| Rob Dean | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Robert Dean |
| Born | 23 April 1955 |
| Origin | Clapton, Hackney, England, UK |
| Genres | Glam rock, Art rock, New Wave, Synthpop |
| Occupations | Musician, Ornithologist |
| Instruments | Guitar, Vocals |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Associated acts | Chanchos de Monte Japan Mick Karn Richard Barbieri Steve Jansen Vivabeat Illustrated Man |
| Notable instruments | |
| Gibson Firebird Music Man guitar |
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Rob Dean (born 23 April 1955) is a British musician, who rose to prominence playing guitar as a member of the British band Japan.[1]
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He is from Clapton, Hackney, London, England.[2]
He joined Japan in 1975 at the age of 20, seeing them developing from glam rock band to that of the new romantics. He left the band in 1981 due to frustration with the lack of room for his guitar work. Rob Dean's instruments of choice were a Gibson RD artist and a Gibson SG.
Post-Japan he worked on some initial ideas for a solo album with keyboardist and composer Roger Mason (keyboard player for Gary Numan amongst others). He also played on Gary Numan's Dance album as well as Sinéad O'Connor's first record. Dean continued to work on projects with Steve Jansen, Richard Barbieri and Mick Karn such as a 1995 compilation album and a number of other works on their Medium Productions label.
His work with other artists has been relatively extensive:
Vivabeat (supported by Peter Gabriel) combined the influences of '70s British art-rock to the kind of lush, technopop characterised by Bowie, Roxy Music and Sparks. They had a hit with ‘Man From China’ and their work featured Dean on guitar.
Dance Gary Numan (vocals), Rob Dean (guitar), Roger Mason (keyboards), Mick Karn (saxophone, bass), Paul Gardner (guitar), Roger Taylor (drums), Cedric Sharpley (drums), Tim Steggles (percussion), Sean Lynch (programming). Dance was an ironic title for one of Gary Numan's latter-period recordings.
Dean formed Illustrated Man (1984) with Hugo Burnham (ex-Gang of Four), Roger Mason (Numan and others) and Australian singer/bassist Philip Foxman but their commercial success was limited.
Rob Dean contributing to this Australian band (1990)
Beginning to Melt
This 1993 album features Rob Dean and ex-members of Japan.
Little has been heard of Rob Dean as a musician since. The occasional demo tapes from the eighties have surfaced for a range of projects (known as 'The Lost Tapes') where Dean experimented with electronica (with Roger Mason), his trademark guitar sounds and even acoustic tracks with vocals.
Dean's principal activity now is as a professional guide, writer and artist on the birds of Central America. He lives in Monteverde, Costa Rica, and, now known as Robert Dean, has established a reputation as an expert on the region's birdlife. In 2007, Dean collaborated as illustrator on a bird study book (along with Richard Garrigues), entitled The Birds Of Costa Rica: A Field Guide. He has been reported as occasionally playing guitar with local bands including Monteverde's rock-band Chanchos de Monte fronted by Alan Masters.
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