Geoff Barrow
Encyclopedia
Geoffrey Paul Barrow is the producer
, disc jockey
, and instrumentalist for Portishead.
Portishead—formed in 1991—was named after the small town near Bristol
where Barrow grew up. On his intentions in forming Portishead, he has stated, "I just wanted to make interesting music, proper songs with a proper life span and a decent place in people's record collections."
when he was eleven after his parents divorced. After being involved in many local rock bands, playing drums and dj'ing in hiphop groups, Barrow got his first job at the Coach House Studios as a tape operator soon after it opened in 1989. In 1991, while he was assisting on Massive Attack
's breakthrough album Blue Lines
, the band allowed him spare studio time to get his own ideas on tape. A few years later, when the Portishead project had been assembled, the group came back to record "Sour Times
" in that same studio. At the dawn of the '90s, Barrow was making a name for himself as a remixer, working with such artists as Primal Scream
, Paul Weller
, Gabrielle
and Depeche Mode
. In addition, Barrow had produced a track for Tricky
and written songs for Neneh Cherry
.
In 2001, he formed the Australian record label
, Invada Records (whose artist roster includes acts such as RuC.L and ARIA
-award-winning group Koolism
), together with Katalyst's Ashley Anderson.
In 2003, Barrow set up Invada UK, a more experimental music label with partner Fat Paul, signing bands such as Gonga, Team Brick, Atavist, malakai and Crippled Black Phoenix
. As "Fuzzface", Barrow co-produced and co-wrote Stephanie McKay
's 2003 debut album, "McKay", featuring songs co-penned by Tim Saul and Carl Hancock Rux
. He has also remixed songs for both Gravediggaz
and The Pharcyde
.
In 2005, Barrow, along with Adrian Utley
, produced The Coral
's third album, The Invisible Invasion
. He and the other members of Portishead recorded and released an album in April 2008, titled Third
.
In 2009, Barrow produced The Horrors
' second album Primary Colours
with Craig Silvey
.
Barrow's latest project is BEAK> with Billy Fuller (Fuzz Against Junk) and Matt Williams (Team Brick).
Whilst looking for a new singer, Barrow met a political journalist who shared the same musical vision and a week later she, Barrow, Fuller and Williams begin recording material. After twelve days, using one room, no overdubs or repair, and only edits to create arrangements, they produced Anika's self-titled debut album Anika
, and its lead single "Yang Yang", released November 17 2009 on Beak's label Invada in Europe, and on Stones Throw Records in USA & Japan.
Barrow was the music supervisor for the Banksy
film Exit Through the Gift Shop
, premièred at the Sundance Film Festival
on 24 January 2010, and released in April 2010.
on a couple of song
s on Earthling's
1995 album, Radar.
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, and instrumentalist for Portishead.
Portishead—formed in 1991—was named after the small town near Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
where Barrow grew up. On his intentions in forming Portishead, he has stated, "I just wanted to make interesting music, proper songs with a proper life span and a decent place in people's record collections."
Career
Geoff and his mother moved to the town PortisheadPortishead, Somerset
Portishead is a coastal town on the Severn Estuary within the unitary authority of North Somerset, which falls within the ceremonial county of Somerset England. It has a population of 22,000, an increase of over 3,000 since the 2001 census, with a growth rate of 40 per cent, considerably in excess...
when he was eleven after his parents divorced. After being involved in many local rock bands, playing drums and dj'ing in hiphop groups, Barrow got his first job at the Coach House Studios as a tape operator soon after it opened in 1989. In 1991, while he was assisting on Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
's breakthrough album Blue Lines
Blue Lines
-Personnel:* All tracks produced and mixed by Massive Attack, Cameron McVey and Jonny Dollar.** Robert "3D" Del Naja: vocals - keyboards** Grantley "Daddy G" Marshall: vocals** Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles: keyboards# "Safe from Harm"#* Shara Nelson: vocals...
, the band allowed him spare studio time to get his own ideas on tape. A few years later, when the Portishead project had been assembled, the group came back to record "Sour Times
Sour Times
"Sour Times" is a song by English trip hop group Portishead, released as their second-ever single in August 1994. Written by all three members of the band, "Sour Times" features on Portishead's debut album Dummy...
" in that same studio. At the dawn of the '90s, Barrow was making a name for himself as a remixer, working with such artists as Primal Scream
Primal Scream
Primal Scream are a Scottish alternative rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie and Jim Beattie and now based in London. The current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes , Martin Duffy , and Darrin Mooney...
, Paul Weller
Paul Weller
Paul Weller is an English singer-songwriter. Starting with the band The Jam , Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council...
, Gabrielle
Gabrielle (singer)
Louisa Gabrielle Bobb is a multi-platinum selling, BRIT Award winning English singer, who records under the name Gabrielle. Gabrielle began her career temping during the day and singing for free in London clubs at night...
and Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
. In addition, Barrow had produced a track for Tricky
Tricky
Tricky is an English musician and actor. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style. Culturally, Tricky encourages an intertwining of societies, particularly in his musical fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop...
and written songs for Neneh Cherry
Neneh Cherry
Neneh Mariann Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster...
.
In 2001, he formed the Australian record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Invada Records (whose artist roster includes acts such as RuC.L and ARIA
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
-award-winning group Koolism
Koolism
Koolism is an Australian hip hop duo originating from Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.The members are lyricist Hau Latukefu and producer/DJ/musician Danielsan Ichiban .-History:Koolism started out in 1992 when Elleson joined a group by the name...
), together with Katalyst's Ashley Anderson.
In 2003, Barrow set up Invada UK, a more experimental music label with partner Fat Paul, signing bands such as Gonga, Team Brick, Atavist, malakai and Crippled Black Phoenix
Crippled Black Phoenix
Crippled Black Phoenix is a post-rock supergroup from the United Kingdom. Several musicians have contributed to Crippled Black Phoenix's albums and play with them during their live shows.-History:...
. As "Fuzzface", Barrow co-produced and co-wrote Stephanie McKay
Stephanie McKay
Stephanie McKay is a soul singer and songwriter from the Bronx in New York, whose music encompasses styles include elements of classic rock, funk, pop and hip hop....
's 2003 debut album, "McKay", featuring songs co-penned by Tim Saul and Carl Hancock Rux
Carl Hancock Rux
Carl Hancock Rux is an award winning writer and performer; former Head of the MFA Writing for Performance Program at the California Institute of the Arts and has taught or been in residence at University of California–San Diego, Stanford University, University of Massachusetts Amherst,...
. He has also remixed songs for both Gravediggaz
Gravediggaz
Gravediggaz is an American hip hop group from New York City, well known for its dark sense of humor and abrasive, menacing soundscapes. The group was formed in 1994 and was effectively a supergroup, bringing together Prince Paul , Frukwan , Too Poetic and RZA...
and The Pharcyde
The Pharcyde
The Pharcyde are an alternative hip hop group based in South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani , Slimkid3 , Bootie Brown and Fatlip . DJ Mark Luv was the group's first DJ, followed by producer J-Swift and then J Dilla...
.
In 2005, Barrow, along with Adrian Utley
Adrian Utley
Adrian Francis Utley is an English musician and a member of the band Portishead.-Biography:Utley is self-taught on guitar, bass and keyboards, and played professionally from the age of 18 in working men's clubs, night clubs, holiday camps, and in cabaret, backing soul artists...
, produced The Coral
The Coral
The Coral are an English band formed in 1996 in Hoylake on the Wirral Peninsula in England. The band first emerged during the early 2000s and found success with their debut album The Coral and follow up Magic and Medicine...
's third album, The Invisible Invasion
The Invisible Invasion
The Invisible Invasion is the third full-length album by The Coral. It was released on May 23, 2005 in the United Kingdom and entered at #3 in the album charts . The production is by Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley of Portishead, and most critics have described this album as a more stripped-down...
. He and the other members of Portishead recorded and released an album in April 2008, titled Third
Third (Portishead album)
Third is the third studio album by English musical group Portishead, released on 27 April 2008, on Island Records in the United Kingdom, two days after on Mercury Records in the United States, and on 30 April 2008 on Universal Music Japan in Japan. It is their first release in 10 years, and their...
.
In 2009, Barrow produced The Horrors
The Horrors
The Horrors are an English band from Southend on Sea, formed in 2005. Their debut Strange House, was released in 2007 and reached number thirty-seven on the UK Albums Chart, their second album Primary Colours was released in 2009 and peaked at number 25 in the UK...
' second album Primary Colours
Primary Colours (album)
Primary Colours is the second studio album by British post-punk revival band The Horrors. It was released in the US on 21 April 2009, and in the UK on 4 May 2009 by XL Recordings. The album charted on the UK Albums Chart at #25. According to aggregating website Metacritic, the record was met with...
with Craig Silvey
Craig Silvey
Craig Silvey is an Australian novelist and musician.Silvey grew up on an orchard at Dwellingup in the south-west of Western Australia. He currently lives in Fremantle.-Literary career:...
.
Barrow's latest project is BEAK> with Billy Fuller (Fuzz Against Junk) and Matt Williams (Team Brick).
Whilst looking for a new singer, Barrow met a political journalist who shared the same musical vision and a week later she, Barrow, Fuller and Williams begin recording material. After twelve days, using one room, no overdubs or repair, and only edits to create arrangements, they produced Anika's self-titled debut album Anika
Anika (album)
The album received generally favorable reviews. It earned a collective score of 65 out of 100 from Metacritic. Heather Phares from Allmusic stated, "Though the album is mostly covers, Anika imprints her identity on every track...
, and its lead single "Yang Yang", released November 17 2009 on Beak's label Invada in Europe, and on Stones Throw Records in USA & Japan.
Barrow was the music supervisor for the Banksy
Banksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...
film Exit Through the Gift Shop
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Guetta happily accepts the assignment, adopting the name "Mr. Brainwash", putting up street art in the city and six months later, re-mortgaging his business to afford renting copious equipment and a complete production team to create pieces of art under his supervision...
, premièred at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
on 24 January 2010, and released in April 2010.
Credits
He provided scratchingScratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
on a couple of song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s on Earthling's
Earthling (band)
Earthling is a trip hop band from Bristol, England. It is composed of rapper Mau and producer Tim Saul, with multi-instrumentalist Andy Keep often contributing.-Work:...
1995 album, Radar.
External links
- Invada Records
- Geoff Barrow's Myspace page as noted in the Portishead's Myspace blog.
- BEAK>'s Myspace page
- Interview with 3news.co.nz