Violet Bloom: Steve D’Agostino (Film) Music by: Steve D’Agostino and John Foxx A Secret Life 2: Steve D’Agostin, John Foxx and Steve Jansen A Secret Life 7: Steve D’Agostino, John Foxx and Steve D’Agostino Perfect blend of sound and vision Pulling together a number of recordings that Foxx has made as imaginary soundtracks, the first disc in this collection sees him work either solo, or in collaboration with fellow grey trouser-wearers the likes of Howard Budd, Steve D’Agostino and Steve Jansen. Cuts range from the piano vistas of A Secret Life 2, to the drum machine-and-synth rainfall of Flightpath Tegel. Violent Bloom is all ethereal timbre and the slow motion falling of musical blossoms from a Japanese garden. City Of Mirage also brings to mind Vangelis’ Blade Runner work, while elements of Morricone creep in through an electronic filter. Though you begin to create imaginary films or end title sequences in your own mind, this release trumps Eno’s Music For Films or Colin Newman’s Provisionally Entitled The Singing Fish by providing a DVD, in which some of Foxx’s favourite independent filmmakers and image-twisters create work to fit the music. A brilliant idea perfectly captured by genius.!!!!! Metamatic | 5060079261455 (CD+DVD) Reviewed by Ian Shirley
‘D.N.A. is huge on lavishly layered filmscapes. As the finest instrumental music should, it allows the listener to paint their own pictures. Foxx is really on to something here.’ Q MAGAZINE ‘A fine overview of Foxx’s talents – from “quiet music” maestro to purveyor of pulsating synth noir.‘ FACT MAGAZINE ‘D.N.A.’s instrumentals have that lovely half-heardness of the likes of Harold Budd or Roger Eno.’ MOJO MAGAZINE ‘The ambient pieces have an unavoidably Eno-esque quality to them: still melancholic but also involving a profound sense of peace, of drift, ebb and flow. In his moody electro songs Foxx spans both the conceptual and the infectiously melodic.’ THE QUIETUS “The album varies between shimmering Electronica and bold analogue-driven blip-Pop and elegant ambient works, of which the ghostly “Kaiyagura” – with its melancholy, reverb-drenched piano – is quite exquisite.’ – FUTURE MUSIC
DNA EXHIBITION AT THE HORSE HOSPITAL, LONDON ‘I think apart from his incredibly cinematic lyrics – John’s music has always conjured entire movies in my head when I listen to it,’ says Proyas. ‘I think it is his mastery of atmosphere that has stayed with me through the years. If I could only make a movie as textured and evocative as John’s music I would be a happy man.’ (Alex Proyas) The DNA exhibition curated by ArtHertz took place July 27 – 31 2010. The exhibition featured work by visual artists, film-makers, illustrators, Manga comic artists, graphic artists and musicians who have been inspired by different aspects of John Foxx’s 30-year career. They included films by Alex Proyas (I, Robot, The Crow), Jonathan Barnbrook (Damien Hirst and David Bowie), architect Antononi Cardillo (named by Wallpaper Magazine as one of the world’s Top 30 new architects), Japan’s Macoto Tezka, electro pioneer Gary Numan and animator Ian Emes (who also made the video for Duran Duran’s The Chauffeur), alongside prints by Nick Rhodes, one of Tokyo’s most famous Manga artists Reiko Okano, Karborn and John Foxx himself. The films will be run throughout the day except for Alex Proyas’s Groping which is screened every day at 2.30pm. The Horse Hospital, The Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 1JD Below, you will find a photo of Nick’s 2 pieces: On the left is ‘I Want To Be A Machine,’ on the right is ‘Artificial Life’ – the 2 titles come from early Ultravox! tracks – the version fronted by John Foxx. Photo: Roger Spy (ArtHertz)
