Fenech-Soler: Re-Introducing The Sounds Of Hi-Fi
Say hello to four boys from North London's sleepy Kings Cliffe.
Posted 25th February 2010, 8:35pm in Interviews, by Jasmine Phull
Fenech-Soler is 80s fuelled electro-pop; a far cry from anything you'd expect to hear... considering. Say hello to four boys from North London's sleepy Kings Cliffe. Brothers Ross and Ben Duffy, Daniel Soler and Andrew Lindsay create gorgeously melodic synths under the moniker Fenech-Soler. Bursting on to the scene in late 2009 the band has done a pretty good job at re-introducing the sounds of hifi. Although their tunes are inspired by many before them the electro-synth quartet create polished gems that make you wonder why the ‘hiss crackle and pop’ of lofi made you weak in the knees. Never mind flushed cheeks the sounds of Fenech-Soler will induce a raised temperature and sweaty palms to boot. Live the soft male vocals of Ben Duffy, the heavy bass of Dan Soler, the analogue synths and the rolling drums are complimented by loud audacious costumes dripping in sequins et al. It's electro-pop with new wave accents backed by old school funky house and R&B, creating catchy and anthemic tunes for the year 2010. They'll make you want to fall in love yet stay single all at once.So it seems Grazia magazine is quite a fan of you guys. Apparently you’re one of the hottest stars of 2010.
Andrew: And for the rest of the entire future... or something like that!
Ben: It’s always nice to get in a women’s magazine.
Andrew: You mean lady’s..
Ben: There've been a few different companies from Grazia to Dazed and Confused that have picked up on what we are doing and I don't know if that’s the music or...
Hopefully the music.
All: Yeah, hopefully.
Did you see feel the impact of being part of Grazia’s Hottest Stars?
Ben: It was definitely unexpected considering it’s a different bunch of readers to things like NME and other music mags.
Andrew: I actually think tonight’s NME gig is our first one since that shoot so I guess we’ll see tonight.
Can you actually see the audience in the crowd when you’re up on stage?
Andrew: You can only see the first row or so.
Ben: I don’t know if I like seeing it.
Really?
Dan: Well, no I like to see the crowd because you can gauge how well the gig is going.
You guys featured on Groove Armada’s Paper Romance. How did that come about?
Ben: We did a launch party in Manor House and one of the guys from Groove Armada was there.
Ross: And then we recorded the track Paper Heart and sent it to them and they liked it.
Dan: It was great going on tour with them as well because they were such an established band so it was quite a learning experience.
Ben: With some bands going on tour it’s like ‘you’ and ‘them’ but with Groove Armada it wasn’t like that. We had quite a good vibe. They’re great guys.
Are you just saying that cause they told you to say that?
Andrew: Because they’re going to be reading this.
(Everyone laughs).
So I read that you guys also helped them write their forthcoming album.
Andrew: Well yea just that one track. They said just have a crack at it and we did. We did more than just put the vocals on it but it was only that one song.
So how did it work? You did your magic and then sent it back to them?
Dan: Yeah, it’s kinda like email tennis. We did a version, sent it to them and then they sent it back etc.
Andrew: Did you just say ‘email tennis’? Please don’t use that. It’s more like email badminton because there’s quite a long time between the emails.
So how about your debut album. Is that set for a 2010 release?
Andrew: Yeah it’s almost done.
Ben: The aim was to record more songs than we needed and then cull.
And the label is to be confirmed?
Andrew: Yes it’s question mark; pending.
So who writes the lyrics?
Ben: We all write but as a process we have two places where we record and Andy (drummer) comes in toward the later stage just to kinda help with producing.
What about your live shows: Is there something that you try and bring to the table to make it more of a memorable experience for the crowd? Costumes, make-up, sparkles?
Andrew: There’s a lot of that going on.
Ben: We’ve always think there should be visual entertainment. We want to perform our songs rather than just press play. I think in the club world it doesn’t necessarily happen as much.
In a CD store where would I find your album?
Ben: It would have to be in the generic rock slash pop section.
Andrew: I think the alternatives have just become mainstream. To be mainstream is almost slightly alternative.
Ben: Our sound varies from R&B influences, rock influences: Kings of Leon, Queens of the Stone Age we love the energy that they have on stage. A lot of the Neptunes produced, Timbaland-esque, American, and I dare say Justin Timberlake stuff, we really like all that.
Ross: Crossed with the clinical of electro music that you do listen to in clubs, like presets. It’s a hybrid, mash of all sorts of stuff.
Ross and Ben, your dad was a country singer?
Ross: He understands good tunes and obviously what being in a band is like.
Do you think he’d ever support Fenech-Soler?
Ross: Ahh... We did a family thing over the summer where me and Ben supported our dad’s country band.
Ben: They came on and whipped us.
Well he has got quite a few years on you. Didn’t he tour with Dolly Parton?
Ben: Yeah in that massive scene in America.
Well it is big.
Andrew: She’s big...
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