Rob Dean

Rob Dean (born 23 April 1955) is a British musician, who rose to prominence playing guitar as a member of the British New Wave band Japan.^[1]

Biography

He is from Clapton, Hackney, London, England.^[2]

Japan

Dean joined Japan in 1975 at the age of 20. The band began as an alternative glam rock style band to a popular New Wave sensation in the early 1980s. As the band developed a more electronic sound, Dean left the band in May 1981 following their 'Art of Parties' tour, as his guitar work had become increasingly surplus to requirements (his last studio contributions were on the Gentlemen Take Polaroids album, released in November 1980). He had previously played on their albums Adolescent Sex (1978), Obscure Alternatives (1978) and Quiet Life (1979). Dean's instruments of choice were a Gibson RD artist and a Gibson SG. Unfortunately, Dean left the band just as they were of verge of mainstream success which lasted until December 1982, when the band finally disintegrated.

Collaborations

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

Vivabeat (supported by Peter Gabriel) combined the influences of '70s British art-rock with the kind of lush, technopop characterised by Bowie, Roxy Music and Sparks. The band had a worldwide hit with the track ‘Man From China’ from their debut album, 'Party in the War Zone'. Dean played on the follow-up single, 'The House is Burning (but there's no one home)'. The 'House is Burning' song and video (also featuring Dean) appeared in Brian DePalma's movie 'Body Double'. In 2001 a 'best of' Vivabeat album, 'The Good Life' was released with Dean's work on several tracks.^[3]

Gary Numan and Dance

Dance Gary Numan (vocals), Rob Dean (guitar), Roger Mason (keyboards), Mick Karn (saxophone, bass), Paul Gardiner (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.

Illustrated Man

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.

The Slow Club's World of Wonders

Rob Dean contributing to this Australian band (1990)

Jansen, Barbieri, Karn

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.

References

External links

• http://www.orpheus.me.uk – Information on Japan and Rob Dean
• http://www.nightporter.co.uk – Information on Japan and group members
• http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=79187016727 - Chanchos de Monte Facebook group