I will never forget the day I sat down to watch Saturday Night Live one summer in 1980, when Chevy Chase (or was it Elliot Gould?) introduced this strange British artist I've never even heard of before.

This thin, pale, intense, and drop dead serious fellow appears behind a synthesizer and suddenly a sound that can only be described as surreal and somewhat haunting hits the airwaves to find a 15 year old kid instantly hypnotized by this new artist from the UK who would later be known as the man who inspired countless artists of the darker persuasion-artists like Trent Reznor, Marilyn Manson, Billy Corgan, and dozens more-the same artist who would be a major force in shaping the future and inspiring a new genre of rock musicians for generations to come: Gary Numan.

Here we are twenty six years later, and it's no secret that Gary Numan is now among the classics in the best sense of the word. Numan has weathered many storms in his career including first and foremost the ruthless attacks from the media who claimed Gary Numan was a fly by night who would join the ranks of the "one hit wonders" and be known as a "has been" within the pages of the history of rock and roll. What a riot to be able to say here and now, in 2006, that they were so wrong!!! Mr. Numan can break out the champagne (make that a coke-a-cola) and celebrate a very brilliant career, because, in the end, he has stood the test of time, and in fact, he has earned himself a very unique chapter within that very complex and unpredictable history of rock and roll!

The fact is, the story isn't over yet. While Numan can be proud of his classic masterpieces such as Cars, Are Friends Electric, Down In The Park, I Die: You Die, Pure, R.I.P, A Prayer For The Unborn, (to name a very few)..Gary will be the first to say there is "no rest for the wicked"! Mr. Numan is a man that looks to the future and not the past, and, from what I've heard thus far..the future looks very promising.

Numan's new album "Jagged" was released March 13 2006 in the UK and March 21st in North America www.metropolis-records.com/artists/?artist=numan and I can assure you we're in for one hell of a treat with this new album. It's stacked to the roof with "war machine guitar riffs" and plenty of industrial bleeps and belches and heavily laced throughout with the kind of "dark mood" that only Numan can create. "Jagged" is already creating a massive buzz among the faithful die-hards and as did "Pure" in 2000.. "Jagged" is sure to attract new recruits to the Numanoid Militia the world over.
It's difficult to say at present which of the tracks will make the charts, but if I were going to place a bet, I'd say that "In A Dark Place" has a lot of potential. I believe "Haunted" is another track that has potential. Either way, "Jagged" is a real breath of fresh air! Mr. Numan has, as always come to deliver some classic stuff for both the "faithful" and those on the verge of "conversion". Already, "Jagged" has come in at "#3 in the BBC Top 40 Indie Chart, the weeks highest new entry" ...and rest assured that the battle has just begun!

Just a bit of trivia aside: the North American version of "Jagged" is slightly different than the UK version, which makes this release even more versatile and quite exciting for collectors. ALL versions/mixes will eventually be made available world wide!

We have plans to catch up with Gary Numan some time in the future; perhaps when he comes to Canada for a few gigs. So, keep your eyes open for North American Tour Dates and in the mean time, "Jagged" is now on the shelves in record stores all through North America--and from where I'm sitting at this very moment--"Jagged" is an absolute must for anyone who enjoys both the classic Numan sound--and the 21st century incarnation if the "God-Father of Dark Electronica"!

review by dean mason
dmason @ lonelyghost.com
www.lonelyghost.com
for www.toronto-goth.com (email)
posted: March 21, 2006

Ade Fenton (www.adefenton.com), DJ 'extraordinaire' and the producer for "Jagged" has agreed to join us here at Toronto Goth for an "inside look" at the world of Gary Numan - and for that we are right grateful!



Dean Mason:So, Ade, I can only imagine that working with Gary Numan must have been an experience you'll always cherish-how did you land such an awesome responsibility?

Ade Fenton: Yeah, of course - for a variety of reasons. I've been a fan of his music for more than 20 years, so when someone you've admired professionally for so long asks you to take on such a responsibility, the pressure added to that, this was my first major production job and we've also been mates for many years, so all in all it was quite a big deal to say the least.

DM: This is quite a departure from what you're used to yes?

AF: It's certainly a departure from the techno stuff I made my name from, but not from the material I've been writing for my own industrial album that Gary has done some guest vocals on. Hopefully, the album - that has been in the making for what feels like an eternity - should be released some time this year.

DM: Can you give us a brief summary of the events that led up to finally getting this "gig"? Did Gary go looking for you specifically or did you make an offer which he eventually accepted?

AF: It wasn't really a case of him looking for me. We'd see each other socially on quite a regular basis, and over time I began playing him some of the songs I'd written for my album. As my production became better and better, Gary seemed genuinely impressed and because he'd been having one or two few delays with Sulpher, he eventually asked me to have a go at one of the songs on Jagged called 'Scanner', purely on a trial basis. Thankfully, it was exactly what he was after and we went from there.

DM: Can you give us a "tour" of an average day in the studio with Gary Numan? In other words, how did he communicate what he wanted? Do you see yourself as having a significant influence on the outcome of the final product?

AF: Well, of course there's gonna be elements of my own particular sound on the record. I constantly had to remind myself that Gary had asked me to work with him because he liked my stuff, just so I didn't fall into the trap of doing things that I thought he would like. In terms of actually working in the studio together, we did very little. What we did do was meet up every couple of weeks, listen to the demo's, bounce some ideas around, he'd listen to what I'd done and either say yes or no, but he was brilliant - he pretty much gave me a blank canvas to do what I wanted. Throughout the whole process, we managed to maintain a fantastic working relationship, and at the end of the day even if we disagreed about something, it didn't matter 'cos we're mates anyway.

DM: To be honest, I get the impression that Gary is very much pleased with "Jagged", is there any possibility of future work together? Some remixes perhaps?

AF: We're both very pleased with the way the record turned out and almost all of the reviews have been excellent. There'll be the guest vocals he's done on my stuff coming out soon and I'm working on another couple of Gary's brand new songs at the moment. In terms of his next album, I don't know yet because it's way too soon to be thinking of that.

DM: Sort of related to that last question, can you imagine a "techno" or "dark wave" interpretation of some of the tracks? I mean, "Hybrid" comes to mind, and I'm just wondering if you've got some ideas already for some future projects, just with "Jagged"?

AF: That decision would not be down to me, but if I was asked I think it would be kinda challenging to reinterpret some of the songs on Jagged. I certainly wouldn't want to do anything techno related with them though - I'd have to double the bpm's for a start, and that would just sound daft!

DM: Getting out of the "technical" end of things-obviously we're a "Goth" outfit here at Toronto Goth, and I have to ask, do you think Gary Numan has a direct influence on the genre we now refer to as "Goth"?

AF: Yes, absolutely. It's no secret that people like Trent Reznor, Marilyn Manson etc have all publicly stated that Gary's been an influence on them. Actually, he's been an influence on such a diverse range of music, whether it be electro, hip hop, techno, industrial. It's just a shame it took everyone else so fucking long to realise it though.

DM: What's the future going to bring for Ade Fenton? Do you think that this present accomplishment with Gary Numan changes the 'horizion' a bit for you?

AF: Who knows? All I can hope for is that I can continue to make a good living out of something I genuinely love doing. I hope I'll be working with Gary again, and I'd like to think that Jagged might just be the catalyst for some future production work with similar artists.

DM: Finally-I hope you can take a compliment Ade: "Jagged" is really quite powerful-in the best sense of the word-and you're a part of it! You do realize that there are probably many other people who would have loved a chance to work with an artist like Gary Numan? The question is-at the end of the day-can you say-"damn straight man! I'm proud as hell with this project"?

AF: Fuck yeah...it's the best thing to have ever happened to me, and I'm intensely proud and grateful I've been able to contribute.

DM: Thanks ever so much for joining us here at Toronto Goth.and we really wish you all the best with your own future release!

http://www.adefenton.com

interview by dean mason
dmason @ lonelyghost.com
www.lonelyghost.com
for www.toronto-goth.com (email)
posted: March 23, 2006

www.jagged-album.com
www.numan.co.uk/clouds/news.html
www.myspace.com/garynuman
www.metropolis-records.com