Feeling Fascination

Starcluster - Smoke & Mirrors (The Fascination Movement Promo Mix)

This'll be the first selection of new music on here this month, and out of most of what's been sent to me over the past little while, this is definitely one of the most exciting.

Sean Wolcott, blogger, Italo connoisseur, vintage gear collector and one half of Seattle duo The Fascination Movement recently sent me some audio of their very first release, a remix of Starcluster's (Roland Sebastian Faber & Kai Lüdeling (AKA KeenK)) "Smoke & Mirrors" (featuring Marc Almond on vocals). If, like me, you've dreamed of someone doing a contemporary electronic record, recorded with the analogue techniques and sensibilities of Giorgio Moroder's seminal productions, then you'll probably find a lot to like in the FM's upcoming releases. If anyone's been following Sean's blog and his amazing taste in obscure italo/electro, then you'll probably have a good idea. Their sound has been described alternately as "Soft Cell joining forces with New Order in 1983" to "the love child of Giorgio Moroder, Claudio Simonetti and New Order" (good one, Terry!). Either way, it's exciting stuff: alternately retro, contemporary and forward-looking all at once.

For "Smoke & Mirrors" they had, in Sean's words "busted their butts," practically reconstructing the entire backing track with added guitars and their sharp, arpeggiated synth work, making a stellar, equally definitive mix of this track. To compare, you can hear the original mix on the Aube Records Myspace..

The 12'' of the FM mixes is due for a release in early February, but having recently signed on with the Düsseldorf based Aube label, the FM have a full length album currently in the works (you can hear some of their demos over on their Myspace) so consider this a preview of some exciting things to come..

The Starcluster 12" EP (aube 003) available (clone.nl | juno.co.uk), with a 12" of the Fascination Movement mixes (aube 004 - extended mix, dub and instrumental) to follow (purchase links to come) released now as of April 7/08.

PURCHASE:
STARCLUSTER FEAT. MARC ALMOND - SMOKE & MIRRORS (12" REMIX EP)
CLONE | JUNO

PREVIOUS RELATED ENTRIES:
BBC RADIO 2: CLASSIC SINGLES - I FEEL LOVE (SUNDAY DECEMBER 30, 2007)
DISCO DELIVERY #40: MUNICH MACHINE - A WHITER SHADE OF PALE (1978, CASABLANCA) (SUNDAY APRIL 29, 2007)
DISCO DELIVERY #14: SUZI LANE - OOH LA LA (1979, ELEKTRA) (SATURDAY APRIL 8, 2006)
DISCO DELIVERY #5: GIORGIO MORODER - FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1977, OASIS/CASABLANCA) (FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3, 2006)

LINKS:
MYSPACE - THE FASCINATION MOVEMENT
MYSPACE - AUBE RECORDS
LINE OUT - THE STRANGER'S MUSIC BLOG: THE FASCINATION MOVEMENT (X-POSTED AT T.M.L.)
STARCLUSTER @ DISCOGS
MYSPACE - ROLAND SEBASTIAN FABER
MYSPACE - KEEN K
MARC ALMOND @ ALL MUSIC GUIDE
TWENTYFOURHOURS: STARCLUSTER - SMOKE & MIRRORS
THE RED ROOM

CATEGORIES: NUDISCO