Like a breath of fresh air, Lord Fascinator & Kate Stein combine forces to bring us one of the most intriguing and genre bending projects of the year. Horse House galloped on to the scene and became underground club music's hottest equine themed dance track. Their EP, Primary, further pushes sonic boundaries and limits combining each artist's diverse background into an uncategorizable, yet deeply satisfying release. And now the party favorite "Horse House" has some competition as Eskimo Recordings rolls out a set of remixes courtesy of Fabrizio Mammarella, Hammer and Captain E. On the heels of the release we spoke with the pair about the project, making music together and more.
The Brvtalist: Tell us about your history together. How did you meet and what was the catalyst to make an EP together?
Lord Fascinator: We met in the Dominican Republic where I had hired Kate to create some giant dancing monsters for a music video I was directing. Years later we both found ourselves in various states of loose-endedness on the other side of the country in Laurel Canyon feeling equal parts frustration and wonder at how un-New York our situation had become so we did the only logical thing and jumped in a studio and started bleating horse noises into a microphone.
Kate Stein: Yes, the longer I spend time on this planet, the more frustrated I become at anything “un-New York”!
TB: You both come from different musical backgrounds. Was there an approach to the sound direction from the beginning or did you just jam and see what happened?
LF: Kate is more considered and logical and generous to the listener which balances out the chaotic creative self-sabotage I can sometimes produce. So it was a nice melding of two different conceptual approaches which I suppose became its own back and forth formula. But also, it was a lot of improvising and experimenting from both of us. I think that’s essentially what makes creating fun at the end of the day.
KS: Johnny is a true musician and I am more of a nerdy Ableton freak…..I love creating with Johnny because we both bring very different skills and experience to the table.
TB: "Primary" seems like a straightforward term for such a complex, genre bending EP. Any meaning behind it you care to share with us?
LF: I can’t actually remember how we ended up calling it that, perhaps a combo of setting it up for more in a future series plus a nod to the colours in the artwork? Kate?
KS: Yes! I think Chris’ artwork was a big point of inspiration for the EP name. We had thrown around a lot of ideas over a couple of days, and Johnny and I are always sending voice notes. I remember being in the grocery store listening to a VM thinking that we were getting too complicated in the name - and then Johnny suggested “Primary” and it just felt right.
TB: This definitely doesn't fit into any category, which is sort of risk nowadays as I think things have become much more homogenized. Was that something that crossed your mind and what are your thoughts on pushing things outside of the box.
LF: I can only speak for myself here, but I believe there are no good genres, only good songs. I’m suspicious of anyone who sticks safely in a single genre or only listens to one genre…unless they are really expanding on it somehow. Artists should be explorers.
KS: I love this question! I definitely had similar thoughts as we were entering the stages of finding a label to release on, and polishing off the EP. There are so many DJ’s and releases these days, of course it makes sense to pick a lane and stay in it (if you don’t get bored with that). For better or for worse, that's just not the way I like to create, or self express. And I think it's pretty clear Johnny hates rules. For the period of writing the songs, we were dialed into the playfulness and of it all, not at all focused on a scene, genre, or “strategic” direction. I think this is why Primary really shines as its own little sonic world. When it came to the time to find the right label - regardless of the freedom, we were still very methodical and considered - as to who we wanted to reach out to for remixes, and who we thought would be best at presenting and packaging the vision. Eskimo was at the top of the list!
TB: Any plans to perform together? And what else is coming up next?
LF: We’d love to get booked together! We did a little launch at one of our favourite clubs in NYC Milagrosa. Would definitely be cool to do more. My next releases are a transport-themed krautrock album I made with a friend called Spiral Drive in Mannheim then a dance track with a Mexican gal named Mazmorra Brilliante. Will also be attempting to make another EP with Kate while all that is rolling out.
KS: Definitely more plans to perform together! I was quoted telling Johnny to take the chit chat out of the booth the other night at our party (ooops - LOL sorry I hate distraction!!) but we are both good at laughing at ourselves, I guess a decade of friendship creates a lot of love and acceptance. We just played on The Lot on Friday to premiere the Horse House remixes from Hammer, Fabrizio Mamarrella and Captain E. And after Primary there is of course a Secondary!
Horse House Remixes + Primary is out now. Pick them up at: https://eskimorecordings.bandcamp.com/music