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Geoff Barrow

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Geoff Barrow is an English producer, composer and DJ, born on 9 December 1971 in Walton in Gordano. At the age of eleven he moved with his mother to Portishead, the small town near Bristol from which he would later take his band's name. He played drums, spun records in hip hop groups and in 1989 got a job as tape operator at Coach House Studios. In 1991 he helped out on Massive Attack's Blue Lines, and was given studio time to record ideas of his own. During a break he met Beth Gibbons. Together they formed Portishead, later joined by Adrian Utley. Their debut album Dummy appeared in 1994. Barrow said he wanted to make music that was gripping, real songs with real life in them.

Music and breakthrough

Besides Portishead he worked as a remixer for, among others, Primal Scream, Paul Weller and Depeche Mode, and produced a track for Tricky. With Utley he produced The Coral's The Invisible Invasion in 2005. In 2001 he founded the label Invada, and later formed the groups Beak and Quakers. With Beak he played on Anika's debut album in 2010.

Influence

Since 2013 he has written film music with Ben Salisbury, beginning with Alex Garland's Ex Machina. Annihilation followed in 2018, the series Devs in 2020, Men in 2022 and Civil War in 2024. They also made music for the Black Mirror episode Men Against Fire and for Archive 81. Barrow shows how the Bristol scene of the 1990s carried on into film and television.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to an excerpt from the music for Ex Machina and notice how the music carries the atmosphere of the film. Ask yourself what feeling the music evokes without the images.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists