Adrian Utley

British guitarist

Adrian Utley

Background information
Birth name| Adrian Francis Utley
Born|  (1957-04-27) 27 April 1957 (age 67)
Northampton, England
Genres|

* Electronic
* trip hop

Instrument(s)| Guitar, bass, keyboards

Musical artist

Adrian Francis Utley (born 27 April 1957) is an English musician, record producer, and a member of the band Portishead.[1]

## Career

[edit]

Born in Northampton,[2] Utley moved to Bristol in the mid 1980s, and heavily into jazz, played guitar with Big John Patton's touring band and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.[1] He built up a collection of vintage instruments and studio equipment, and moved into production and film work.[3]

Portishead formed in 1990 with the first album Dummy released in 1994 followed by Portishead in 1997.[1] Third was released in April 2008.[4] During Portishead's hiatus between the second and third albums, Utley's production work included Beth Gibbons and Rustin' Man's Out of Season and he worked with fellow Portishead member Geoff Barrow as the Jimi Entley Sound and Fuzzface.[1]

During his career, Utley has recorded with artists as diverse as Marilyn Manson, Jeff Beck, Torres, Perfume Genius, Alain Bashung[5] and Marianne Faithfull,[2] and his film work includes Sound by Nic Roeg and Spiders from Mars with David Attenborough.[6][7]

In 2009, he was part of the jazz collective Stonephace, releasing a self-titled album.[1] In 2010, he composed a new soundtrack for silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc with Will Gregory (of Goldfrapp), performed by a 23 piece orchestra conducted by Charles Hazlewood.[8][9][10] In 2012, he was commissioned by the National Trust to produce "Sonic Journey," a piece of music inspired by walking among the trees at Croft Castle.[11][12] In 2013, he performed Terry Riley's "In C" with an ensemble including a bass clarinet, four organs (played by Hazlewood), and 19 guitars (including John Parish), the performance released on CD later that year.[1][2][13][14][15]

In April 2018 he featured in an episode of series 45 of the BBC Radio 4 programme Great Lives, speaking in praise of Miles Davis.[16]

## Credits

[edit]

Year  | Album  | Artist  | Details  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

1988  | Rust | Kevin Brown | Arranger, guitar  | [17]
1993  | Crazy Legs | Jeff Beck | Rhythm guitar  | [17]
1994  | Dummy | Portishead | As band member
Producer, composer, guitar, bass, Hammond organ, string arrangements, mixing  | [17]
1995  | Zanzibar | Flanagan-Ingham Quartet  | Producer  | [17]
1997  | Portishead | Portishead  | As band member
Producer, composer, guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizer, theremin, string and horn arrangements, mixing  | [17]
1998  | Fantaisie militaire | Alain Bashung | Electric guitars  | [17]
Roseland NYC Live | Portishead  | As band member
Producer, composer, guitar, synthesizer, cabasa, orchestral arrangements  | [17]
1999  | Ultra-Obscene | Breakbeat Era | Guitar on "Late Morning"  | [17]
Reload | Tom Jones | Producer, guitars, bass on "Motherless Child" (with Portishead)  | [17]
Warminster | Himself with Mount Vernon Arts Lab | Producer, instrumentation  | [17]
2000  | Textile Lunch | Flanagan-Ingham Quartet  | Producer  | [17]
Felt Mountain | Goldfrapp | Bass, synthesiser  | [17]
American Psycho: Music from the Controversial Motion Picture | Various artists  | Producer on "Trouble" by Daniel Ash | [17]
2001  | It's a Wonderful Life | Sparklehorse | Bass, guitar, Dictaphone | [17]
2002  | Out of Season | Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man | Producer, guitars, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, engineering  | [17]
Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project | David Arnold | Guitar on "The James Bond Theme" featuring LTJ Bukem | [17]
Hometime | Alison Moyet | Guitar on two tracks  | [17]
Len Parrot's Memorial Lift | Baxter Dury | Co-composer of "Gingham Smalls 2", guitar, bass  | [17]
How Animals Move | John Parish | Guitar, Dictaphone  | [17]
2003  | Black Cherry | Goldfrapp  | Guitar, bass on "Train"  | [17]
The Golden Age of Grotesque | Marilyn Manson | Bass on "This Is the New Shit" (Goldfrapp Remix)  | [17]
Amorino | Isobel Campbell | Synthesizer on "This Land Flows With Milk"  | [17]
McKay | Stephanie McKay  | Guitar, synthesizer  | [17]
Manipulating Agent | Katalyst | Guitar  | [17]
2004  | Blottie | Hurleurs  | Guitar, bass, melodica, clavinet | [17]
2005  | The Invisible Invasion | The Coral | Producer, engineering, mixing (with Geoff Barrow)  | [17]
Before the Poison | Marianne Faithfull | Guitars, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, piano, sampling | [17]
Once Upon a Little Time | John Parish  | Guitars  | [17]
Delirious / Theatre Of Dreams | Marc Almond | Guitar on "Delirious (Demented, Deluded, Delirious)"  | [17]
Luxury Problems | Patrick Duff | Producer, bass, engineering  | [17]
2006  | Supernature | Goldfrapp  | Guitar on "Ooh La La", guitar & bass on "Satin Chic"  | [17]
Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited | Various artists  | Performance and engineering on "Requiem for Anna" (with Portishead)  | [17]
2008  | Seventh Tree | Goldfrapp  | Bass guitars on "Caravan Girl"  | [17]
Bugs in Amber | Get the Blessing | Electric guitar  | [17]
Third | Portishead  | As band member
Producer, composer, guitars, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, ukulele, programming, engineering  | [17]
2009  | Stonephace | Stonephace | As band member: electric guitar  | [17]
Bugs in Amber | Get the Blessing  | Guitar, synthesizer  | [17]
2010  | Heligoland | Massive Attack | Guitar  | [17]
2011  | Street Clan | Invisible System | Guitar  | [17]
Happy Soup | Baxter Dury  | Guitars  | [17]
2012  | The Haunted Man | Bat for Lashes | Guitar, additional synths on "Horses of the Sun"  | [17]
The Pond | The Pond | Mixing  | [17]
OC DC | Get the Blessing  | Guitar  | [17]
2013  | In C | Adrian Utley's Guitar Orchestra  | Guitar, mixing  | [17]
The Vapourer | Spiro | Mixing, producer, Moog  | [17]
2014  | Too Bright | Perfume Genius | Producer, guitar, bass, synthesizers, handclaps, engineering, mixing  | [17]
Lope and Antilope | Get the Blessing  | Guitar, synthesizers  | [17]
Ostinato | Versari  | Producer, guitar, synthesizers, piano, engineering  | [17]
Give My Love to London | Marianne Faithfull  | Guitar  | [17]
Subterranean: New Designs on Bowie's Berlin | Dylan Howe | Guitar, introduction  | [17]
Crows' Bones | Martin Green | Guitar, bass, keyboard, percussion, mixing  | [17]
2015  | Sprinter | Torres | Guitar, synthesizer, temple block | [17]
2016  | Zoo | Françoiz Breut | Producer, instrumentation, mixing  | [17]
Sirens | Joe Volk | Guitar on "Sirens", engineering  | [17]
2017  | Three Futures | Torres  | Synthesizer  | [17]
The Underside of Power | Algiers | Producer, guitar, synthesizers, drum machine  | [17]
Zone on Nine | BONZIE | Guitar, bass, synthesizer, Swarmandal | [17]
2018  | Hunter | Anna Calvi | Synthesizers, keyboards  | [17]
Arcadia (Music From The Motion Picture) | Himself & Will Gregory | Guitar, synthesizers  | [17]
2020  | Earth | EOB | Guitar  | [17]
Straight Songs of Sorrow | Mark Lanegan | Guitar, synthesizers  | [17]
2021  | Planet (i) | Squirrel Flower | Guitar, synthesizers, sitar  | [17]
Thirstier | Torres  | Synthesizer  | [17]
2022  | Anywhere But Here | Sorry | Producer  | [17]
No End In Sight | Himself & Luke Reynolds | Extended play  | [17]
2023  | Strange Dance | Philip Selway | Guitar, bass, synthesizer  | [17]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f Jurek, Thom "Adrian Utley Biography", Allmusic. Retrieved 31 December 2016
2. ^ a b c Mejia, Paula (2015) "In Search Of Intensity, Musicians Turn To Adrian Utley", NPR, 6 May 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2016
3. ^ "Portishead’s Adrian Utley shows off synth collection, taps up Andy Stott on film score", FACT, 19 September 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2016
4. ^ Forrest, Peter (2008) "Adrian Utley: Recording Third", Sound on Sound, November 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2016
5. ^ "Il y a vingt ans, Bashung publiait "Fantaisie militaire" - les Inrocks". Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
6. ^ Fiegel, Eddi (2001) "Ears Wide Open", The Guardian, 28 February 2001. Retrieved 1 January 2017
7. ^ "Adrian Utley", British Film Institute. Retrieved 1 January 2017
8. ^ Rogers, Jude (2010) "The Passion of Joan of Arc/Utley/Gregory, Colston Hall, Bristol", The Guardian, 11 May 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2016
9. ^ Schultz, Christopher (2011) "Portishead, Goldfrapp Members Premiere Hypnotic ‘Joan of Arc’ Soundtrack", Spin, 31 October 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2016
10. ^ Alleva, Daniel Michael (2011) "Adrian Utley & Will Gregory: Goldenhead", The Aquarian Weekly, 26 October 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2017
11. ^ Morris, Steven (2012) "Portishead's Adrian Utley soundtracks stroll among ancient trees", The Guardian, 16 October 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2016
12. ^ "Portishead's Adrian Utley commissioned for Sonic Journeys", The Wire, 14 June 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2017
13. ^ Murray, Robin (2013) "Organised Chaos: Adrian Utley", Clash, 24 October 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2016
14. ^ Tuffrey, Laurie (2013) "LISTEN: Stream Adrian Utley's In C In Full", The Quietus, 10 October 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2016
15. ^ "Adrian Utley records Terry Riley's In C for electric guitars", The Wire, 6 August 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2016
16. ^ "Adrian Utley of Portishead on Miles Davis". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn "Adrian Utley". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 October 2018.

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Portishead

* Geoff Barrow
* Beth Gibbons
* Adrian Utley

Studio albums|

* Dummy
* Portishead
* Third

Live albums|

* Roseland NYC Live

Compilations|

* Glory Times

Singles|

* "Numb"
* "Sour Times"
* "Glory Box"
* "All Mine"
* "Over"
* "Only You"
* "Machine Gun"
* "The Rip"
* "Magic Doors"
* "Chase the Tear"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Out of Season
* To Kill a Dead Man

Side projects|

* Anika
* Beak
* Quakers
* Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man

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