Adrian Francis Utley (born 27 April 1957) is an English musician, record producer, and a member of the band Portishead.Jurek, Thom "Adrian Utley Biography", AllMusic. Retrieved 31 December 2016
Career Born in Northampton,Mejia, Paula (2015) "In Search Of Intensity, Musicians Turn To Adrian Utley", NPR, 6 May 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2016 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. He built up a collection of vintage instruments and studio equipment, and moved into production and film work."Portishead’s Adrian Utley shows off synth collection, taps up Andy Stott on film score", FACT, 19 September 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2016
Portishead formed in 1990 with the first album Dummy released in 1994 followed by Portishead in 1997. Third was released in April 2008.Forrest, Peter (2008) "Adrian Utley: Recording Third", Sound on Sound, November 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2016 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.
During his career, Utley has recorded with artists as diverse as Jeff Beck, Torres, Perfume Genius, Alain Bashung and Marianne Faithfull, and his film work includes Sound by Nic Roeg and Spiders from Mars with David Attenborough.Fiegel, Eddi (2001) "Ears Wide Open", The Guardian, 28 February 2001. Retrieved 1 January 2017"Adrian Utley", British Film Institute. Retrieved 1 January 2017
In 2009, he was part of the jazz collective Stonephace, releasing a self-titled album. 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.Rogers, Jude (2010) "The Passion of Joan of Arc/Utley/Gregory, Colston Hall, Bristol", The Guardian, 11 May 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2016Schultz, Christopher (2011) "Portishead, Goldfrapp Members Premiere Hypnotic ‘Joan of Arc’ Soundtrack", Spin, 31 October 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2016Alleva, Daniel Michael (2011) "Adrian Utley & Will Gregory: Goldenhead", The Aquarian Weekly, 26 October 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2017 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.Morris, Steven (2012) "Portishead's Adrian Utley soundtracks stroll among ancient trees", The Guardian, 16 October 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2016"Portishead's Adrian Utley commissioned for Sonic Journeys", The Wire, 14 June 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2017 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.Murray, Robin (2013) "Organised Chaos: Adrian Utley", Clash, 24 October 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2016Tuffrey, Laurie (2013) "LISTEN: Stream Adrian Utley's In C In Full", The Quietus, 10 October 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2016"Adrian Utley records Terry Riley's In C for electric guitars", The Wire, 6 August 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2016
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.
Credits Year Album Artist Details Ref. 1988Rust Kevin Brown Arranger, guitar 1993Crazy Legs Jeff Beck Rhythm guitar 1994Dummy Portishead As band memberProducer, composer, guitar, bass, Hammond organ, string arrangements, mixing 1995Zanzibar Flanagan-Ingham Quartet Producer 1997Portishead Portishead As band memberProducer, composer, guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizer, theremin, string and horn arrangements, mixing 1998Fantaisie militaire Alain Bashung Electric guitars Roseland NYC Live Portishead As band memberProducer, composer, guitar, synthesizer, cabasa, orchestral arrangements 1999Ultra-Obscene Breakbeat Era Guitar on "Late Morning" Reload Tom Jones Producer, guitars, bass on "Motherless Child" (with Portishead) Warminster Himself with Mount Vernon Arts Lab Producer, instrumentation 2000Textile Lunch Flanagan-Ingham Quartet Producer Felt Mountain Goldfrapp Bass, synthesiser American Psycho: Music from the Controversial Motion Picture Various artists Producer on "Trouble" by Daniel Ash 2001It's a Wonderful Life Sparklehorse Bass, guitar, Dictaphone 2002Out of Season Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man Producer, guitars, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, engineering Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project David Arnold Guitar on "The James Bond Theme" featuring LTJ Bukem Hometime Alison Moyet Guitar on two tracks Len Parrot's Memorial Lift Baxter Dury Co-composer of "Gingham Smalls 2", guitar, bass How Animals Move John Parish Guitar, Dictaphone 2003Black Cherry Goldfrapp Guitar, bass on "Train" The Golden Age of Grotesque Marilyn Manson Bass on "This Is the New Shit" (Goldfrapp Remix) Amorino Isobel Campbell Synthesizer on "This Land Flows With Milk" McKay Stephanie McKay Guitar, synthesizer Manipulating Agent Katalyst Guitar 2004Blottie Hurleurs Guitar, bass, melodica, clavinet 2005The Invisible Invasion The Coral Producer, engineering, mixing (with Geoff Barrow) Before the Poison Marianne Faithfull Guitars, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, piano, sampling Once Upon a Little Time John Parish Guitars Delirious / Theatre Of Dreams Marc Almond Guitar on "Delirious (Demented, Deluded, Delirious)" Luxury Problems Patrick Duff Producer, bass, engineering 2006Supernature Goldfrapp Guitar on "Ooh La La", guitar & bass on "Satin Chic" Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited Various artists Performance and engineering on "Requiem for Anna" (with Portishead) 2008Seventh Tree Goldfrapp Bass guitars on "Caravan Girl" Bugs in Amber Get the Blessing Electric guitar Third Portishead As band memberProducer, composer, guitars, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, ukulele, programming, engineering 2009Stonephace Stonephace As band member: electric guitar Bugs in Amber Get the Blessing Guitar, synthesizer 2010Heligoland Massive Attack Guitar 2011Street Clan Invisible System Guitar Happy Soup Baxter Dury Guitars 2012The Haunted Man Bat for Lashes Guitar, additional synths on "Horses of the Sun" The Pond The Pond Mixing OC DC Get the Blessing Guitar 2013In C Adrian Utley's Guitar Orchestra Guitar, mixing The Vapourer Spiro Mixing, producer, Moog 2014Too Bright Perfume Genius Producer, guitar, bass, synthesizers, handclaps, engineering, mixing Lope and Antilope Get the Blessing Guitar, synthesizers Ostinato Versari Producer, guitar, synthesizers, piano, engineering Give My Love to London Marianne Faithfull Guitar Subterranean: New Designs on Bowie's Berlin Dylan Howe Guitar, introduction Crows' Bones Martin Green Guitar, bass, keyboard, percussion, mixing 2015Sprinter Torres Guitar, synthesizer, temple block 2016Zoo Françoiz Breut Producer, instrumentation, mixing Sirens Joe Volk Guitar on "Sirens", engineering 2017Three Futures Torres Synthesizer The Underside of Power Algiers Producer, guitar, synthesizers, drum machine Zone on Nine BONZIE Guitar, bass, synthesizer, Swarmandal 2018Hunter Anna Calvi Synthesizers, keyboards Arcadia (Music From The Motion Picture) Himself & Will Gregory Guitar, synthesizers 2020Earth EOB Guitar Straight Songs of Sorrow Mark Lanegan Guitar, synthesizers 2021Planet (i) Squirrel Flower Guitar, synthesizers, sitar Thirstier Torres Synthesizer 2022Anywhere But Here Sorry Producer No End In Sight Himself & Luke Reynolds Extended play 2023Strange Dance Philip Selway Guitar, bass, synthesizer 2025Pink Silence Cloth Guitar, synthesizer 2026The Ground Above Beth Orton Electric guitar, acoustic guitar
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