Solo and Collaborative Career
Oakey's career in music has rarely been confined to just the Human League. He has worked on his own, but also with numerous other artists and producers. His first collaboration was producing the Spanish released single "Amor Secreto" by Nick Fury in 1983 for which he also played synthesizer, together with Jo Callis.
His highest profile and most commercially successful collaboration was with producer Giorgio Moroder. In 1984 for the film Electric Dreams, he and Moroder provided the film theme song, "Together in Electric Dreams". When later released as a single it would go on to become an international hit, actually eclipsing the film it was intended to promote. The song went on to become a bigger hit than some of Oakey’s Human League singles of the same period.
In 1985 Oakey and Moroder released the joint album Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder which generated two further single releases, "Be My Lover Now" and "Good-Bye Bad Times". Released in both the UK and US these singles were not as successful as "Together in Electric Dreams" and the Oakey/Moroder partnership was effectively ended.
In 1990 Oakey guest vocalled on "What Comes After Goodbye", the one-off release by the short-lived Sheffield dance band 'Respect'. In 1991 Oakey worked as Producer on comedian, Vic Reeves only studio album, I Will Cure You - most notably on the track "Black Night" which is a Deep Purple cover. In 1999 he provided vocals for the single "1st Man in Space" by the Sheffield band All Seeing I. The song was written by Jarvis Cocker. In 2003 he provided vocals for Sheffield band Kings Have Long Arms on the single "Rock and Roll is Dead"; also in 2003 he worked with producer/DJ Alex Gold and they released the trance single "LA Today". In 2008 Oakey worked with Hiem, a band fronted by former All Seeing I lead singer David "Bozz" Boswell, on the song "2 am".
Oakey (often with Neil Sutton) has written music for third parties which has been released anonymously or published uncredited. He has infrequently guest DJed, and one of his sets entitled 'the history of the synthesizer' was streamed live over the internet.
In early 2009 Oakey collaborated with Pet Shop Boys on their tenth studio album Yes, supplying vocals for the intended bonus disc song "This Used to Be the Future". Also in 2009 Oakey collaborated with British female synthpop artist Little Boots on her first album Hands, recording the duet track "Symmetry".
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