| Warren Cann | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Warren Reginald Cann |
| Also known as | Warren Cann |
| Born | 20 May 1950 |
| Origin | Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Genres | New Wave, Synthpop, Glam Rock |
| Occupations | Musician, actor |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Years active | 1973–circa 1990 2009 (tour with Ultravox) |
| Associated acts | John Foxx, Tiger Lily, Ultravox, Zaine Griff, Helden, Huw Lloyd-Langton Group |
| Website | The Warren Cann Forum |
| Notable instruments | |
| Ludwig drums (John Foxx era Ultravox)[1] Zildjian cymbals (John Foxx era Ultravox) [1] |
|
Warren Reginald Cann (born 20 May 1950, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada)[2] is a drummer and drum machine programmer, best known as a member of the British New Wave band Ultravox.
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The son of two British immigrants, he began to be interested in electronics while he was at school.[3] After playing in bands in Vancouver and Los Angeles, he came to England in 1972,[3] where he found a more creative environment.
He established himself in London, where formed his first band, along Huw Lloyd-Langton, future Hawkwind member, on guitar and Rob Rawlins, later in Overnight Angels, on bass. By 1974, he intended to join Sparks, but only he got an interview with their leaders, the brothers Ron and Russell Mael.
Cann tried to join Sparks. Shortly thereafter, Cann contacted Dennis Leigh, who invited Cann to join his fledgling band Tiger Lily with bassist Chris Cross and guitarist Stevie Shears. In 1976, Tiger Lily changed its name to Ultravox!, and later in 1978 to Ultravox. Frontman Leigh went by the stage name "John Foxx" beginning in 1977.
Cann played on three experimental but commercially unsuccessful (initially) Ultravox albums released by Island Records, Ultravox! (1977), Ha! Ha! Ha! (1977) and Systems of Romance (1978). Leigh left Ultravox in 1979, after a tour in United States and Canada. Ultravox replaced John Foxx with singer/guitarist Midge Ure in 1979.
Cann knew keyboardist Hans Zimmer through mutual collaborations with The Buggles and Zaine Griff. In 1980, Cann and Zimmer formed a short-lived electronic New Wave project called Helden. Helden recorded a single and planned an album called "Spies" which was never officially released.
Ultravox signed to Chrysalis with Ure in 1980. Cann sang on some Ultravox songs of this period: "Mr. X" (from Vienna, 1980), "Paths And Angles" (1981) and "Break Your Back" (1982).
Cann's tenure with Ultravox lasted until 1986, when he was fired from the group. In retrospect, Midge Ure considers the firing unjust, unwarranted, and a result of misplaced tensions, according to his autobiography.[4] Ure also describes Cann at the time as an avid gun enthusiast who frequently slept late.
Cann currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
In November 2008 it was announced that Ultravox were to reform, with Cann as one of the members, for a tour, in 2009.[5]
Cann and his technicians were among the first to modify commercially available rhythm units or drum machines, so they could alter and override the preset manufacturer programs. This is notable on "Hiroshima Mon Amour", from the album Ha!-Ha!-Ha!. When Ultravox were recording Vienna, Cann's electronic ventures would become important for the Ultravox sound. The acquisition of a Roland CR-78 proved something of a headache for Cann, as he saw great sonic potential in it, but it had limited pattern programmability. In the process of adding some much needed practical customisations to the CR-78, Cann became something of a persona non grata at the Roland headquarters in the UK. This did not stop Cann from carrying out his plans, and the result proved to be a key factor in the overall sound of their signature hit song "Vienna".
The initial reaction to the usage of drum machines led to bewilderment among the audience, who wondered what Cann was doing during some songs. Among claims that he was doing nothing, he decided to equip his drum machines with clear perspex cases instead of wood panels, and mount a variety of LEDs inside them as a feature Cann himself described as "absolutely useless, but very impressive looking on a darkened stage; now it would be obvious I was actually doing something." (From Jonas Wårstad's interview at Discog)
In addition to his drum machine work, Cann designed several modifications for bass player Chris Cross' Minimoog, among them a primitive sequencer made from a series of toggle switches to add syncopation to the synthesizer's ability to create a stream of eighth notes, and a proprietary triggering system that allowed Cann and Cross to synchronise the Minimoog with Cann's drum machines, a feat performed almost three years before MIDI was officially introduced in 1983. According to Midge Ure's autobiography, when the Minimoog took a dump on tour, Ultravox borrowed one from The Cars, but it didn't help as it lacked the proprietary modifications.
Cann made significant contributions to the drum sounds of New Wave music, both in style and execution. Around 1978, when Ultravox released the Systems of Romance album, Cann's style of drumming turned away from its rock roots and toward what was becoming the New Wave sound. He endeavoured to have extremely precise timing; this would make the songs with live drums match songs driven by electronic, programmed percussion. For an example of this, compare the song "Sleepwalk", where Cann plays live drums, to "Mr. X", where the drums are sequenced. Both of these tracks can be found on Vienna. Despite his machine-like timing, Cann would often do things that neither drum machines nor electronically sequenced percussion could do at the time. Specifically, he would often play very precise triplet fills and crescendos, especially on the snare drum. While these two techniques are easily accomplished by electronic instruments today, around 1979-1982 they were virtually impossible. In essence, it could fool the listeners to believe they were hearing a drum machine, only to prove them wrong through out-performing the rather rudimentary sequencing possibilities of the time.
From a technical perspective, Cann preferred a traditional grip. On the Quartet album and subsequent tour (1982), Cann employed several sets of Simmons SDS-V electronic percussion pads, even to the point where he had an extra kit consisting of the hexagonal Simmons pads, which he played standing up. This way of playing them is quite unique and Cann seemed to be using this setup for one song only, namely "The Song (We Go)" from Quartet.