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As Portishead’s sonic architect, Geoff Barrow helped to define that genre to which no artist will admit to belonging: triphop. But there’s no fighting the name now; it’s too entrenched in music history. And Bristol, England’s Portishead—along with Massive Attack and Tricky—represent the pinnacle of the style of down-tempo, cinematic funk that remains to this day the de facto soundtrack of chic bistros and upscale hair salons.
It would be understandable if Barrow decided to coast on his accolades—huge commercial success, deep critical respect, a 33 1/3 book about Dummy, etc.—but the producer/multi-instrumentalist is one of those restless souls who refuse to restrict themselves to one outlet, no matter how important that outlet has been. Barrow realized there’s more to life than alchemizing esoteric soul, funk, jazz, and psych-rock samples into tracks that pierce the heart and console the inconsolable.
