John Foxx | Artist
The Ultimate Online Record Collection
Dennis Leigh aka John Foxx is an English electronic musician, singer, artist, photographer, graphic designer, writer, and lecturer born 1948 in Chorley, Lancashire. He was the original lead singer of the band Ultravox, before leaving to embark on a solo career. Known primarily for his electronic synthesizer music, Foxx has never achieved pop stardom but has inspired mainstream and underground artists across the decades, from synth pop superstar Gary Numan to electro-techno duo Adult. After leaving Ultravox in 1979, replaced by Midge Ure, Foxx's solo career immediately kicked of with the excellent debut album Metamatic from 1980. Foxx composed all the material, produced the album and provided vocals, synthesizer, drum programming and the cover design. The music here is extremely downbeat and dark like a proto-Depeche Mode with overtones of Kraftwerk and Human League. Foxx released 3 more solo albums before selling his recording studio and withdrawing from pop music to continue his earlier career as a graphic artist, working under his real name of Dennis Leigh. He re-emerged on the music scene in 1997 with the album Cathedral Oceans, then carried on as part of the duo John Foxx & Louis Gordon. Foxx also released collaborative works with artists including Harold Budd and Robin Guthrie. Standout albums include Metamatic (1980), The Garden (1981), The Golden Section (1983), Cathedral Oceans (1997), The Pleasures of Electricity (2001), A New Kind of Man (2008) and Translucence/Drift Music (2003). The 2001 compilation Modern Art: The Very Best of John Foxx is also highly recommended. Foxx, whose father was a coal miner and pugilist, and mother a millworker, received an honorary degree from Edge Hill University, Lancashire, and was made an honorary Doctor of Philosophy at the university in July 2014. In November 2020 Foxx published "The Quiet Man", a collection of short stories.
Artist Website: metamatic.com
Featured Albums: John Foxx
Related Artists: Ultravox, Benge, John Foxx & Louis Gordon, Harold Budd
Video Clips: Underpass, He's a Liquid, Slow Motion
