Noko 440
Relevance
(Mainly known as "Noko").
Featured on the James Maker song "Born That Way" released via Attack Records - October, 2004.
Invited by Morrissey to be part of 2004's Meltdown Festival.
Mentioned In
- James Maker
- Meltdown Festival
- You Are The Quarry Tour 2004 Pre-show Tracks
- New releases on Attack Records - Release Information (October 11, 2004)
- Tour Of The Tormentors MMVI 2006-2007 Pre-show Tracks
Discogs Information
Profile
London based Multi-instrumentalist Norman Fisher-Jones, aka Noko, had already gigged as a session musician with The Cure, and The Buzzcock's Pete Shelley before releasing the '[r=446793]' with the Synth-Pop act The Umbrella. Alongside Magazine's Howard Devoto, Noko would become one half of the group Luxuria, where they would release 2 LP's through Beggars Banquet. In the latter part of the 80's he would also be a part of the Dream Pop group The Heart Throbs (of which he stayed a part of until 1993), as well as the Indie band Corn Dollies. However it was in 1990 with original Umbrella member James Gardner, their school friend Howard Gray, and Howard's brother Trevor Gray, that Noko would form the dance act Apollo 440.
Apollo 440 would be one of a number of acts created around that time by Noko, the vast majority of which would be one off pieces released by Reverb Records (2). These included rave styled acts like Fast (2) & Johnny Potatohead as well as the more ambient techno led Stealth Sonic Soul, however it was the original group that stood the test of time. Working under the name Stealth Sonic Orchestra, Noko and the Gray brothers would also create orchestral focused remixes for the likes of Manic Street Preachers, U2 & Skunk Anansie.
In 1997 Noko would create the one off project E-Z Drum & Bass Orchestra with Simon Plaskett and release the single '[r=706969]'. The two would also release remixes under the name Escape From New York. Maximum Roach was formed in 2002, featuring Noko and 440 members Harry K., Paul Kodish & Ian Hoxley (AKA Mary Mary). Hoxley and Noko would go on to form the project Am I Dead Yet? in 2019.
External Links
Wikipedia Information
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Noko (born Norman Fisher-Jones; 1 February 1962) is an English musician, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer who has formed and/or played with a number of bands primarily as a guitarist or bassist. In chronological order they were: Alvin the Aardvark and the Fuzzy Ants, the Umbrella, the Pete Shelley Group, the Cure, Luxuria, Apollo 440, Stealth Sonic Soul, Fast, Maximum Roach, James Maker and Noko 440 (also known as Frankenstein), Magazine, Raw Chimp, Levyathan, SCISM, Am I Dead Yet? and Buzzcocks (at the Pete Shelley Memorial concert at London's Royal Albert Hall in 2019).