John Foxx

John Foxx is a mysterious and elegant figure in England's rock history. There are some details about him that have slipped through about his time as the lead singer of Ultravox! and as a solo artist. He appeared on three LPs in the 1970s and four in the 1980s, followed by a turn-of-the-century comeback which surprised his fans and followers of electronic music. He let it be known, in the liner notes the he wrote which accompany the Assembly compilation CD, released on Virgin Records, that The Shadows were an influence as well The Swimmer, Dada and Europop.

Nation 12

During his sabbatical from the public eye, Foxx found inspiration in the underground House and Acid music scenes in Detroit and London, said to have been releasing white label vinyl anonymously. He also worked with pioneers in this field, the slightly above ground LFO and made their first music video.

Related Topics:
House - LFO

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These scenes brought pure electronic beats and music where bands, stars and even melody weren't always necessary. The pulsing rhythms were updated but the vocabulary was familiar, Foxx writes in the sleeve notes for his Assemblage best-of release of the mid-nineties for Virgin. Obviously, this way of composing and releasing music inspired lots of creative energy for many people.

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In the very early 1990s, as Nation 12, Foxx released two snazzy 12" singles, (Remember and Electrofear). The first was a collaboration with Tim Simenon, who is best known for his Bomb The Bass project. These became real sought-after items for the fans, especially those outside the UK and Europe, some of whom read about Nation 12 in Q, in a Where Are They Now? column.

Related Topics:
Europe - Q

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