Warren Cann

Warren Reginald Cann (born 20 May 1950) is a Canadian drummer and songwriter. He was a founding member of the British new wave band Ultravox.

Early life Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada as the son of two British immigrants, he became interested in electronics while he was at school. After playing in bands in Vancouver, including Python, he and a Python bandmate moved to Britain in 1972, describing Cann's dismissal as "cutting the band's jugular vein".

Following his departure from Ultravox, Cann recorded a solo demo which was turned down by Chrysalis Records. He did session work for other artists, including 7000 Danses by Indochine, appeared on several television shows with Kim Wilde and produced demos for aspiring bands. He joined a band called the Sons of Valentino, and then played guitar and keyboards with the Huw Lloyd-Langton Group. He later moved to Los Angeles to pursue a future in film scoring. Cann made the music to Deadly Currency (1998), as well as writing for music technology magazines such as Sound on Sound.

Cann rejoined Ultravox over two decades later in 2008, which reunited the classic lineup last seen at Live Aid in 1985. In April 2009, the band toured on the Return to Eden tour. In May 2012, the first studio album in 28 years by this lineup was released, titled Brilliant.

After the Brilliant Tour, Cann retired to stay with his family.

Technical innovations

Cann and his technicians were among the first to modify commercially available rhythm units or drum machines, so they could alter and override the preset manufacturer programs. This is notable on "Hiroshima Mon Amour", from the album Ha!-Ha!-Ha!. When Ultravox were recording Vienna, Cann's electronic ventures would become part of the Ultravox sound. The acquisition of a Roland CR-78 proved something of a headache for Cann, as he saw great sonic potential in it, but it had limited pattern programmability. In the process of adding some practical customisations to the CR-78, Cann became somewhat persona non grata at the Roland headquarters in the UK.

The initial reaction to the usage of drum machines led to bewilderment among the audience, who wondered what Cann was doing during some songs. Among claims that he was doing nothing, he decided to equip his drum machines with clear perspex cases instead of wood panels, and mount a variety of LEDs inside them as a feature Cann himself described as "absolutely useless, but very impressive looking on a darkened stage; now it would be obvious I was actually doing something."

In addition to his drum machine work, Cann designed several modifications for bass player Chris Cross' Minimoog, among them a primitive sequencer (built by Roy Gwinn) made from a series of toggle switches to add syncopation to the synthesiser's ability to create a stream of eighth notes, and a proprietary triggering system that allowed Cann and Cross to synchronise the Minimoog with Cann's drum machines, a feat performed almost three years before MIDI was officially introduced in 1983. According to Midge Ure's autobiography, when the Minimoog broke down on tour, Ultravox borrowed one from the Cars, but it did not help as it lacked the proprietary modifications.

Legacy Speaking in 1986, Rush drummer Neil Peart named Cann as one of the drummers who had influenced and inspired him.