Words by Art Jefferson
Images courtesy of Lord Fascinator and Kate Stein

On paper, one would ask what does a set designer/house DJ/producer have in common with an indie rock singer whose band has had records in the Top 10 Charts? In the case of Kate Stein and Lord Fascinator, the answer would be…a lot. For one, both being Australian, moved to New York, delving into the city’s respective scenes. For two, both are actually visual artists with Stein having been commissioned to do set design for videos by Lord Fascinator, who is actually Johnny Mackay of the popular Australian group Children Collide. For three, McKay tapped into DJing whilst living in NYC, eventually touring and sharing stages with acts such as Tame Impala, as well as The Avalanches, with Kate Stein crafting house music that would find her releasing music on labels such as Playground Records, German imprint TAU, Roam Recordings out of San Francisco, and Madrid-based label Rotten City Records. The fourth and final answer would be, well, they’re just good friends, who, when creating, makes pure magic. Nothing could be more evident that their collaborative EP titled Primary, out via Eskimo Recordings.

With the pair living in Los Angeles throughout 2022, they began working on Primary, which would ultimately manifest into a 4-track melting pot of synthpop, new wave, house, disco, and experimental dance that is overly addicting, and bonafide dance floor bangers. There are cheeky elements to the songs that just scream fun, yet never overshadow the well crafted production. What becomes even more obvious throughout this rollercoaster ride of sound is that the two definitely need to continue with this match made in heaven collaboration, whether more EPs or a full blown album. Nonetheless, Primary serves as a musical dish that will leave you hungry for more.

With both of you practitioners of visual art, a creative partnership seems inevitable. I read that the initial coming together was based on a commission. I’m going to assume Johnny that you hired Kate to do design work on the video set. However, what made you two decide to take the collaboration in a musical direction?

Lord Fascinator – I appreciate her forward motion and hustle. Two things I’m often lacking as I spin around in a self-referential circle of bullshit. The decision was sort of made for us by both landing in Laurel Canyon with access to studios and not many places to be out DJing as most of our connections to clubs and parties were in NYC. It was satisfying to make loud noises and after the first one felt like music we might actually play it just rolled from there

Kate Stein – I really love that Johnny has a great sense of humour, oh and he is extremely talented. It can be hard to find your people in LA, so it was a natural gravitation. We were having coffee each day at The Canyon Country Store, so it started out as a social hour then turned into jam time. It was inspiring to see Jim Morrison photos on the walls at the country Store, knowing that so many artists had passed by the cafe. PS, they also have really good tuna sandwiches.

Johnny, having been in a successful rock band such as Children Collide, was this a way to freely tap into other musical styles without compromising the longstanding brand that you’ve built previously?

Lord Fascinator – I pissed off a lot of that band’s fanbase years before this with much less palatable music so I’m not really thinking about branding too much. I still treasure going back and playing those Children Collide shows, but I get very restless sticking in any genre. I don’t even understand how electronic producers who remain strictly in a lane don’t go crazy after a few years. Perhaps they do.

Kate, although your background is design, was music production always something that you wanted to delve into or did that come over the past few years?

Kate Stein – I’ve loved the idea of making music since I was an (emo) teen….but I had always envisioned being in a band. I was DJing house and electronica before the pandemic, and then when all gigs stopped I became friends with Ableton to fill the time.

Your new EP is titled ‘Primary’. Having heard the record, it’s really great! You worked on the EP in L.A. Sonically I would have guessed Berlin or even New York. What was it about Los Angeles that allowed you to capture this really vibrant and dance friendly palette of music?

Lord Fascinator – We were both experimenting with living there and, although there are great scenes in LA, we hadn’t had time to break into any of them so were both a little pent up and frustrated. I think this was a way of releasing years of inspiration that had built up inside us from cities more like where you mentioned. Especially New York. Feeling like we didn’t have anywhere to play was a great catalyst for it to come out.

Kate Stein – I had been living in LA on and off for nearly 3 years, and driving out to Joshua Tree a LOT. I think there’s a lot of free spirits floating throughout the EP, wandering desert cowboy energy. And yeah, I was absolutely missing NYC at the time!! We are both Australian, but I dare to say we both call NYC home.

I love that there is a cheeky nature to the EP. With a track like ‘Horse House’, while sonically it isn’t hard house, my brain immediately jumps to the 2 In Rhythm 1990s cut ‘Some Whores’. Was the fun aspect at the forefront when you two decided to work on the project?

Lord Fascinator – I often mix out of Horse House into that when I DJ. Subconsciously that may have been the only reason we made it. I’m generally suspicious of musicians who are 100% earnest all the time. Anyone that serious probably had to do a course on being creative and has no imagination. Fun should always be at the forefront, even earnest or serious fun.

Kate Stein – Wait…..this isn’t brain surgery?!

I have to say my fave track on the EP is ‘Le Petit Martien’. It has a nu-disco element to it, but then it has this post-punk like bass line to it at times, not to mention this sort of off-kilter synth line that is also there. Can you talk about the production on this song specifically?

Lord Fascinator – Yeah, at that time my friend Promiseland used to come to my sets and tease me that basically all the tracks i played had basslines like that with bongos or congas….I had also just begun my journey into scoring film and listened to a lot of Morricone.

I was searching for something and it came out in this track. The synth feels special because a bunch of friends had recently chucked in and bought it for me for my birthday and the vocal is my friend Ryan who is a French actor. He was around at the time assisting on a folk record I made about all my past relationships called ‘Lovesongs’. The story in Le Petit Martien is about a tiny little martian who is on his way to work in a suit with a little briefcase. He is grumpy because today there is a giant object in his way that he has to walk around that makes him late for work. Turns out the object is the foot of an Earth lander that has just arrived on his planet.

Finally, can we expect more collab EPs or even an album in the near future?

Lord Fascinator – When we both have time I’m sure we’ll be trying this again. There are already a few ideas in the cauldron.

Kate Stein – What comes after Primary…..Secondary! If anything, I am grateful this EP came about as it has been such a beautiful way to get to know Johnny on a collaborative level – beyond just fun friends. It’s crazy to think over a decade of friendship is shared, we are on very different journeys and always travelling around, but this little shared thread is precious!

https://www.instagram.com/lordfascinator/
https://www.facebook.com/people/Fascinator/100063593772143/
https://soundcloud.com/fascinatormusic
Lord Fascinator Spotify

https://www.instagram.com/katestein.xyz/
https://www.facebook.com/katesteinnyc
https://soundcloud.com/katesteinnyc
Kate Stein Spotify