LATEST NEWS
02.11.11 THE SHAPE OF THINGS – NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
The new album from John Foxx And The Maths, The Shape of Things, is now available to buy exclusively at Townsend Records, priced at £14.99.
This brilliant follow-up to John Foxx And The Maths' debut Interplay was recorded and mixed at Benge's studio in London. Like Interplay, it's the sound of analogue synthesizers and drum machines - and on one track, feedbacking guitars played by Foxx himself. Although there's a raw edge to the likes of 'Falling Away' and 'Talk' this album is arguably more reflective and emotional than Interplay. Though not overtly auto-biographical, there is a sense of looking back over a life and exploring feelings of loss over opportunities and lovers missed, and possible futures that will remain unlived. All these thoughts and angles are expressed in 'Rear-View Mirror', 'Unrecognised', 'September Town', 'Talk' and 'Falling Away , as conversations are remembered through dreams and scenes finally played out. Far from wallowing in nostalgia or bitterness, in many ways this is a vital, even sometimes pleasurable experience. At the end of the album those shadow worlds and darker feelings are actually zapped into a new form of life with the macabre sci-fi theatre of 'the Shadow Of His Former Self'. Meanwhile, 'Vapour Trails''s upbeat electronic pyschedelia is rooted in the music of Foxx's own youth, while 'Tides' looks widescreen over a lifetime's experiences, pinned to a fast Motorik beat and still looking to the future as Foxx rides 'those wild eternal tides, again and again.' Looking back in order to look forward, the album is about a life lived and a view on those shadow existences that also somehow stay with us. Ultimately it's a positive and necessary process. It's that glimpse when things unfold and we feel aware - just for a moment - of The Shape Of Things.
This limited edition version of The Shape Of Things also features a hard-back book designed by Jonathan Barnbrook, and a bonus album of remixes by the likes of Ghost Box, Wrangler (featuring Stephen Mallinder from Cabaret Voltaire) and Gary Numan collaborator/remixer Andy Gray. There's also a brand new track with Tara Busch, who recently supported John Foxx & The Maths on their Interplay Tour.
30.10.11 DISCPGRAPHY UPDATE, NEW LIVE DATE
A new page detailing John Foxx's single releases has been added to the discopgraphy. This section will hopefully grow over time as infomration is gathered about each release. The John Foxx biography page has also been updated.
In light of today's cancelled appearance, the Sinners Day festival are offering everyone with a Sinner's Day ticket, free entrance to a John Foxx And The Maths concert on 25th of February 2012 in Aarschot (B). John Foxx And the Maths -
25 FEBRUARY 2012 -
Stadsfeestzaal Aarschot
SCI-FI ARTWORK
Not John Foxx related at all, but a plug for my own website – which may interest anybody with an interest in science-fiction and fantasy artwork. www.thelightdream.net
28.10.11 SHOWS CANCELLED
The scheduled John Foxx And The Maths concerts in Holmfirth (tonight) and the Sinner's Day Festival in Belguim (Sunday) have been CANCELLED due to John Foxx being hospitalised with a head injury. He's out of hospital now and doing OK but has been advised against travel. John apologies to all the fans who were due to attend these shows.
Wishing you a quick recovery, John.
28.10.11 MATHS TOUR DRAWS TO A CLOSE
Photo by Garry Hensey
After two shows at XOYO in London, John Foxx and The Maths head back up north tonight to play the final show of the Interplay tour at the Picturedrome in Holmfirth near Sheffield. The tour has received rave reviews all round and has seen John Foxx accompanied on stage by Serafina Steer on bass and synths, Hannah Peel on synths and electric violin and Benge flailing around on drums at the back.
The general Interplay tour setlist has been as follows:
Shatterproof / He's A Liquid / No-One Driving / Evergreen / The Running Man / The Shadow of His Former Self / Hiroshima Mon Amour / A New Kind of Man / Plaza / Watching A Building On Fire / Dislocation / Interplay / Catwalk / Summerland / Just For A Moment / Burning Car / The Good Shadow / Underpass
The new Maths album, The Shape of Things has been on sale at the gigs and will hopefully be available to purchase online after the tour.
25.10.11 JOHN FOXX AND THE MATHS - LIVE REVIEW
My review of last night's Interplay tour concert in York is now online...
THE SHAPE OF THINGS – OUT NOW.
The Shape of Things by John Foxx and The Maths has now been added to the discography.
10.10.11 ED FIELDING INTERVIEW
In a Quiet City exclusive, photographer Ed Fielding talks to us about his recent work with John Foxx and Gary Numan. Head over to the Plaza to find out more!
07.10.11 FOXX & NUMAN
The new issue of ArtRocker magazine is rather synthtastic, and features John Foxx and Gary Numan photographed together on the cover. But that's not all - the pair are interviewed (at The Garden studio) in asuperb feature which spans several pages and also includes contributions from The Human League's Phil Oakey and Jim Kerr of Simple Minds. Gary Numan's Dead Son Rising also makes their album of the month, with a five-star review.
Speaking of which, my own review of Dead Son Rising has been added to the Plaza section.
23.09.2011 "THE SHAPE OF THINGS" - NEW ALBUM
The limited edition new album from John Foxx and The Maths is called The Shape of Things, and will be available on the forthcoming tour. Described as rougher and more experimental than Interplay, the album will also be a two-disc set, featuring a bonus CD of remixes. The full tracklisting for The Shape of Things goes like this:
Disc One
01. Spirus
02. Rear-View Mirror
03. Talk
04. Psytron
05. September Town
06. Unrecognised
07. Modreno
08. Falling Away
09. Invisible Ray
10. Vapour Trails
11. Buddwing
12. Tides
13. Astoria
14. The Shadow Of His Former Self
Disc Two
01. Evergreen (Radio Mix)
02. Shatterproof (Wrangler Mix)
03. Where You End And I Begin (featuring Tara Busch)
04. Summerland (Belbury Poly Mix)
05. The Good Shadow (Tim 'Love' Lee Mix)
06. Watching A Building On Fire (Grayed Out Mix)
07. Interplay (Grayed Out Mix)
08. Evergreen (Xeno & Oaklander Mix)
And don't forget to head over to the ArtRocker website, where it is John Foxx week and you can download new track "Talk" for free and watch a short interview with John Foxx in The Garden studio.
19.09.11 JOHN FOXX WEEK AND NEW ALBUM MURMERINGS...
It seems John Foxx and The Maths have been secretly beavering away in Benge's Play studios creating a new album, which was finished last week... more news on this exciting development just as soon as there is any!
In the meantime, head on over to Artrocker.tv where it is John Foxx week!
09.09.11 INTERPLAY VIDEO & FREE FOXX REMIX
Regular Foxx collaborator, Jonathan Barnbrook has created a video for the title track of Interplay, using analogue equipment (in this case, Chromascope) to match the analogue ethos of John Foxx and The Maths. It can be viewed on YouTube and I've also added it to the Cinemascope page.
Andy Gray has sprinkled his usual musical magic dust on Interplay track, Watching A Building On Fire, and you can download the remix (which is superb, by the way) for free. Just click here!
NEW GARY NUMAN ALBUM: DEAD SON RISING
Not John Foxx news, but another artist I'm passionate about and whom has many connections to Foxx - fellow synth-pioneer Gary Numan will be releasing his new album, Dead Son Rising, on September 15th, in three different formats; standard CD, deluxe edition and super deluxe edition. Details of all of the above can be found over at numan.co.uk.
Dead Son Rising has been gestating for many years and is a collection of songs made up from demos and unfinished tracks from Numan's previous albums, Jagged, Pure and possibly as far back as Exile, although Numan states that the finished tracks bear little or no similarity to how they started out. The Dead Son Rising tracklisting is as follows:
1. Resurrection
2. Big Noise Transmission
3. Dead Sun Rising
4. When The Sky Bleeds He Will Come
5. For The Rest Of My Life
6. Not The Love We Dream Of
7. The Fall
8. We Are The Lost
9. For The Rest Of My Life (Reprise)
10. Into Battle
11. Not The Love We Dream Of (Piano Version)
09.08.11 – DISGOGRAPHY UPDATE
New releases, Torn Sunset and Nighthawks have been added to the discography.
18.07.11 – JOHN FOXX AND THE MATHS LIVE: INTERPLAY TOUR 2011
John Foxx and The Maths hit the road in October, touring the critically acclaimed Interplay album. John Foxx will be joined on stage by: Benge (Keyboards & Percussion), Serafina Steer (Keyboards & Bass) and Hannah Peel (Keyboards & Violin), and together they will be performing tracks from Interplay as well as Foxx's solo career and some old Ultravox! favourites. Dates are as follows:
13 October Leamington Spa Assembly Rooms
20 October Bristol Thekla
21 October Manchester Academy 4
22 October Liverpool Stanley Theatre
23 October Glasgow Arches
24 October York Duchess
25 October London XOYO
27 October London XOYO
28 October Holmfirth Picturedrome
28-06-2011
Torn Sunset and Nighthawks
Two new albums are out this week – Torn Sunset, a collection of seven melodic instrumentals featuring Theo Travis; and Nighthawks, a 3-disc package featuring Nighthawks, a collaboration with Ruben Garcia and reissues of the two Harold Budd collaborations from 2003, Translucence and Drift Music.
John Foxx and the Maths – Interplay tour 2011
The first live date for John Foxx and the Maths has been announced for Thursday 27th October, at XOYO in London. Keep your eyes open for further tour dates, to be announced soon!
Metamatic forum
After a brief spell offline, a newly refurbished Metamatic forum is now back online!
08.04.2011
CINEMASCOPE...
The eagle-eyed amongst you may notice a new link has appeared in the menu, called "Cinemascope". This is a new section that will link to various John Foxx videos on YouTube and other online sources - watch this space!
JOHN FOXX AND THE MATHS - INTERPLAY
Interplay, the new album from John Foxx and The Maths, has now been added to the discography. Interplay is available to buy from all good retailers from Monday 21st March 2011.
16.03.2011
With less than a week to go before the highly-anticipated Interplay hits the shops, the reviews so far have been nothing short of excellent. Interplay appears to be setting alight the ears of album reviewers everywhere…
"The album echoes four decades of avant-pop…"
4/5, MOJO
"Enigmatic but song-based, evoking early incarnations of Cabaret Voltaire, The Human League and Roxy Music…"
3/5, Q MAGAZINE
"An analogue-keen synth band of modern times, sounds as new as its old, and as imaginative as it is familiar…"
3/5, UNCUT
"Fresh and powerful, but never grating on the ears like much digital production."
8/10, CLASH
"Foxx is still sounding relevant"
4/5, ART ROCKER
Interplay is out on Monday 21st March.
January 2011
The momentum keeps gathering in the
run-up to the release of this long-awaited album. The latest taster of Interplay has emerged in the form of "Evergreen", and the album's opening track, "Shatterproof" is featured as part of a new official remix competition alongside Gary Numan's "Scanner".
John Foxx and the Maths now have their own official website/blog and Facebook page, where you can find details of the remix competition.
John Foxx and the Maths website
John Foxx and the Maths Facebook page
Don't forget, John Foxx and a variety of guest musicians will be appearing at the London BACK TO THE PHUTURE event, headlined by GARY NUMAN on April 2nd at the Troxy.
Full details here.
INTERPLAY TRACKLISTING & RELEASE DATE
Interplay is the title of the debut album from John Foxx and the Maths, and the tracklisting is as follows:
1. Shatterproof
2. Catwalk
3. Evergreen
4. Watching A Building On Fire (featuring Ladytron's Mira Aroya)
5. Interplay
6. Summerland
7. The Running Man
8. A Falling Star
9. Destination
10. The Good Shadow
The much anticipated collaboration between John Foxx and Benge is due to be released on 21st March 2011 (which is coincidentally the same day Credo, the new album from The Human League hits the shops).
The sleeve artwork for Interplay (below) was designed by Johnathan Barnbrook, who's previous work includes John Foxx's DNA and David Bowie's Heathen.
All info courtesy of Metamatic.com