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Gary Numan On World Cafe

December 15, 2011
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Considered one of the fathers of electronic music, British new-wave auteur Gary Numan has been releasing studio albums since the '70s. The man behind the classic hit "Cars" has influenced scores of musicians over the years, including Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie, Beck and many others.

Born in West London, Numan began to attract attention as the frontman for Tubeway Army, a punk new-wave outfit that lasted about three years. Numan went solo after its dissolution and began, as a twentysomething who still lived with his parents, putting out synth-charged, chart-topping electro-pop. Over the years, Numan has released a stream of albums which span new wave, industrial and gothic rock; his latest is a bit of a return to his roots.

Dead Son Rising came out this last September. It's a mosaic of old discarded demos, pulled together and shined up for a new, complete release. With help from Ade Fenton writing and producing the 12 tracks, Numan incorporated science-fiction elements from a story he's been writing for years. Numan describes the result as experimental and fluid, yet still a labor of love.

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