Chris Knox

Chris Knox is the central figure of New Zealand's fertile indie scene, not just as a singer-songwriter or producer but as a friend, fan and mentor to his fellow musicians. His central aesthetic, rooted in Velvet Underground-inspired simplicity and the adoption of lo-fi recording techniques as a conscious artistic choice, inspired not only New Zealand's canonical indie label Flying Nun Records (who according to legend borrowed Knox's four-track to record most of its early releases), but multiple generations of bands across the globe.

After label interference led to the unauthorized remixing of the debut album by his late '70s new wave band Toy Love, Knox and songwriting partner Alec Bathgate formed the defiantly DIY Tall Dwarfs, a duo so minimalist they only released EPs during their first decade together. Knox's even more idiosyncratic solo career began around the same time, but only became his primary outlet in the 1990s as the Tall Dwarfs became a part-time pursuit. On June 11, 2009, Knox suffered a major stroke: the two-disc tribute album Stroke: Songs For Chris Knox featured two songs recorded in October of that year, with the still-impaired Knox singing nonsense syllables in lieu of words.