The Explorers

The progressive rock experimentation tied to Roxy Music shifted toward a more mainstream sound once former members Phil Manzanera on guitars and keyboards and Andy MacKay on sax, oboe, and keyboards joined forces as the Explorers. Following Roxy Music’s 1983 breakup, MacKay settled in Ireland and grew attached to traditional Irish music. Seeking time away from the studio, MacKay put the Explorers together with Manzanera and singer James Wraith. Work began the next year and yielded the lively synth-pop single “Lorelei,” issued in June 1984. On that recording Manzanera and MacKay removed Roxy Music’s rich, atmospheric layers while keeping the original band’s rhythmic funk intact. The Explorers gave their debut concert during a December 1984 appearance on BBC Radio One. Virgin Records issued the self-titled album in 1985, and the group toured the U.K. at the same time. Poor sales soon followed, so sessions for a second album started at Gallery Studios in October 1985 only to be abandoned. The Explorers disbanded in 1986. Expression Records, run by Manzanera, released the shelved material in 1989 under the title Manzanera & MacKay and credited it solely to the pair rather than the band. Manzanera and MacKay each moved on to solo work after the split.