In 1983, Akkerman agreed to the idea of reuniting with van Leer and record new music, as suggested by his management. Van Leer immediately accepted the invitation and went on to play the synthesiser on "Headbanger", a track for Akkerman's solo album From the Basement (1984). After this initial collaboration, an executive at Phonogram Records suggested the pair work on an album of re-recorded Focus songs with English producer Trevor Horn, but it fell through. They subsequently signed a recording contract with Vertigo Records, which required the two to record as a duo, as opposed to Focus. During the recording, producer Ruud Jacobs was brought in to supervise due to the length of time taken to finalise tracks. Engineer Theo Balijon claimed Jacobs cut corners and pushed for the strongest tracks to be completed quickly to save production costs, which "unintentionally increased the animosity between Jan and Thijs". Around 30 tracks were completed with several additional musicians in 1984. Focus was released in March 1985 and reached number 33 in the Netherlands. The pair followed the album with promotional videos and a local four-date tour.
