Articles

TRIP HOP REDUX

Source: Guitar Player; January 1998

Portishead, the British band who spawned the trip hop genre, appear to represent the cutting edge of electronic pop, but it's the guitar of Adrian Utley that dominates their blasted, desolate soundscapes. His unmistakable spy-guitar sounds added a creepy malevolence to Dummy, the band's double-platinum debut, and their serf-titled follow-up boasts even more of Utley's distinctive sonics.

Portishead's music might sound like a sampler safari through a dusty record collection, but the apparently vintage grooves and riffs are almost invariably the product of the Portishead mill. "It's a massive task," he laughs. "We keep a backlog of our own samples. Perhaps we like a certain sample for its cult film feel, for instance. We'll write a riff around it, and develop the sound with our massive collection of old gear. Then we'll look for a one-bar loop, sample that, and maybe put the looped part on tape or distort it in some way, or even press it onto vinyl."

Utley, who also plays a vintage Moog synth, might respond to a Portishead loop with a cocktail jazz rhythm, a Hubert Sumlin blues grumble or a distorted lead lick. So he's assembled his appropriately wide collection of guitars with one guiding principle: "I'd never buy anything that cost more than 1000 pounds--cheap guitars have more character." He cites the plaintive, lute-like signature riff of the new albums "Over" as evidence. "That's two notes played on an ancient Hofner archtop that is almost impossible to play. But on a 'perfect' guitar, that riff just wouldn't work." An early '60s Fender Jaguar supplies Utley's characteristic guitar noir twang alongside a stock Fender Telecaster and a walnut-finish Gibson ES-335. To shape his tone, Utley often enlists a vintage Electro-Harmonix Big Muff and a Roland Space Echo.

But Portishead's love of crusty old amps, pedals and guitars has brought its problems. The 1995 U.K. TV appearance which helped launch them to fame was nearly halted when a BBC electrician announced the band's back line was "70 percent lethal." He finally agreed to let the band continue "at their own risk." So the next time you hear a Portishead live set described as positively dangerous, you'll know they're not joking.

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Dummy

Portishead (album)

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TRIP HOP REDUX