Fujiya & Miyagi Debut Stunning Vince Clarke remix of “Fear of Missing Out”(premiere)

Brighton-based band, Fujiya & Miyagi have never been one to stay in the same musical place for very long. While, their 2017, self-titled album may well have been the perfect distillation of the band’s brand of Krautrock meets disco meets electropop sound, new album Flashback sees the band push on into new, uncharted territory.

Typical of this fresh, reinvention of their sound is the brilliant “Fear of Missing Out” – a grooving, post-punk meets electro-funk tune all with a heavy sprinkling of psychedelia. In advance of the band’s forthcoming American tour, the band have handed the keys over to the man best known as a member of Depeche Mode, Yazoo, and Erasure, Vince Clarke, for a driving, dance remix.

On his reworking, Clarke is quick to open the bonnet and inject the song with a little more oomph. Stripping away the majority of the post-punk meets Italo-disco components of the original, Clarke instead focuses on amplifying the groove and steering the whole thing straight to the heart of the dancefloor.

As ambient synth washes give way to a thick, house beat, Clarke signals his intent from the off. It’s an exhilarating opening with Clarke bringing the bold, throbbing beat charging to the foreground and keeping it there. Throughout, Clarke sets off inventive synth flourishes and atmospheric electronics without losing the essence of the song – particularly the gleaming disco-funk guitar and, of course, Best’s lyrics. In Clarke’s hands, Best’s vocals become a disembodied echo that stalks the shadows of the club, in a breathless, almost (now trust me here) sensual way.

TOUR DATES

07/18 – Washington, DC @ DC9
07/19 – New York, NY @ Elsewhere
07/20 – Boston, MA @ Red Room Café 939
07/21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s