John Metcalfe, who arranges songs for musical greats such as Coldplay, Simple Minds and The Pretenders, has produced albums with Peter Gabriel and toured for decades as a member of the Duke Quartet, is releasing his debut album on Neue Meister. As a child he heard his father singing operas. Later as a high school student, who was enthusiastic about Kraftwerk and Joy Division, he played as a drummer in a band.

But it was finally the move to Manchester that really got his artistic development going and led him to his true vocation. He joined the cult band The Durutti Column, which at that time was under contract with the legendary label Factory Records. It was here that he came into the circles of Tony Wilson and the Haçienda - formative events for his rebellious spirit. Metcalfe found his artistic home on the legendary Factory Classical label and the formation that would define his musical career: the Duke Quartet.

For almost 30 years now this innovative and joyful quartet has been at the forefront of contemporary British music. Working with world-renowned artists in a variety of fields - from pop music and dance to film, television and theater - Metcalfe honed his skills as a producer. Today he is one of the most sought-after arrangers in the UK and works with many of the biggest names in the music scene.

As a solo artist, Metcalfe explores electro-classical soundscapes and the boundaries between genres. His finely tuned compositions are both clean and powerful, both in terms of their sound and the concepts on which they are based. Absence is the fifth album that John Metcalfe releases under his own name. It represents something of a departure for him, packing daring images and themes into song structures that are more conventional than most of what he has ever created. At the same time, this album is his most moving one, deconstructing a subject that has interested him since his childhood in New Zealand: dealing with loss.