Best known for providing a distinctive tribal beat for the influential post-punk/industrial rock group Killing Joke, Paul Ferguson has participated in a wide variety of additional rock, pop, and electronic projects throughout his lengthy career. Ferguson co-founded Killing Joke in 1979, and stayed with them for their first six studio albums, including 1985's Night Time, their most commercially successful record. After leaving the band in 1987, Ferguson played in other bands such as Warrior Soul and Crush, also participating in releases by Pigface and the Orb. After taking some time away from music, he rejoined Killing Joke in 2008, and has since remained with them. He launched his solo career with the 2018 EP Remote Viewing, followed by the 2021 full-length Virtual Control.

In 1979, Ferguson was a member of the Matt Stagger Band, along with keyboard player Jaz Coleman. When Coleman left to form his own band, Ferguson jumped ship too. They were quickly joined by bassist Youth and guitarist Geordie Walker, releasing a series of singles on their before being signed by Virgin. Killing Joke was soon a popular live act, attracting critical and commercial success in the mid-'80s. 1985's Night Time went gold in the U.K., thanks to the success of the Top Twenty hit "Love Like Blood." However, by the time it came to record their seventh album, Outside the Gate, internal tensions had begun to pull the band apart. Ferguson was the first to leave, being fired by Coleman over disputes about the material. Soon afterwards, the band folded, with the members pursuing other projects. Ferguson joined U.S. alternative rockers Warrior Soul, appearing on their 1990 debut album, Last Decade Dead Century. He also contributed to recordings by the Orb, including their landmark 1991 debut full-length.

In 1992, he hooked up with his former Killing Joke comrades in the industrial collective Murder Inc., providing his characteristic tribal beats alongside playing by other Killing Joke alumni such as Walker, Paul Raven, and Martin Atkins, as well as singer/songwriter Chris Connelly. This lead to a number of appearances with Atkins' own project Pigface, both recording and touring. Additionally, he joined the alternative rock group Crush, which also featured John Valentine Carruthers of Siouxsie and the Banshees. Their self-titled debut album was released by EastWest in 1993.

Ferguson disappeared from the music world for a while, spending time in Puerto Rico and the United States, and concentrating on sculpting and restoring art. However, he formed the experimental group Transmission with Youth and studio musicians Simon Tong (formerly of the Verve) and Tim Bran (Dreadzone). Their debut album Beyond Light appeared in 2006, followed by Sublimity in 2008. That year, Ferguson rejoined Killing Joke, who had reunited five years earlier. He played on their 2010 full-length Absolute Dissent, as well as their following two full-lengths, in addition to live recordings.

Credited as BPF (or Big Paul Ferguson, his longtime nickname), the musician released his debut solo EP, Remote Viewing, in 2018. The album Virtual Control was issued by Cleopatra in 2021, and Ferguson additionally participated in the Joy Thieves, another industrial supergroup in the vein of Pigface. Remote Viewing: Reboot, an expanded edition of the earlier EP, was issued in 2022. ~ Jim Harper & Paul Simpson, Rovi