John Taylor
Driving basslines and gritty new wave energy that feels like a midnight drive through a rain-slicked city. Melodic rock with a stylish, restless edge.
Driving basslines and gritty new wave energy that feels like a midnight drive through a rain-slicked city. Melodic rock with a stylish, restless edge.
This is music for the stylishly disaffected, blending the high-gloss sheen of 80s pop with the raw, jagged nerves of 90s alternative rock. It sounds like expensive leather and cigarette smoke, anchored by a bass technique that is both incredibly precise and deeply funky. The atmosphere is consistently nocturnal, carrying the weight of someone who has seen the peak of the mountain and is now exploring the shadows in the valley.
What sets this apart is the rhythmic sophistication. While the vocals lean into a cool, almost detached baritone, the instrumentation is restless and alive. You can hear the influence of disco and funk in the way the bass interacts with the drums, but it is filtered through a lens of post-punk grit and cinematic synth textures. It is music that feels both intimate and grand, like a private confession delivered on a massive stage.
Start with 'Feelings Are Good and Other Lies' to hear the transition from pop icon to gritty solo artist. It captures a specific moment in time where the polish of the MTV era met the raw honesty of the indie underground, resulting in songs that are as catchy as they are emotionally bruised.
Nigel John Taylor (born 20 June 1960) is a British musician who is best known as the bass guitarist for new wave band Duran Duran, of which he was a founding member. Duran Duran was one of the most popular bands in the world during the 1980s due in part to their music videos which played in heavy rotation in the early days of MTV. Taylor played with Duran Duran from its founding in 1978 until 1997, when he left to pursue a solo recording and film career. He recorded a dozen solo releases (albums, EPs, and video projects) through his private record label B5 Records over the next four years, had a lead role in the movie Sugar Town, and made appearances in a half dozen other film projects. He rejoined Duran Duran for a reunion of the original five members in 2001 and has remained with the group since. Taylor was also a member of two supergroups: the Power Station and Neurotic Outsiders.
Shares baritone, breathy, deadpan (vocal style); new wave, alternative rock, post-punk (subgenres)
Shares alternative rock, pop rock, new wave (subgenres); studio polished, analog warmth, layered dense (production style)
Shares studio polished, analog warmth, layered dense (production style); urban night, dive bar, road trip (atmosphere)
Shares studio polished, analog warmth, compressed loud (production style); confident, restless, defiant (moods)
Shares studio polished, analog warmth, compressed loud (production style); urban night, dive bar, road trip (atmosphere)
Shares studio polished, analog warmth, compressed loud (production style); alternative rock, pop rock, post-punk (subgenres)
Shares new wave, post-punk, alternative rock (subgenres); bass, electric guitar, drums (instrumentation)
Shares analog warmth, studio polished, layered dense (production style); new wave, pop rock (subgenres)
Shares new wave, bass, restless, post-punk (signature)
Shares new wave, post-punk, pop rock, baritone (signature)
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