by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

“Around dawn is the best time to play piano,” says John Foxx. “Self-critical mechanisms mostly dormant, so I’m free to invent and enjoy for a while. The piano faces a window overlooking a valley surrounded by hills, where the sun comes up. There’s often an early mist in the valley – and quite often, it rains. Some notes and sounds resonate with remembered experiences and you get glimpses of times and people. It’s valuable. Quiet. Free association, myriad moments orbiting – and off you go.”

This set of eleven solo piano recordings was made in the wake of Foxx’s successful appearance at Kings Place in October 2023, where he took part in a ‘Night Tracks’ evening for BBC Radio 3. The title is mindful of friends, the music written in gratitude to them.

“So – simply, thanks.”, writes Foxx. “Wherever you are.”

What’s the music like?

Deeply personal, and extremely relaxing. There is no mistaking the intimacy of this music, that these are the thoughts of one person, but with each recording you feel as though Foxx is training his focus on a different friendship.

When She Walked In With The Dawn captures the very moment the light begins, Foxx’s piano surrounded by reverberation but revealing its thoughts with a steady gaze. By contrast Evensong is bathed in early evening sunshine, its musical language closer to the Baroque and Pachelbel’s Canon. Meanwhile Someone Indistinct goes higher in pitch, revealing a close association with the music of Erik Satie.

Foxx’s writing often has watery connotations. The water glints in the upper reaches of A Swimmer In A Summer River, while Once I Had A Love is gently reflective. The two Night Vision pieces unfold pleasantly, the latter especially evoking nocturnal memories, while Morning In A Great City, by nature, has a wider perspective. The closing title track has the warmth of appreciation.

Does it all work?

It does. Foxx’s sound world is both a comfort and a source of positive energy, giving relaxation but also helping focus the mind. Listen closely and you get hints of deeper emotion, the personal profiles difficult to ignore.

Is it recommended?

It is. Foxx has of course charmed with ambient albums in the past, and Wherever You Are draws from the best of his solo work and collaborations with Harold Budd and Robin Guthrie. These are deeply personal utterances, deceptively simple but meaningful, and offer a consoling arm around the shoulders of any listener.

For fans of… Erik Satie, Federico Mompou, Anthony Phillips, Steve Hackett

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,504 – Tuesday 15 April 2025