope that if he were here, or listening from somewhere else, he’d be nodding his head in approval.” For Blissy, who has been the beating heart behind the decks of Faithless since its inception, this project is both a continuation and a celebration of the legacy they created together as a band.
With Champion Sound marking this new chapter, we asked Sister Bliss to share some of the cultural influences shaping her world right now, from memories of Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage – watching crowd surfers drift over the audience in inflatable boats during Faithless sets – to the fashion treasures she’s kept since the days of Top of the Pops (hint: they usually always involved a seriously strong shoulder pad). Here, Sister Bliss bares all – the music, films and art that continue to inspire her – in our latest Culture List...
