JOHN FOXX - THE QUIET MAN

John Foxx was born as Dennis Leigh in Chorley, Lancashire, just at the right time to become one of the most innovative figures in popular music today.

John Foxx's first band, Tiger Lily, released their first single in 1975. Tiger Lily eventually became Ultravox! in 1976, and together they recorded three albums – Ultravox!, Ha! Ha! Ha! and Systems of Romance. The lineup included Foxx on vocals, Chris Cross (bass guitar), Billy Currie (keyboards/violins), Robin Simon (guitar/vocals), Stevie Shears (guitar) and Warren Cann (percussion).

When dropped from Island Records in 1979 on the verge of commercial success, Foxx quit the band and went off to work on his own. Midge Ure later joined Ultravox as Foxx's replacement.

John Foxx's debut solo album Metamatic emerged in 1980, helping to pave the way for a generation of electronic musicians. Metamatic spawned a successful single with ”Underpass”. Today Metamatic is regarded of one of the most pionering albums in electronic music.

Foxx changed direction for his 1981 follow-up, The Garden . He returned to a full band line-up and reunited with Ultravox guitarist Robin Simon, to create a more organic sounding album. The Garden followed in the footsteps of Metamatic in the charts.

In 1983, Foxx released The Golden Section, an album of contrasting styles to the previous two, drawing its influence from Foxx's 60s' psychedelia roots. Foxx also embarked on his first solo tour. That same year, Foxx started an ambient musical project, Cathedral Oceans, but lack of record label interest at the time would mean that the project would not see completion until 1995.

In 1985 Foxx released In Mysterious Ways, another album of contrasting style. However, frustrated with the music scene at the time, Foxx retreated from the public eye to concentrate on graphic design, art, and college lecturing under his real name. During this time, continued to write, and did production work for various other artists. He also continued to work on his Cathedral Oceans project, and although no album was released, he performed the music live in churches and outdoor locations, on several dates between 1986 and 1988.

In 1989 Foxx collaborated with Tim Simenon of Bomb the Bass, on a musical project called Nation 12, and although two singles were released, the album never saw completion.

In 1993, a few years after the Nation 12 project fizzled out, Foxx got itchy feet and contacted his former bandmate, Robin Simon, about forming a new band.

“Blitz” consisted of Robin Simon on lead guitar, with his brother Paul on drums, Sue Rachel on bass and Foxx on vocals and rhythm guitar. Studio sessions in London and Wales resulted in five demo tracks: “Meeting Venus”, “Sailing On Sunshine, “Dancing Like A Gun”, “Eurotrash” and an early version of “Through My Sleeping” which would later appear on the Shifting City album.

A proposed live performance in Leeds, in the summer of 1993, sadly never happened, and the Blitz project was abandoned, as Foxx once again decided to change direction. This new direction came the following year, when Foxx met and began working with Louis Gordon.

In 1995 Foxx re-emerged with his long-term project Cathedral Oceans and the previous year, he began writing and recording with Louis Gordon. The resulting work was Foxx's first proper studio album since 1985 which was titled Shifting City and harked back to the icy, minimalism of 1980's Metamatic. In 1997 Louis Gordon persuaded Foxx to tour for the first time since 1983.

Foxx and Gordon continue to work together, producing The Pleasures of Electricity (2001) and the acclaimed Crash and Burn (2003). They toured again in 2003 promoting Crash and Burn and also as support act for The Human League. 2003 also saw the release of his long-awaited collaborations with instrumentalist Harold Budd.

In 2005, Foxx released Cathedral Oceans III - the third volume in this ongoing project, and in the same year, the Nation 12 recordings were finally released in the form of the Electrofear album.

June 2006 saw the release of another, very different instrumental concept album, Tiny Colour Movies. The following month, Foxx and Gordon embarked on another tour, where they premiered new songs from a forthcoming collaboration, From Trash, which was released in November 2006.

Eager to expand the audiovisual side to his work, Foxx performed his Cathedral Oceans and Tiny Colour Movies albums in late 2006 and in 2007, accompanied by continuous visuals.

September 2007 saw Metamatic remastered and reissued, to critical acclaim. Back on tour with Louis Gordon, the whole Metamatic album was performed in October 2007. Better late than never!

Forever the quiet man, today John Foxx is held with high regard in the electronic music scene. While still lecturing in art and design and working as an exhibiting artist, Foxx’s music has been cited as influential from bands as diverse as The Klaxons – clearly indicating that his music still maintains the mysterious magnetism and splendour that shaped a generation of music fans and bands alike, almost 30 years ago.