Some 50 years in the past, glam-rock hero Phil Manzanera made his title because the flashy axeman for Roxy Music – and he’s been busy ever since. His newest is AM.PM, a jam-heavy electronica set with Roxy saxman Andy MacKay, channeling that spirit of exploration right into a contemporary, fashionable sound. A second mission is Roxymphony, the place Manzanera and MacKay reinterpret Roxy Music with a symphony orchestra.

Do you continue to have your pink Firebird VII from the early Roxy period?
Very a lot so, and I used it on AM.PM, together with a ’51 Telecaster and an Epiphone Flying V. The Firebird is a ’65 and I noticed it marketed in Melody Maker in 1973. I went to this very posh home in Regent’s Park, in London, and knocked on the door. An American teenager answered and held it up for me to see. He was together with his dad and mom from Kalamazoo, and had ordered it from Gibson in Cardinal Crimson. He offered it to me for £150. I didn’t even plug it in; I took one look and mentioned, “Dig these fins. That’s mine!” It turned my signature guitar.

On the brand new single “Blue Sky,” you preserve the listener’s curiosity with out lyrics or chord modifications. How did you strategy it?
It’s very intuitive. I simply needed to start out with random improvisations and craft it into one thing listenable. Instrumental creativity comes from a unique a part of the mind, versus vocal songs that specific their that means by lyrics.

What about results and amps on AM.PM?
Throughout Covid, I began doing the preliminary improvs in a hut in my backyard; I had one amp with a Neumann mic and Common Audio Ox attenuator. I recorded on Logic and used its plug-in results, as I didn’t have entry to my pedals, which had been at my studio in London. When completed it off after the Roxy fiftieth Anniversary tour, I used to be capable of lastly report with my stage setup at my Gallery Studio, in London.

You carved a distinct segment as an exploratory participant, not afraid of results or droning notes. Who had been your influences?
Hendrix was an amazing affect, particularly as he was so exploratory and revolutionary within the studio; Are You Skilled was so attention-grabbing from that viewpoint. Additionally, Randy California’s use of results, in addition to the best way John Cale, Lou Reed, and Sterling Morrison used guitars within the Velvet Underground. Cale’s use of drones on the viola was one other large affect, and in addition a “techniques music” large like Terry Riley. I additionally explored avant-garde guitarists like Sonny Sharrock, Terje Rypdal, and John McLaughlin.

Immediately, there are any variety of echo, ambient reverb, and looper pedals that produce a Phil Manzanera vibe. However 50 years in the past, you created these sounds from scratch.
I got here into the band with a want to be totally different, and [Roxy synthesist Brian] Eno and the remainder of the band at all times inspired experimenting within the musical context that Bryan Ferry sang in. There have been only a few pedals out there other than fuzz bins and echo models. All of it needed to be created from what was mendacity round; what we referred to as the “Heath Robinson technique,” after the well-known British cartoonist. We used bottles, wooden, tape, screws – you title it!

Had been you utilizing an Echoplex again then?
No, I went straight from a Watkins Copycat Echo to a Revox tape recorder that I modified in ’73. When Roland introduced out the House Echo within the mid ’70s, that turned my essential echo and refrain impact.

How does the Roxymphony mission complement AM.PM? Is one wanting ahead, the opposite again?
Precisely. Andy’s background is a classical one, and I went alongside for the journey. He was utilizing an orchestra and requested if I needed to become involved to attempt Roxy materials in that format. We had no thought what it could sound like ’til the primary and solely efficiency, the evening of the live performance. We had been startled about how good it sounded – and fortunate that one-off was recorded!

You’ve performed with Andy on and off for a half-century. How have your musical conversations developed throughout that point?
The beauty of these musical conversations is that they haven’t actually modified. Andy and me have a sure musical vocabulary which isn’t a lot primarily based on method, however on empathy and feeling. It’s a type of call-and-response that always makes us smile.

As rock bands go, Roxy Music was as cutting-edge as there ever has been. What’s your musical legacy?
By sheer luck, it was a band that began by particular individuals who coalesced to create a novel set of songs. It was virtually written within the stars, as many good and distinctive bands are. The celebs aligned for Roxy Music and, higher but, our music nonetheless doesn’t sound dated.

This text initially appeared in VG’s January 2024 situation. All copyrights are by the creator and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.