Portishead – Geoff, Adrian, and Beth

Massive Attack and Portishead came to me via Chicago DJ’s G-Most and Mark Farina. Mark had a wicked mixtape series – Mushroom Jazz. I couldn’t get my hands on those tapes fast enough, and I was quick to (trip ; ) hop to Gramophone Records to snatch up the the tapes as fast as Mark could mix then, and albums from the artists contained on those tapes. Thinking back to that time, Massive Attack was the first live show I ever saw at the legendary Chicago venue – The Metro, and yes, it was amazing.

Bristol, UK between the years of 1990 – 97, became the birthplace of trip hop, a spacey, abstract, experimental form of hip hop. Massive Attack (Tricky) and Portishead, spearheaded the movement, and both groups were spawned from the same collective of artists. Massive Attacks’ debut landmark album, “Blue Lines” (1991) was produced by Nellee Hooper, Tricky, rapper 3D, and Portishead’s Geoff Barrow.

Portishead, ( Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons and Adrian Utley ) officially formed in 1991, and in 1994, their debut LP “Dummy” was released. The album lead to great critical acclaim, (despite the band having an aversion to press attention) and that year, they took home the UK’s highly prestigious Mercury Prize.

The single “Glory Box” from “Dummy” was a big stand out tune for me, others as well, and it’s definitely remained timeless, I get the same feeling listening to is now, as I did when it was first released.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Glory Box – Portishead

I’ve never seen Portishead perform live, so when I found out that they were booked to play on the main stage at this years Coachella (Saturday April 26, 2008), I was ecstatic. I immediately started to paint a picture in my head of how incredible it was going to be hearing Beth’s amazing voice on top of layers and layers of impeccably produced, spacey, experimental, trip hop beats and loops – while chillin’ under the stars, in the middle of the desert.

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard anything from Portishead, so when you find out they are booked to play the main stage at a festival like Coachella, you can’t help but think something must be up, and yes, its true. This week, they announced the release of ‘Third’ their hugely anticipated new album, which will be released on Mercury/Island on April 29th, 2008. This announcement undoubtedly adds to my excitement. New music from Portishead will be heard by thousands under the heavens this April, these are the moments in life to look forward to.

Over the years, the group has worked on various other projects, remixes for artists such as Depeche Mode, and a fantastic cover of the legendary Serge Gainsbourg, great collaborations, I highly suggest giving them a listen.

Music Slut: Depeche Mode – Back in your Room – Portishead Remix

Portishead cover of Serge Gainsbourg- “Un Jour Comme un Autre (Requiem for Anna)” on the tribute album Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited.

www.portishead.co.uk
www.myspace.com/portisheadalbum3

Its is a little known fact, that Geoff, is a fan, as well as promoter, and festival organizer of Doom Metal. Who would have thought?

Tricky is in the studio producing a new album, don’t know much about it, but i’ve been told he’s been working with Dave Taylor aka Switch. When this baby gets dropped, i’ll probably be at a loss for words, I have trouble containing my excitement just thinking about it.

Related posts

• TAXIDERMY – TOMORROW!
• Slick Catchdubs
• Getting Trashed on a Wednesday, The Joke Is Over!