CLIPS:
soundcloud.com/fastatwork/faw001-carre-soft-fascination-ep-w-priori-james-bangura-remixes
Deep within the humdrum of the freeway buzz and eternal traffic of dystopian Los Angeles, there exists an unstoppable sonic gathering of minds, determined to spread a gospel believing that higher BPMs are not necessarily synonymous with harsh escapist mentalities and homogenous vibes. Lately however, as the belief system and community members have musically evolved, there has been some debate about the viability and true existence of this mantra. Is “Fast Not Hard” a sustainable ethos, guiding us towards the ultimate truth?
Just as the issue began to climax, seemingly out of nowhere, a helicopter emerged, containing a capsule from the future (or possibly aliens). Within this capsule was physical, musical, fundamental proof of the durability of their belief system – a bible of sorts, with all the thoughts and debates and beliefs and ideals of the group members mechanically infused into a shiny black disc of three original musical offerings. Upon digesting the capsule’s creed, the group accepted the music as scripture, and coined it “Soft Fascination,” – an emotional reflection of their fast-not-hard form of fundamentalism – and named group member Carré as their first chosen matriarch.
Tasked with both representing and proving their distinct gospel within the larger musical world, Carré set out on her mission. Through the title hymn “Soft Fascination,” Carré preached a proto vision of classic dubstep bassline and tender pads, before expanding the gospel towards four-on-the-floor acceptance. With “Glowing,” she lovingly pushed her audience closer to understanding the importance of simplicity, space, and crispness. And with the third original offering, “Cute Mad,” Carré magically induced a sense of positivity and bubbly bass, reverberating a philosophy of laughter and flippancy within the overall gospel. Finally, before returning to her native dystopian homestead to continue refining the future of fast-not-hard alongside her fellow devotees, Carré recruited two master apostles from far away lands, Priori and James Bangura, to create their own missions, all rooted in the original offerings of the alien helicopter’s capsule disc. While Priori rearranged “Soft Fascination” into a shiny mind-melter of industrial machination, James Bangura expanded on the lightness of “Glowing,” creating his own lucid dreamscape of deep melancholia.
Alas, the Fast At Work denomination became fully formed, with spiritual, musical, and now physical proof of their gospel as doctrine. With matriarch Carré set to pass the baton to a second FAW evangelist, only the future (or aliens?) know how far their gospel will spread…..
Written and Produced by Carré Orenstein
Recorded in Los Angeles
Additional mixing by Danny Goliger
Mastered by Nikolaj Jakobsen
Vinyl production by R.A.N.D. Muzik
Artwork & CD by Studio Balcony
Distributed by One Eye Witness
released March 1, 2024