Metamatic
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Following his blissfully abstract, piano-based collaborations with Harold Budd and Ruben Garcia over the last 20 years, The Arcades Project is John Foxx’s first solo piano album, released on vinyl for the first time.Visit product page →
This latest work has a fresh sense of wonder, as if returning to the instrument after the raging analogue noise of his last major work, 2020’s Howl (by John Foxx And The Maths) necessitated a further retreat into quiet, minimal music.
Reviews for The Arcades Project:
“Delicate evocation of the ambience of a city’s galleried passages.’ Mojo 4 ****.
'This exquisite and refined solo piano work is a fine addition to a body of work made by an artist always investigating memory and imagination.’ The Quietus Album of the Month for April 2023.
'His most evocative music.’ Uncut Magazine 8/10.
‘Delicate, drifting and hypnotic.’ Record Collector 4 ****.
‘Unmissable’ Electronic Sound Magazine.
'Its minimalism is moving; its restraint rich in reverie. Foxx's 21st-century body of work grows ever more absorbing.’ Prog magazine.
‘An album that has the potential to be a classic of modern times and a reference point for classical ambient for years to come.’ Louder Than War.
‘Awed wonder . . . and frequently beautiful.’ Classic Pop.
'Foxx has created 12 stunning pieces of music . . . sparse, minimalistic, and extremely moving . . . It goes a long way in demonstrating just how much of a genius he is' Spill Magazine
Tracklisting:
1. A Formal Arrangement
2. Floral Arithmetic
3. Daylight Ghost
4. In All Your Glory
5. Last Golden Light
6. Momentary Paris
7. Forgotten In Manhattan
8. The Sea Inside
9. Lovers And Strangers
10. Starlit Summer Night
11. Coincidentalism
12. This Evening -
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The original 10-track album was remastered from analogue tapes back in 2014, along with various B-sides.
*Every B-side, out-take and unreleased track has been taken from the best possible source and (re)mastered over the last 4 years.
A few tapes full of instrumental music from the session were also set aside for remastering but these revealed further discoveries, including alternative mixes and the song Miss Machinery'- a mutant, electro-punk twist on Foxx B-side, 20th Century'.
Meanwhile John Foxx assembled his notebooks from the period which included lists of possible track titles that have now been used for the unreleased material on this album. Some of the notes were also scanned for the artwork, along with previously unseen photos as well as rare drawings and illustrations by the artist.
Jonathan Barnbrook (regular Foxx collaborator and Bowie's Blackstar designer) worked on the new reissue design as the project grew to 49 tracks across 3 CDs.
This includes the 15 instrumentals on CD3 which collectively sound like a lost electronic soundtrack with echoes of Quatermass, BBC's Radiophonic Workshop and the dark DIY electronics of Thomas Leer and Robert Rental.
*Clamshell box includes 3CDs *6 art cards inside the CD box *Previously unreleased tracks *40 page booklet features previously unseen photos and rare drawings and illustrations by John Foxx *2014 remaster of Metamatic album from analogue tapes
Tracklisting:
CD 1:
1. Plaza
2. He's a Liquid
3. Underpass
4. Metal Beat
5. No-One Driving
6. A New Kind Of Man
7. Blurred Girl
8. 030
9. Tidal Wave
10. Touch And Go
CD 2:
1. Film One
2. This City
3. To Be With You
4. Cinemascope
5. Burning Car
6. Glimmer
7. Mr. No
8. Young Love
9. 20th Century
10. My Face
11. Underpass (Radio Edit)
12. No-One Driving (Single Version)
13. Like A Miracle (Alternative Version)
14. A New Kind Of Man (Alternative Version)
15. He's A Liquid (Alternative Version)
16. Plaza (Extended Version)
17. Underpass (Extended Version)
18. Blurred Girl (Longer Fade Version)
CD 3:
1. A Frozen Moment
2. He's A Liquid (Instrumental Dub)
3. Mr. No (Alternative Version)
4. The Uranium Committee
5. A Man Alone
6. Over Tokyo
7. Terminal Zone
8. Urban Code
9. A Version Of You
10. Glimmer (Alternative Version)
11. Fragmentary City
12. Metamorphosis
13. Approaching The Monument
14. Critical Mass
15. Alamogordo Logic
16. Touch And Go (Early Version)
17. Miss Machinery
18. No-One Driving (Early Version)
19. Burning Car (Early Version)
20. Like A Miracle (Early Version)
21. No-One Driving (Alternative Version) -
Metamatic Records'first major compilation of John Foxx material is the first part of a double release spanning 35 years as a solo artist.Visit product page →
John Foxx - 20th Century: The Noise covers the years from his debut single Underpass'in January 1980 to the rest of the last century, up to his comeback'albums with Louis Gordon, Shifting City and The Omnedelic Exotour in 1997 and 1998.
There's also a precious Cathedral Oceans gem, Splendour'which has only ever been available on a rare album by various artists entitled Orphée and 20th Century also includes an unreleased instrumental track from the vaults, Musique Electron' - a melodic idea Foxx has had for decades'.
The Metamatic material is taken from the new 2014 master which is based on a set of 1979 analogue tapes recently discovered in John's archive.20th Century also includes a Foxx/Gordon version of Hiroshima Mon Amour', a track that featured on Ultravox's second album, Ha! Ha! Ha!
A follow-up album, 21st Century: A Man, A Woman And A City is scheduled for early 2016.
Tracklisting:
1. 20th Century (B-side to Burning Car)
2. Underpass (Taken from Metamatic)
3. No-One Driving (Single Version)
4. Burning Car (Single)
5. He's A Liquid (Alternative Version)
6. A Long Time (B-side to Miles Away)
7. Miles Away (Single)
8. Europe After The Rain (Taken from The Garden)
9. This Jungle (B-side to Europe After The Rain)
10. Dancing Like A Gun (Taken from The Garden)
11. Endlessly (Single Version)
12. The Hidden Man (Taken from The Golden Section)
13. The Noise - Foxx/Gordon (Taken from Shifting City)
14. Through My Sleeping - Foxx/Gordon (Taken from Shifting City)
15. Hiroshima Mon Amour - Foxx/Gordon (Taken from Omnidelic Exotour)
16. Musique Electron (previously unreleased)
17. Splendour (previously only available on a compilation, Orphée) -
John Foxx's new solo instrumental album was recorded and assembled for a cut-up/collage movie by Foxx and visual artist Karborn, inspired by the themes, influence and text of British writer J G Ballard. Screened as part of Brighton's Cine-City festival in late 2012, the pair presented 'a film and sound seance manifesting J G Ballard neurones. Mobilised by ultracolour and inframusic, anatomised hallucinogenetics and proximity psychopathagens.Visit product page →
' The montage movie ' often beautiful and surreal in its collision of images - can be viewed online at www.hyperballard.com or on Vimeo (www.vimeo.com/95105838 ) The album features two collaborations - 'Geometry, Collision And Coincidence' with Benge from John Foxx And The Maths, and 'Disaster Series', which was co-written with Steve D'Agostino.
All the music is exclusive to this soundtrack except 'The Other Side', an extract from the forthcoming Electricity & Ghosts album (due for release in 2015), which just happened to fit with the visuals. The soundtrack runs as a continuous piece of music in the first part of B-Movie including effects and links that relate to the film.
The second half of the album features all the individual tracks plus 'Dashboard Melt' which Foxx recorded for the project but in the end didn't use. Jonathan Barnbrook's stunning artwork for the album features new, Ballard-inspired images created by Karborn (www.karborn.com).
www.hyperballard.com www.metamatic.com B-Movie (Ballardian Video Neuronica)
1. The Atrocity Catalogue Update
2. Geometry, Collision and Coincidence
3. Exit Strategy
4. Velocity Logic
5. Crash Course
6. Obscene Chemistry
7. A Stray Ballardian Neurone
8. Disaster Series
9. The Other Side
Ballardian Video Neuronica:
10. Geometry, Collision and Coincidence
11. Exit Strategy
12. Velocity Logic
13. Crash Course
14. Obscene Chemistry
15. A Stray Ballardian Neurone
16. Disaster Series
17. Dashboard Melt
18. The Other Side -
This 5CD box set covers the 4 albums John Foxx released between 1980 - 1985 - Metamatic, The Garden, The Golden Section & In Mysterious Ways - plus B-sides and out-takes from the sessions which have been added as bonus tracks after each original album, and on a fifth CD, Fusion/Fission.Visit product page →
The Virgin Years includes a new analogue master of Metamatic , along with re-masters of the B-sides - 'This City', 'Film One' etc.
The black box also houses five postcards with the artwork for the singles 'Underpass', 'No-One Driving', 'Europe After The Rain', 'Endlessly' and 'Stars On Fire'.Disc One : Metamatic1. Plaza2. He's A Liquid3. Underpass4. Metal Beat5. No-One Driving6. A New Kind Of Man7. Blurred Girl8. 0309. Tidal Wave10. Touch And GoExtra Tracks:11. Film One12. This City13. Burning Car14. Glimmer15. Mr No16. Young Love17. 20th Century18. My Face19. A New Kind Of Man (Alternative Version)20. He's A Liquid (Alternative Version)
Disc Two : The Garden1. Europe After The Rain2. Systems Of Romance3. When I Was A Man And You Were A Woman4. Dancing Like A Gun5. Pater Noster6. Night Suit7. You Were There8. Fusion / Fission9. Walk Away10. The Garden.Extra Tracks:11. Swimmer Ii12. This Jungle13. Miles Away14. A Long Time15. Swimmer I16. Swimmer Iii17. Swimmer Iv
Disc Three : The Golden Section1. My Wild Love2. Someone3. Your Dress4. Running Across Thin Ice With Tigers5. Sitting At The Edge Of The World6. Endlessly7. Ghosts On Water8. Like A Miracle9. The Hidden Man10. Twilight's Last Gleaming.Extra Tracks:11. Annexe12. A Kind Of Wave13. A Woman On A Stairway14. The Lifting Sky15. Shine On Me16. Wings And A Wind17. Dance With Me
Disc Four : In Mysterious Ways1. Stars On Fire2. Lose All Sense Of Time3. Spin Away4. Enter The Angel Ii5. Enter The Angel6. In Mysterious Ways7. What Kind Of Girl8. Shine On9. Stepping Softly10. Morning Glory.Extra Tracks:11. Lumen De Lumine12. To Be With You (Alternative Version)13. And The Sky14. This Side Of Paradise15. Hiding In Plain Sight16. City Of Light
Disc Five : Fusion / Fission1. Cinemascope2. To Be With You3. Like A Miracle (Alternative Version)4. Fog5. Fusion / Fission (Early Version)6. Dance With Me (Early Version)7. A Woman On A Stairway (Early Version)8. Endlessly (Single Version)9. My Wild Love (Early Version)10. A Long Time (Alternative Version)11. Sitting At The Edge Of The World (Alternative Version)12. Twilight's Last Gleaming (Early Version)13. Young Man14. The Hidden Man (Alternative Version)15. Enter The Angel (Alternative Version)16. Magic17. Shine On (Alternative Version) -
2xLP Double Pack W/ Exclusive Jonathan Barnbrook Print.Visit product page →
''Foxx's music still sounds futuristic, accompanied by flickering footage and images of design that never dates: imagined cityscapes, endless motorways. As these time machines whirr to silence, it's clear that Mr Foxx is still fantastic.'' NME review of John Foxx, the Roundhouse, June 2010. 'One of the finest electronic records you'll hear in 2011.' The Quietus
'Synthesizer archivist Benge (aka The Maths) turns out to be a superb foil for Foxx. The Wire
'Meeting of synth-fetishists is a triumph. The albums echoes four decades of avant pop.' **** Mojo
'Foxx has released an album which equals the high-point of his rich back-catalogue.' BBC
'One of the most enlightened synth records in years.' **** The Stool Pigeon
'Forceful, stripped-down music that sounds as new as its old, and as imaginative as it is familiar.' Uncut
Enigmatic but song-based, evoking early incarnations of Cabaret Voltaire, The Human League and Roxy Music.' Q Magazine
'Interplay is a consistently strong piece of work.' **** Music OMH
'Fresh and powerful. Tracks move from glistening-crisp and growling-fierce to tender, the latter mood captured by the melancholic beauty of 'A Falling Star' and 'The Good Shadow'.' **** Clash Magazine -
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The 15-track CD brings together collaborations with The Soft Moon (the post-punk psychedelia of the title-track); Gazelle Twin (including the strikingly beautiful 'Changelings'); New York duo Xeno & Oaklander; Moog maverick Tara Busch and Ghostly International's Matthew Dear, plus a Pink Floyd cover and some new Foxx/Benge material. This includes the rich analogue glow of 'Walk' and apocalyptic ballad 'Only Lovers Left Alive'. Meanwhile, regular Maths live band member Hannah Peel plays violin on 'Neon Vertigo' and 'My Town'. Evidence is John Foxx And The Maths' most atmospheric and darkly percussive album so far - built around stark, late night rhythms.
The ambient spaces in the music allow for experiments with textures and mood, with dreamlike echoes of Massive Attack, dub (in spirit not pastiche), Dead Can Dance and the ultra-introspective Japan. The edgy beats of the opening track 'Personal Magnetism' are followed by 'Evidence', featuring The Soft Moon's Luis Vasquez. Layers of sound whirl around Foxx's brooding, insomniac vocals, as he searches for answers in the early hours. The slow, minimalist 'That Sudden Switch' takes the European art-movie approach of Xeno & Oaklander and re-invents it as post-dub electronic pop.
'Talk (Beneath Your Dreams)' features US electronic artist Matthew Dear taking the role of the 'sleeper' as a conversation is held in a dream. It's a chilly, nightmarish track but like much of this album it has motion - Dear adding new techno rhythms as well as a Bowie-esque vocal in the final verses. 'Neon Vertigo' furthers the noir tension with massive bass sounds and 'space violin' from Hannah Peel, while 'Changelings' is in many ways the centrepiece of the album. Originally written and recorded by Gazelle Twin, 'Changelings' only retains her voice as The Maths rebuild it completely from scratch. It's arguably one of Benge's finest moments in the studio so far, while Foxx's reverb-drenched backing vocals complete this stunning, end-of-the-world song.
What follows is weirder still. 'My Town' features Peel on violin again as Foxx's metallic, distorted voice sounds like an ego on the brink of madness. Is it the voice of money/a god/bankers/an evil corporation, or a fallen rock star still living in the past? The cover of Pink Floyd's 'Have A Cigar' starts with a cackle of laughter before Foxx launches into another heavily treated vocal, not unlike that of 'My Town'. Meanwhile, 'A Falling Star' is the reverse of 'Changelings' - this time it's a Foxx/Benge track reworked by Gazelle Twin.
In this context, the song becomes an icy but epic ballad, full of siren vocals and a sense of release as it stretches into the long, elegant fadeout. In fact, 'A Falling Star' does signal a change on the album as the mood evolves into something more reflective. The two instrumentals 'Cloud Choreography' and 'Shadow Memory' offer new space and textures, while 'Walk' appears to emerge half-way through a dream as Foxx sings 'and I walked through all the streets of this city' after a slow build. This final section climaxes with the electronic harp music of 'Myriads' and the last song, 'Only Lovers Left Alive' - a pretty melody found on an old discarded reel-to-reel; nostalgic, the sound of memory and tape creating one of the album's most moving tracks.
Tracklisting:
1. Personal Magnetism
2. Evidence (Featuring The Soft Moon)
3. That Sudden Switch (Featuring Xeno & Oaklander)
4. Talk (Beneath Your Dreams) (Featuring Matthew Dear)
5. Neon Vertigo
6. Changelings (Featuring Gazelle Twin)
7. My Town
8. Have A Cigar
9. A Falling Star (Featuring Gazelle Twin)
10. Cloud Choreography
11. Shadow Memory
12. Walk
13. Myriads
14. Only Lovers Left AliveBonus Track
15. Talk (I Speak Machine Mix) Featuring ' Tara Busch