Billy Currie
Location
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Societies
PRS
PRS
Biog and News
Yorkshireman Billy Currie is a prolific composer and widely known as the keyboard player with the 1980's New Wave band, Ultravox. All four members (Warren Cann, Chris Cross, Billy Currie and Midge Ure) are this year reuniting for the first time since performing at Live Aid in 1985, for a UK Ultravox reunion tour entitled 'Return to Eden'.
In the 80's Billy also collaborated with Gary Numan and co-write Visage's seminal hit 'Fade to Grey'. He went on to work on film projects and record solo albums on his own label 'Puzzle', the most recent being 'Accidental Poetry of the Structure' about which Billy says:
"When I write I usually have two or three ideas on the go. Differing colours and emotions. It is only when I work on the structure that the sparks start to fly and accidental to this process of structuralising the piece the musical ideas come to life and speak! The poetry of music is accidental to this creative structural activity”
Instruments
Billy is noted for his use of analogue synthesisers and viola which was his original instrument whilst at music college.
Past Bands/Collaborations
Bartok, Schoenburg, Honegger, Varese, Terry Riley
Credits ~ with Ultravox
Yorkshireman Billy Currie is a prolific composer and widely known as the keyboard player with the 1980's New Wave band, Ultravox. All four members (Warren Cann, Chris Cross, Billy Currie and Midge Ure) are this year reuniting for the first time since performing at Live Aid in 1985, for a UK Ultravox reunion tour entitled 'Return to Eden'.
In the 80's Billy also collaborated with Gary Numan and co-write Visage's seminal hit 'Fade to Grey'. He went on to work on film projects and record solo albums on his own label 'Puzzle', the most recent being 'Accidental Poetry of the Structure' about which Billy says:
"When I write I usually have two or three ideas on the go. Differing colours and emotions. It is only when I work on the structure that the sparks start to fly and accidental to this process of structuralising the piece the musical ideas come to life and speak! The poetry of music is accidental to this creative structural activity”
Instruments
Billy is noted for his use of analogue synthesisers and viola which was his original instrument whilst at music college.
Past Bands/Collaborations
- Barry Edwards' "The Ritual Theatre"
- Ultravox (1974–1988, 1991–1996)
- Visage (1979-1984)
- Gary Numan (1979)
- The Armoury Show (1985)
- Humania (1988-1989)
- Phil Lynott
- Steve Howe
Bartok, Schoenburg, Honegger, Varese, Terry Riley
Credits ~ with Ultravox
- Ultravox! (1977)
- Ha!-Ha!-Ha! (1977)
- Systems of Romance (1978)
- Vienna (1980)
- Rage in Eden (1981)
- Quartet (1982)
- Monument (1983)
- Lament (1984)
- U-Vox (1986)
- Revelation (1993)
- Ingenuity (1996)
- The Pleasure Principle (1979) (guest)
- Living Ornaments '79 (1981)
- Visage (1980) including the hit single "Fade to Grey"
- The Anvil (1982)
- Beat Boy (1984) (guest)
- Sinews of the Soul (2005, recorded 1989)
- Transportation (1988)
- Stand Up and Walk (1990)
- Unearthed (2001)
- Keys and the Fiddle (2001)
- Push (2002)
- Pieces of the Puzzle (2003)
- Still Movement (2004)
- Accidental Poetry of the Structure (2007)
Tracks
Click selected track in playlist to play.
Click playing track title for versions/download
-
Antarctica
Bleak landscape in layered, electronically effected Viola- slowly evolving, textured drones with varyingly fraught and emotive improvisations over. -
Charade
Poetically sad, lilting 6/8 altered harp/piano figures revolve round with synth atmospherics and stop-start electronic drums- occasional distorted viola highlights. -
Circus of Dreams
Surreally atmospheric piano-driven chillout with clockwork, slow-funky rhythm section evolving from pensive to positive. -
Forest Canopy
Hallucinogenic, gently haunting evocation of autumnal woods in acoustically tinged electronics with effected viola figures. -
Future Cities Part 1
Serious, modern piano and synth lines interweave; mood moves from pensive to partially resolved. -
Future Cities Part 2
As 1 but with full electro-house bass and drum machine plus more instrumentally developed high points. -
Mountain Flyer
Galloping retro synth-pop groove rises to Sweeping anthemic climax. -
Northern Dawn
Intensely meditative, minimalist piano ostinato gradually evolves and builds to portentous, cyclical climax. -
River Crossing
Wholesome, positive, piano-led evocation of rural/coastal vistas with grand backing and male operatic lead sections. -
Second Life
Surreal, enigmatic, chilled landscape in slow, dubby electronica featuring harp. -
The Big Heat
Starkly spacious string drones with altered viola taking abstractly ethnic-flavoured lead lines. -
The Cavern
Eerily beautiful and mysterious synth chord washes with spacious and emotive piano lead lines over. -
The Way Forward
Emotively purposeful 80s tinged synth-pop corporate anthem builds atmospherically to energy-charged drum loop, cycles triumphally to fade.
Biog and News
Yorkshireman Billy Currie is a prolific composer and widely known as the keyboard player with the 1980's New Wave band, Ultravox. All four members (Warren Cann, Chris Cross, Billy Currie and Midge Ure) are this year reuniting for the first time since performing at Live Aid in 1985, for a UK Ultravox reunion tour entitled 'Return to Eden'.
In the 80's Billy also collaborated with Gary Numan and co-write Visage's seminal hit 'Fade to Grey'. He went on to work on film projects and record solo albums on his own label 'Puzzle', the most recent being 'Accidental Poetry of the Structure' about which Billy says:
"When I write I usually have two or three ideas on the go. Differing colours and emotions. It is only when I work on the structure that the sparks start to fly and accidental to this process of structuralising the piece the musical ideas come to life and speak! The poetry of music is accidental to this creative structural activity”
Instruments
Billy is noted for his use of analogue synthesisers and viola which was his original instrument whilst at music college.
Past Bands/Collaborations
Bartok, Schoenburg, Honegger, Varese, Terry Riley
Credits ~ with Ultravox
Yorkshireman Billy Currie is a prolific composer and widely known as the keyboard player with the 1980's New Wave band, Ultravox. All four members (Warren Cann, Chris Cross, Billy Currie and Midge Ure) are this year reuniting for the first time since performing at Live Aid in 1985, for a UK Ultravox reunion tour entitled 'Return to Eden'.
In the 80's Billy also collaborated with Gary Numan and co-write Visage's seminal hit 'Fade to Grey'. He went on to work on film projects and record solo albums on his own label 'Puzzle', the most recent being 'Accidental Poetry of the Structure' about which Billy says:
"When I write I usually have two or three ideas on the go. Differing colours and emotions. It is only when I work on the structure that the sparks start to fly and accidental to this process of structuralising the piece the musical ideas come to life and speak! The poetry of music is accidental to this creative structural activity”
Instruments
Billy is noted for his use of analogue synthesisers and viola which was his original instrument whilst at music college.
Past Bands/Collaborations
- Barry Edwards' "The Ritual Theatre"
- Ultravox (1974–1988, 1991–1996)
- Visage (1979-1984)
- Gary Numan (1979)
- The Armoury Show (1985)
- Humania (1988-1989)
- Phil Lynott
- Steve Howe
Bartok, Schoenburg, Honegger, Varese, Terry Riley
Credits ~ with Ultravox
- Ultravox! (1977)
- Ha!-Ha!-Ha! (1977)
- Systems of Romance (1978)
- Vienna (1980)
- Rage in Eden (1981)
- Quartet (1982)
- Monument (1983)
- Lament (1984)
- U-Vox (1986)
- Revelation (1993)
- Ingenuity (1996)
- The Pleasure Principle (1979) (guest)
- Living Ornaments '79 (1981)
- Visage (1980) including the hit single "Fade to Grey"
- The Anvil (1982)
- Beat Boy (1984) (guest)
- Sinews of the Soul (2005, recorded 1989)
- Transportation (1988)
- Stand Up and Walk (1990)
- Unearthed (2001)
- Keys and the Fiddle (2001)
- Push (2002)
- Pieces of the Puzzle (2003)
- Still Movement (2004)
- Accidental Poetry of the Structure (2007)