Fireside Chat

Vince Clarke

Erasure, Yazoo, UK

Vince Clarke has without doubt, seriously proved his abilities as a chart topping, toe tapping hit maker and was among the driving forces behind the rise and continued vitality of the synth pop movement, his work proving an enormous influence on the emergence of electronica and therefore partly responsible for its resurgence today. He has certainly never been short of projects. His early contributions to Depeche Mode and his partnership with Alison Moyet in Yazoo solidified him as a groundbreaker and the multitude of LP releases from Erasure, each ram packed with single smashes being of course his most notable accolades. In 2001 he formed the Illustrious Company with Martyn Ware, Heaven 17 member (and RBMA lecturer), using their collaborative and creative genius to make the most of the creative and commercial possibilities of their unique ‘Heightened Reality’ three-dimensional sound technology. Vince Clarke's production and remixing skills can also be heard on records by a very diverse bunch of artists and with the launch of his new studio in Maine, Clarke has created a home to create for others the kind of soundscapes that have made him a sonic architect the world over. Recent remixes for Franz Ferdinand, The Presets and The Saturdays are proof of his enduring influence.