A nice interview with Vince Clarke and pictures of his new studio at SonicScoop:
Icons: Inside Vince Clarke's Synth Kingdom in BrooklynOne of the masters and an amazing collection of instruments.
You know it as soon as you hear it: A Vince Clarke creation has a way of bouncing right through you. Even at his darkest, there are vibrant energetic impulses emanating from the "King of the Synth".
These days, this music-making royalty resides in Brooklyn. In the sub-basement of a house on a quite NYC street, new ideas are steadily emerging from Clarke.
That's good news for fans of the bands he's co-founded -- major musical forces that include Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly and Erasure. It's an amazing resume that spans four decades with millions upon millions of record sales tied to a list of unforgettable hits that he's written: I Just Can't Get Enough, Only You, Don't Go, Chains of Love and A Little Respect to name just a few of Clarke's global smashes. He is responsible for 17 Top Ten-charting singles in the U.K. just with Erasure.
Situated as he is now, two floors below the earth and surrounded by one of the most mind-boggling collections of analog and digital synths anywhere, you'd think Clarke was safe in his comfort zone. Far from it, this music explorer remains immersed in new projects -- remixes, songwriting, production collaborations, and performances -- that challenge him.
"I've been trying to learn how to be a DJ, which is a scary process," he laughs. "But I'm not playing live otherwise at the moment, and learning a new piece of technology has been exciting. I've figured out how to every song in time from one to the next."
Actually, managing crossfades and transitions is something Clarke has always been a master of. As he's grown group after hitmaking group, his rhythmically driven synth style is always evolving. If you haven't had the chance yet, just check out his entrancing 2012 collaboration with fellow Depeche Mode colleague Martin Gore, VCMG's entrancing Ssss -- this is minimalist techno at its most deliciously enriching.
