Nuno Bettencourt

BIOGRAPHY – Paul Ortiz

Chimp Spanner, also known as Paul Ortiz, was born in Essex, England in 1984. Since then, he has carved a niche all his own. He has two CDs under his belt, but also writes music for things such as advertising, radio, computer games, and television.

Paul states on his website that he always had a passion for music, “for as long as he can remember.” His music, strictly instrumental at this point, has a unique sound. His  influences, such as Steve Vai and Eric Johnson, can be heard easily.

Having already recorded two CDs under “Chimp Spanner,” the 2004 release “Imperium Vorago,” and the more recent “At The Dream’s Edge,” which was released in 2010, Paul stated in 2009 that he has a new band project he is working on called Blessed Inertia. It is also all instrumental, but he said that at some point, the band will have vocals. The two bands will differ, as Chimp Spanner is considered to be more ambient/progressive metal, whereas Blessed Inertia will be classified under technical progressive metal.

If you watch any of Paul’s music on Youtube, you can see his unique style, as he uses not only the traditional 6 string guitar, but 7 and 8 stringed ones as well, all by Ibanez. He also plays a Bernie Rico Jr. 8 string guitar that is custom made to have 28 frets, as well as a Kahler tremolo. All his recordings are self-produced out of his home, in which he uses a Line 6 Pod X3, as well as an M-Audio FW410 soundcard. Besides the guitar and recording equipment, he also uses a software drum simulator called Superior Drummer, by Toontrack.

Even though Paul Ortiz is not a household name yet, many may have heard his music in some form or fashion, as he has composed music for video games, advertising, radio, and television. With two CDs already recorded, Paul’s career will do nothing but move forward, for by just watching his videos on Youtube, one can see and hear the tremendous talent that he has. It is just a matter of time until anyone who knows anything about music will be talking about how great of a musician Paul is.