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Home , Do the Strand, Gibson Firebird, Love Is the Drug, Phil Manzanera

Interview Architect Of Sound Phil Manzanera has never taken the easy path, the slick lick or the obvious manoeuvre. Joe Matera meets the guitarist who’s once again out on the road with … with better gear this time

eturning to the road after a 10 sol year hiatus, Roxy Music are set to reclaim past glories. ‘Essentially, Catalogue R Phil Manzanera we’re playing music from the ’70s,’ says Diamond Head Phil Manzanera, the group’s long-serving Prog, pop, Latin; guitarist. ‘It’s a music that’s driven us back Manzanera’s together. If we don’t play these songs, first solo outing. nobody else will. The band recorded over New edition out on 31 January 80 songs, but you never hear more than along with a re-release a couple of Roxy Music songs on the radio of by Mainstream, Manzanera’s first band these days. And today, you have all this Roxy Music great gear, so the sound on stage is so Stranded much better and much more controlled. First post-Eno The experience for the punters is so much sees the better than it ever was.’ group moving on With an intoxicating mix of avant- from art-rock. Manzanera’s garde, über-cool and electronica, Roxy blistering Music crafted a cinematic aural approach solo on Amazona is one of the album’s finest moments and a visual template for the 1970s. They Phil Manzanera permeated the roots of punk – the Sex Firebird VII Pistols cited them as an influence – and ‘I’d never seen a Firebird before, but I Largely informed the new wave, synth-dominated instrumental; sounds of the 1980s. Holding all those thought it was beautiful… and perfect for in this LP’s rich layers together was Manzanera’s clever and diverse Roxy Music. It cost about £160’ aural landscape work, informed largely by his and rhythms passion for Latin American rhythms, Manzanera shows why he’s the architect of sound experienced first hand while growing up. that they had a very strong indigenous there was an ad, “Red Firebird for sale.” ‘The great thing about South American music with a great groove of their own. The seller was a young American who music,’ begins Manzanera, ‘and the Those rhythms have always stayed with had come over from Kalamazoo with his Gear reason why it took so long for rock’n’roll me. So whenever a Roxy Music track was parents. I’d never seen one before, but I and pop music to have any impact in put forward to play on, or something I or thought it was beautiful… and perfect for : Firebird, Custom South America is we wrote, I’d always try to Roxy. It cost about £160. , Fender Strat

Photo: Steve Gillett Steve / Livepix Photo: Amps: Fender DeVille have double time in it, or ‘I’ve got one other red Firebird, which Effects: Roland VG-99, Digidesign 16ths, to make the whole was made for me by Gibson a couple Eleven guitar processor, Line 6 G90 wireless system, Roland FC-300 thing speed along.’ years ago. They were going to bring out a MIDI foot controller, Line 6 M13 Manzanera’s red Gibson signature version, but it never went into Firebird has been his production. My main Firebird is unlike trademark for the past any other Gibson, particularly the mini- 38 years. ‘When I joined , which Gibson weren’t able to Roxy in 1972 I had a 335,’ replicate in that newer version. They give a he says. ‘They wanted very controlled type of distortion which sits Photo: Steve Gillett Steve / Livepix Photo: me to have a white Strat, very well in the recording medium. I used it so I borrowed some pretty much for all of the second, third and money and bought one. fourth Roxy . It’s a distortion which Soon after, I looked in finds a space without spilling over into the Melody Maker and other areas and instruments.’

36 February 2011 - Guitar & Bass February 2011 - Guitar & Bass 37 Phil Manzanera Interview

Some of Manzanera’s tools: Hofner, Levinson Blade, Strat, customised non-reverse Firebird, Tele with , LP Custom, Firebird VII, two Deans and a Rickenbacker 12

Manzanera has always been a sonic around with tape recorders for years, experimenter. In the mid-’70s his short- so by the time we came to record that lived outing with 801 introduced ‘direct album we’d been doing demos and stuff injection recording’ to the live arena. for 10 years, and we knew a lot about ‘We wanted to record a concert,’ recalls tape and semi-pro recording.’ Manzanera. ‘So we brought along a Manzanera agrees that modern mobile studio. It seemed obvious to us technology’s unlimited potential can fuel that what you did was just stick a mic in a perfectionist streak. ‘Roxy Music record front of the speaker and go straight into every show onto Pro Tools – it’s so easy the tape recorder. It turned out nobody today,’ he says. ‘You just press a couple had done it like that before; all recordings of buttons and because it’s all linked up had been done coming out of the desk with the onstage mics, you’re able to in front of the hall, where you had all capture every night. But because every the acoustics of the hall to deal with too. night is different, like the solos, you’re But Brian [Eno] and I had been messing always trying to get that perfect version I’ve always been into as well. His tone is of or .’ beautiful, but it just doesn’t happen like In recent years Manzanera has forged that. He’s got very good ears and is very RECORDING: THE MANZANERA METHOD a relationship with , co- in tune. He has a strobe tuner onstage

Manzanera has good advice on recording guitars. ‘Position producing his and always keeps one mic in the middle and one to the side of the speaker last solo album ‘Cheap mics can be one eye on it, so cone, then mix the two and you should get a good sound,’ and playing when he’s bending he says. ‘The type of mic is crucial. Some are good for with his touring good. You want some the notes he wants vocals, some are better for guitars, but that’s where it band. ‘For a those notes to be starts to get specialized. For , a cheap mic is guitarist, it’s of that roughness beautifully in tune.’ probably better – you want some of that distortion and a dream. You With all the roughness and excitement, especially if you’re going into couldn’t be in and excitement’ sonic palette at digital. If you only have one microphone, stick it in front of a better place,’ his disposal and and in the middle of the speaker cone but a little bit back, he says. ‘David ingenuity, one thing to allow air to flow between the mic and the speaker. has the best guitars and equipment has always underscored Manzanera’s Ultimately it’s a series of choices of what sounds good to and has the most amazing things sent guitar playing philosophy. ‘Less is more, your ears… so if it sounds good to you, then it is good.’ to him all the time! He spends a lot of really,’ he says. ‘I always prefer sound and time on the sound, and that’s something economy over ridiculous technique.’ DID Manzanera’s hands Before joining Roxy Since 1980 he has At the age of 18, he appeared playing a Music in 1972, Phil owned and operated rejected a university you solo in an episode was the band’s his own recording place to pursue know? of Red Dwarf sound engineer unit, Gallery Studio music full-time

38 February 2011 - Guitar & Bass