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Mick Karn

 
Artist: Mick Karn
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists
Mick Karn

Similar Artists:

David Sylvian, Wally Badarou

Followers:

Strange Boutique

Worked With:

Kurt Renker, Walter Quintus, John Punter, Steve Jansen, Jakko M. Jakszyk, Rob Dean, Richard Barbieri, David Torn, Gary Numan

Formal Connection With:

Rain Tree Crow, Peter Murphy, Japan
  • Born: July 24, 1958, London, England
  • Active: '80s, '90s, 2000s
  • Genres: Rock
  • Instrument: Saxophone, Vocals, Bass
  • Representative Albums: "The Collector's Edition," "Titles," "Polytown"

Biography

Born July 24, 1958, Mick Karn first studied wood and wind instruments such as bassoon and clarinet. However, it is his highly distinctive fretless bass voice for which he is most renowned, an accolade placing him next to Jaco Pastorius. According to Karn, bass went unnoticed and his mission was to get it noticed. Even on early Japan recordings, his wiggly bass can be heard. By their swan song, Tin Drum in 1981, he was dubbed one of the best bass players in the world. He'd already supplied bass and sax work to Gary Numan's Dance album and was the first Japan member with a solo record -- Titles. In 1983, Japan's live album, Oil on Canvas, brought his playing to new ears: jazz legend Jan Garberek. The following year brought an unlikely collaboration with Peter Murphy of Bauhaus. The Waking Hour became Dalis Car's only album and soon Karn was again a solo agent teaming up with close friend Steve Jansen to produce Dreams of Reason Produce Monsters. Session work with Kate Bush and Joan Armatrading bridged Karn's solo efforts, which were few and far between, often odd in title and texture (Beard in the Letter Box, Plaster the Magic Tongue). The early '90s saw a more prolific Karn who formed the label Medium with Jansen and Richard Barbieri. All three joined guitarist David Torn to produce his best efforts: Bestial Cluster (1993) and The Tooth Mother in 1995. Between these came an experimental project, Polytown, again with Torn and drummer Terry Bozzio. Its muscular and at times funky prog rock is not for the feint hearted. Karn found time to spend on his sculpture work and a San Francisco sabbatical eventually bore the album Each Eye a Path. ~ Kelvin Hayes, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Mick Karn
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Mick Karn

Mick Karn, London, November 1982
Background information
Birth name Anthony Michaelides
Born 24 July 1958 (1958-07-24) (age 51)
Origin Cyprus
Genres Avant-garde
Instruments Bass guitar
Keyboards
Sax
Oboe
Years active 1977–
Associated acts Japan
Dali's Car
Website MickKarn.net

Mick Karn (born 24 July 1958) is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and songwriter, most noted as the bassist for the art rock band Japan, from 1974 to 1982.

Karn was born Anthony Michaelides in Nicosia, Cyprus, before emigrating to London, England, at the age of 3. He has worked with such noted and diverse artists as Gary Numan, Kate Bush, Midge Ure, and Joan Armatrading. After Japan broke up, he formed Dali's Car with Peter Murphy of the gothic post-punk group Bauhaus, which recorded one album in 1984. In the 1990s he worked with artist David Torn and a number of Japanese musicians, including the band NiNa. Since then he has worked as a solo artist and as a photographer.

Karn's use of the fretless bass guitar, an unusual instrument in modern popular music, produces a distinctive sound and playing style, which makes his playing immediately recognizable.

Karn played an aluminum-neck Travis Bean bass on all Japan albums up to Gentlemen Take Polaroids. In 1981 he moved to the renowned Wal basses, purchasing two Mark I instruments, one with rare African tulipwood facings, the other a cherry solidbody. Karn recorded Japan's last studio album Tin Drum with the Wal and has continued to use them, and now also plays the headless Klein 'K Bass.'

Discography

  • Titles (Virgin, 1982)
  • Dreams of Reason Produce Monsters (Virgin, 1987)
  • Bestial Cluster (CMP, 1993)
  • The Tooth Mother (CMP, 1995)
  • Liquid Glass (with Yoshihiro Hanno) (Medium, 1998)
  • Each Eye a Path (Medium, 2001)
  • Each Path a Remix (Medium, 2003)
  • More Better Different (Invisible Hands Music, 2004)
  • Love's Glove EP (MK, 2005)
  • Three Part Species (MK, 2006)
  • Selected (MK, 2007)
  • The Concrete Twin (MK, 2009)


References

External links

v • d • e
Japan
David Sylvian · Mick Karn · Steve Jansen · Richard Barbieri · Rob Dean
Studio albums
Live album
Compilations
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
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Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mick Karn".  Read more

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