DJ Andy Smith
Portishead's former DJ remembers punk, funk, and the group that put him on the map
More Interview
England’s Andy Smith started spinning Northern Soul—a dance-floor-driving subgenre of vintage American soul music—in the ’80s before being swept up in hip-hop in the early ’90s. Around that time, a nascent trip-hop group called Portishead enlisted the DJ as its opening act on the road. After two world tours, as well as credits as a supplier of samples on Portishead’s first two groundbreaking albums, Smith got back to his soul roots; the DJ now focuses on vintage R&B 45s from the ’50s and ’60s, and holds a weekly residency in London with legendary funk DJ Keb Darge. His longtime love of reggae also manifests itself next month in a new mix CD titled Greensleeves Document. Before leaving London to play two U.S. dates—one of them being at Rockbar for tonight's Mile High Soul Club—Smith spoke with Decider.
Decider: When and how did you hook up with Portishead?
Andy Smith: I first met Geoff Barrow—he’s kind of the main person in Portishead—in a place called Portishead, which also happens to be where I grew up. I used to DJ in the youth club there; this must have been in the early ’90s, so I’d be playing all this hip-hop stuff. Few people in the town of Portishead knew about hip-hop except this guy, Geoff. We got talking over our mutual love of Run-D.M.C. and Public Enemy, and it turned out he was working on some music of his own. He was working at the same studio where Massive Attack were recording their first album, and it’s actually the guys in Massive Attack who gave Geoff his first sampler and computer. He didn’t have any records to sample, though, and I had loads of records. He didn’t know much about old tunes, really, so I’d play him this old funk stuff, and he’d take it and make tracks out of it. He said at the time that if he became big, I could DJ for him on tour. It was all pie-in-the-sky in those days, really. But when Geoff did the first Portishead album, it actually started selling well. [Laughs.] So he took me on two tour world tours, opening for Portishead.
Andy Smith: I first met Geoff Barrow—he’s kind of the main person in Portishead—in a place called Portishead, which also happens to be where I grew up. I used to DJ in the youth club there; this must have been in the early ’90s, so I’d be playing all this hip-hop stuff. Few people in the town of Portishead knew about hip-hop except this guy, Geoff. We got talking over our mutual love of Run-D.M.C. and Public Enemy, and it turned out he was working on some music of his own. He was working at the same studio where Massive Attack were recording their first album, and it’s actually the guys in Massive Attack who gave Geoff his first sampler and computer. He didn’t have any records to sample, though, and I had loads of records. He didn’t know much about old tunes, really, so I’d play him this old funk stuff, and he’d take it and make tracks out of it. He said at the time that if he became big, I could DJ for him on tour. It was all pie-in-the-sky in those days, really. But when Geoff did the first Portishead album, it actually started selling well. [Laughs.] So he took me on two tour world tours, opening for Portishead.
Portishead, "Sour Times" (1994)
D: How long were you directly involved with Portishead?
AS: It was just on the first two albums that I supplied samples and toured. I’ve not been working with Portishead since 1998 or something. So for me, it’s a long-ago thing. I’m glad that people still know those albums and listen to them, though. It’s great music. But I was so much younger then; I didn’t really take in what was going on. You’re just going around the world, thinking, “Oh, this is good.” [Laughs.] Then it kind of finishes, and it all sinks in.
D: You say were a hip-hop DJ when you first worked with Portishead, but when did you get into funk and soul?
AS: I got into music in general in the late ’70s, which was a fantastic time to do so. Around ’78 the whole punk thing was big, so I was into that. Then I got into reggae, since all punks then listened to reggae. But I was also into what was essentially club music at the time, disco and boogie. When I heard “The Adventures Of Gandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel,” I knew what records he was cutting up. I knew them in their original form. Hip-hop eventually went deeper and really dug into funk and jazz, and that put me onto a lot of stuff, too.
AS: It was just on the first two albums that I supplied samples and toured. I’ve not been working with Portishead since 1998 or something. So for me, it’s a long-ago thing. I’m glad that people still know those albums and listen to them, though. It’s great music. But I was so much younger then; I didn’t really take in what was going on. You’re just going around the world, thinking, “Oh, this is good.” [Laughs.] Then it kind of finishes, and it all sinks in.
D: You say were a hip-hop DJ when you first worked with Portishead, but when did you get into funk and soul?
AS: I got into music in general in the late ’70s, which was a fantastic time to do so. Around ’78 the whole punk thing was big, so I was into that. Then I got into reggae, since all punks then listened to reggae. But I was also into what was essentially club music at the time, disco and boogie. When I heard “The Adventures Of Gandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel,” I knew what records he was cutting up. I knew them in their original form. Hip-hop eventually went deeper and really dug into funk and jazz, and that put me onto a lot of stuff, too.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, "The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel" (1981)
D: Can you pinpoint the moment you knew you’d be a DJ?
AS: I can remember in 1979 listening to Radio Luxembourg, a station that broke out all across Europe. It was pretty cutting-edge. They used to have a show on Friday nights that played all disco imports, American club records. This was stuff you couldn’t get in the U.K.; it would take 18 months for some records to get released out here. They had a DJ who would seamlessly mix one tune into the next. In ’79, this was incredible. [Laughs.] I was like, “Wow, I’m going to get my mum’s hi-fi from downstairs and put it next to my hi-fi upstairs,” so that I had two turntables. That’s what kicked it all off, really.
D: What goes into planning one of your sets?
AS: That depends on where I’m at. If I’m going abroad, I’ll play a lot more new stuff, hip-hop, and funky, break-y bits. I can’t ever stop people from putting Portishead on the flier, so there’s always an expectation to play something similar to the sound of trip-hop. [Laughs.] I might start with some instrumental hip-hop stuff, but by the end of the night I’ll be playing some soul and ska and ’50s rhythm and blues, a bit of everything. When I’m in London, though, I can get away with a lot more.
D: When you play for a soul crowd, how you do avoid becoming a jukebox?
AS: I try to go deep when I play soul, but I’m well aware that at some point I’ll have to play [Curtis Mayfield’s] “Move On Up” or [Gloria Jones’] “Tainted Love.” There are certain tracks that are still good, even though they’ve crossed over and most people know them. If you use them sparingly, they’re really useful tools. If you notice the dancefloor is dipping a bit, you just get “Move On Up” in there. That’ll get it nice and healthy again, then I can play some more underground bits. But it’s always worth coming back to those bigger songs, even I don’t particularly want to hear them again. [Laughs.]
AS: I can remember in 1979 listening to Radio Luxembourg, a station that broke out all across Europe. It was pretty cutting-edge. They used to have a show on Friday nights that played all disco imports, American club records. This was stuff you couldn’t get in the U.K.; it would take 18 months for some records to get released out here. They had a DJ who would seamlessly mix one tune into the next. In ’79, this was incredible. [Laughs.] I was like, “Wow, I’m going to get my mum’s hi-fi from downstairs and put it next to my hi-fi upstairs,” so that I had two turntables. That’s what kicked it all off, really.
D: What goes into planning one of your sets?
AS: That depends on where I’m at. If I’m going abroad, I’ll play a lot more new stuff, hip-hop, and funky, break-y bits. I can’t ever stop people from putting Portishead on the flier, so there’s always an expectation to play something similar to the sound of trip-hop. [Laughs.] I might start with some instrumental hip-hop stuff, but by the end of the night I’ll be playing some soul and ska and ’50s rhythm and blues, a bit of everything. When I’m in London, though, I can get away with a lot more.
D: When you play for a soul crowd, how you do avoid becoming a jukebox?
AS: I try to go deep when I play soul, but I’m well aware that at some point I’ll have to play [Curtis Mayfield’s] “Move On Up” or [Gloria Jones’] “Tainted Love.” There are certain tracks that are still good, even though they’ve crossed over and most people know them. If you use them sparingly, they’re really useful tools. If you notice the dancefloor is dipping a bit, you just get “Move On Up” in there. That’ll get it nice and healthy again, then I can play some more underground bits. But it’s always worth coming back to those bigger songs, even I don’t particularly want to hear them again. [Laughs.]
Gloria Jones, "Tainted Love" (1964)
D: Do you ever throw any real curveballs into your sets?
AS: I think I used to more than I do now. I used to play, blimey, The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s” in the middle of a set, which kind of confuses people. I used to cut up some Electric Light Orchestra, “Don’t Bring Me Down.” I also used to play some TV theme songs, like Space: 1999. Maybe I’ve kind of calmed down on that a bit, but every now and again I will throw something a little off the wall in there, something no one expects. That makes it more fun, you know? I want DJing to be fun. When you throw curveballs in there—mad things—that sets you apart. I’ll play [Jimi Hendrix’s] “Crosstown Traffic,” you know? That’s what people remember your night by. I’ll hear hip-hop DJs who play sets of old-school classics, and I’ll go out thinking, “That was really great, but nothing stood out.” It’s all about what you expect. Or not.
AS: I think I used to more than I do now. I used to play, blimey, The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s” in the middle of a set, which kind of confuses people. I used to cut up some Electric Light Orchestra, “Don’t Bring Me Down.” I also used to play some TV theme songs, like Space: 1999. Maybe I’ve kind of calmed down on that a bit, but every now and again I will throw something a little off the wall in there, something no one expects. That makes it more fun, you know? I want DJing to be fun. When you throw curveballs in there—mad things—that sets you apart. I’ll play [Jimi Hendrix’s] “Crosstown Traffic,” you know? That’s what people remember your night by. I’ll hear hip-hop DJs who play sets of old-school classics, and I’ll go out thinking, “That was really great, but nothing stood out.” It’s all about what you expect. Or not.
DJ Andy Smith live (2008)
