DJ Andy Smith

Philadelphia Weekly
October 10, 2007

A-List

Trip-hop down memory lane

DJ Andy Smith
Mon., Oct. 15, 10pm. Free. With Cosmo Baker, DJ Excel + MC Elixer. Fluid, 613 S. Fourth St. 215.629.3686. www.simplefly.net/andysmith

Ask a hundred Portishead fans what role DJ Andy Smith played in creating the band’s unique trip-hop vibe and you’ll get a hundred different answers.

Smith made significant contributions as a crate digger, mining a decent chunk of the rare grooves that regulated the ebb and flow of Portishead’s psych-hop ocean.

However, many regarded him as the lab assistant to the band’s resident mad scientist Geoff Barrow.

Barrow certainly knew a thing or two about arrangements and production, but it should be noted that he kept Smith around as Portishead’s official tour DJ for years—and for good reason.

Smith’s club sets are where he truly shines. His ability to mix and match tracks by Peggy Lee, James Gang and Grandmaster Flash into certifiable bangers is phenomenal, and his stage presence is unparalleled in clubland.

A cursory listen to Smith’s 1998 freshman foray into the world of multigenre mixes, The Document, chased with a spin of the cleverly titled follow-up The Document II, should serve nicely as initiation to Smith’s style.

For the Portishead faithful, Monday’s gig will whet appetites for December’s main dish: the full band’s triumphant return to the stage at the All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival. (Joshua Valocchi)