Trevor Horn

A pop icon for his work with the Buggles, Yes, and Art of Noise, singer and bassist Trevor Horn is also well known as a producer behind the scenes. Initially a session player and sideman, Horn rose to fame with the Buggles and their 1979 hit “Video Killed the Radio Star” off The Age of Plastic, a classic of new wave and electronic synth pop. This led to his joining Yes as their lead singer, appearing on 1980′s Drama, and continuing to produce with the band throughout the decade. At the same time, he launched the cutting-edge electronic group Art of Noise, releasing a handful of forward-thinking albums that championed the use of synths and electronic production techniques. As a producer, he founded ZTT Records and went on to make vital contributions to recordings by ABC, Grace Jones, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Seal, Belle and Sebastian, and many others. He has garnered acclaim for his work, taking home Brit Awards for Best British Producer in 1983, 1985, and 1992. He won a 1995 Grammy Award for Seal’s hit “Kiss from a Rose” and a 2010 Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. Along with producing, he has continued to tour and record, working with the supergroup Producers and the Trevor Horn Band. Along with a 2017 anime soundtrack, he has also released two albums of cover songs (some he originally produced) with 2019′s Reimagines the Eighties and 2023′s Echoes: Ancient & Modern. Born in Hetton-le-Hole, England in 1949, Horn took up the bass because of his father, who played double bass in the local orchestra. After playing in numerous local bands, Horn found his first professional work as part of the backing band for Tina Charles, where he met keyboardist Geoff Downes. With Downes and Thomas Dolby, Horn formed Camera Club in 1979, although they soon split from Dolby to form the Buggles. In 1979, they released the single “Video Killed the Radio Star,” which topped the U.K. charts and cracked the Top 40 in the States. It was included on the group’s 1980 debut album, The Age of Plastic, a futuristic concept album about society’s fascination and fear of technology. A second and final album, Adventures in Modern Recording, followed in 1981. Back in 1978, Horn and Downes had produced Yes’ ninth studio album, Tormato, soon after joining the band, up until they disbanded in 1981; Downes went on to join Asia, while Horn chose to focus on music production. Only two years later, in 1983, Horn once again produced for Yes on their comeback album 90125. That same year he established his own label, ZTT, which incorporated many acts, including Horn’s newly established synth group the Art of Noise; he also went into business with his wife Jill Sinclair to purchase Basing Street Studios and renamed it SARM West. During this period, he worked on a bevy of iconic productions, including ABC’s The Lexicon of Love (“Poison Arrow”), Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Welcome to the Pleasuredome (which featured the hit “Relax”), Grace Jones’ Slave to the Rhythm, Pet Shop Boys’ “It’s Alright,” Rod Stewart’s “Downtown Train,” and more. This production work led to increased industry recognition for Horn, including winning Brit Awards for Best British Producer in 1983, 1985, and 1992. He stayed very active as a producer in the ’90s, helming Seal’s eponymous debut album and Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells II, as well as other projects by Marc Almond, Rod Stewart, Tori Amos, Cher, Shane McGowan & Sinead O’Connor, and many others. In 1995, he also shared a Grammy Award with Seal for the hit “Kiss from a Rose” off the Batman Forever soundtrack. The 2000s were also a fruitful time for Horn, who produced a number of notable tracks, including “All the Things She Said” by t.A.T.u and “Can’t Fight the Moonlight” by Leann Rimes. He also produced Belle & Sebastian’s Dear Catastrophe Waitress. In the mid-2000s he started another performing project, the Producers, a collaboration with other producers including Lol Crème, Steve Lipson, and Ash Soan (he eventually renamed the group the Trevor Horn Band). He produced for Yes again in 2010, on their album Fly from Here. It also served as a reunion with Downes, who was fronting the band at that point. That same year, Horn was bestowed with the Ivor Novello Award for his Outstanding Contribution to British Music. The first record with Trevor Horn as the primary artist was the soundtrack for Stan Lee’s anime series The Reflection: Wave One, which saw release in 2017. The following year he began recording another solo record, Trevor Horn Reimagines the 80s; the album saw Horn re-record a number of ’80s classics with help from high-profile guests including Robbie Williams, All Saints, Simple Minds, and Gabrielle Aplin. From 2018 to 2020, he toured as the bassist with the Dire Straits Legacy band. He also authored a memoir, Adventures in Modern Recording: From ABC to ZTT, which was published in 2022. A second covers album, Echoes: Ancient and Modern, arrived in December 2023 and again found Horn interpreting songs (this time both classic and contemporary) with help of guest vocalists, including Tori Amos, Iggy Pop, Rick Astley, and others. Also featured on the album was longtime associate Seal, who Horn also joined on tour that year. ~ Matt Collar & Liam Martin