Singer and Roxy Music fan Alan Connor releases his new single 'Dance Away' a cover of the Roxy Music classic tomorrow. We've had a chat with Alan about his new release...

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I'm a British singer/songwriter based in Leeds. Currently I'm with a Manchester company called D6 Records who are primarily a dance/pop label. My first single with them was released late last year called "Now The Rain Has Gone" which just missed the top 100 but went top 20 in the UK dance charts and it's currently doing the rounds in clubs in the US and Europe. My next single is a version of the Roxy Music song "Dance Away". I also happen to be a big Roxy Music fan.

When did you first discover Roxy Music?

I got my first Roxy Music record back in 1982. My dad was a DJ and I had just started to get into music myself at that time because I was constantly exposed to it. Up to that point I was a very typical pre-teen and was listening mostly to records like Dollars' "Mirror Mirror"; it was songs that had great production values that were definitely catching my ear from a very early age. Around this time my dad bought "More Than This". I remember it well, because it had the most glorious picture sleeve and when I played the record I was blown away by the melody and sweetness of the production. I remember flipping it over and listening to "India" as well and with that I became an instant fan. I got "Avalon" and "Take A Chance With Me" as soon as pocket money would allow. Then over time I gradually picked up their earlier releases, although being the age I was I didn't easily relate to a lot of those records until I was much older. I don't think you can appreciate songs like "In Every Dream Home A Heartache" or "Both Ends Burning" until you have a bit of life experience. "Love Is The Drug" and "Virginia Plain" though are so catchy that they would of course appeal to any age and I immediately took to them.

Did you get to experience Roxy Music live?

Not until they reformed, no. I missed the "Avalon" tour completely and I only actually managed to see my first Roxy gig a couple of years ago, and really enjoyed it. Like many people I will be looking forward to the tour that supports their 2008 album.

You're also a big Bryan Ferry solo fan too?

Absolutely! I think being a singer/songwriter myself he is someone that I have related to. He is a master at his craft and I have great admiration for him. So many of his records would fall into my all time favourites list. I love his attention to detail and his willingness to create the kind of soundscapes that you can get lost in. "Boys And Girls" and "Avalon" in SACD offer up an unforgettable audio experience. He's a great interpreter too. I am by no means a Bob Dylan fan but I found his take on those songs on the last album made Dylan's writing a lot more appealing to me. His versions of "The Price Of Love", "Let's Stick Together" and "Heart On My Sleeve" remain the definitive ones for me.

What are your particular favourites?

With regards to Bryan Ferry I regularly play "The Bride Stripped Bare", "Mamouna", "Bette Noire", "Frantic" and "Taxi", with "Limbo", "Mamouna" and "Windswept" being my favourite singles. I have everything including a bunch of Japanese imports for all the exclusive CD stuff. With regards to Roxy I'd say "Avalon", "Manifesto" and "Country Life" are the staples of that collection. My favourite Roxy singles are probably "Angel Eyes", "Same Old Scene" and "Take A Chance With Me" although I tend to think many album tracks surpassed the singles. Probably the only Roxy song I have any dislike for is "Jealous Guy". It just never grew on me at all.

Your new single is "Dance Away". How did that come about?

Really it was the product of bouncing around ideas for a cover version. My first single with D6 Records was an original song and for a new artist it can be incredibly hard to break out with a non cover, particularly in the dance arena. We knew that regardless of the outcome with "Now The Rain Has Gone", we would need to have a really strong follow-up ready to go and a cover version seemed the favoured option. I'd originally suggested "Angel Eyes" as a cover choice because I felt it would lend itself to today's sounds, plus I would get to have a harp on the record. That would have been an experience! It turned out that Darren Eager who runs the label was a Roxy Music fan too and he suggested "Dance Away". I was nervous about how well we could pull that off. It is a modern standard after all. Thankfully it all seemed to come together and what we came out with was I believe a respectful reading of the song but with a modern slant to it. We wanted to pay tribute to the band and so for that reason we kept the look for the video very classic and had girls on the picture cover in a nod to the original Roxy artwork. I'm hoping it will bring the song to a new generation of people which in turn will potentially lead them on a journey to the Roxy Music back catalogue. Anything that increases awareness of the group, particularly ahead of the new album, can only be a good thing.

"Dance Away" is available digitally from February 4th and on physical CD from February 18th and features mixes by 7th Heaven, Shanghai Surprize, Class Act and Cosmic Squad. Alan's album "After Midnight" is also available.

Watch Alan's video for Dance Away
http://www.myspace.com/alanconnor
http://numberonemusic.com/alanconnor

Come on Roxy fans, let's give him a hit!