Moderns – Moderns EP (2017)

Moderns -Moderns (EP 2017) Yes, it’s a self-titled album! You can find this musical project on social networks like Instagram under modernsmusic.

Moderns is a Los Angeles-based synth-pop duo made up of Christopher Fudurich and Rosie Okumura.

For Rosie fans, it was a surprise to discover that she also sings. Sometimes the description that goes with her is: actress / musician / high-speed chase enthusiast! No, she certainly doesn’t lack a sense of humour and has an infectious smile and laugh!

So, yes, she’s an American dubbing actress, content creator and musician based in Los Angeles. A songwriter, singer and performer who has partnered with veteran producers. She plans to continue writing, collaborating and performing for Moderns as her sole project and shares her experience: ‘I can’t describe how excited I am for what Chris and I are creating. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of; it’s so inspiring for me to work with someone so unique and creative.’

Rosie also creates anti-scam videos that combine humour, dubbing and educational content to expose and counter fraudulent schemes. And above all, this is the area that has made her famous. She makes us laugh when she cuts her speech all the time, makes electronic sounds, speaks very fast or very slowly, etc. Not really surprising, after all. So it’s hardly surprising that she’s also an excellent singer!

According to Wikipedia, ‘Having lived in different states, she found it natural to choose different dialects and accents. Okumura incorporates her dubbing into scambaiting activities. Her entry into scambaiting was motivated by a personal experience in 2019 when her mother fell victim to a computer virus scam. Scammers gained remote access to her mother’s computer and attempted to steal US$500 (that’s $614.93 in 2024), as well as sensitive personal information. Although the bank blocked the transaction, the incident motivated Okumura to confront the crooks herself.

Her first scam session was broadcast live on Facebook, where she humorously interacted with scammers by pretending to be different characters. Encouraged by the public’s reaction, she began to regularly create and share similar content online. Since then, Okumura has produced more than 200 scam videos, which have attracted audiences on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. She reached one million subscribers on YouTube within a year. Okumura’s videos combine humour and educational messages to raise awareness of scams and the evolution of their tactics, including those exploiting cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Her impressions, which include AI-like voices and exaggerated characters, are at the heart of her content. It poses as celebrities, such as Britney Spears or Kim Kardashian, and uses characters such as children or the elderly to interact with scammers. These interactions generally last from a few minutes to two hours, during which her main objective is to prevent the scammers from victimising others. As well as creating content, she works with volunteers to support victims of scams and report fraudulent activity to the authorities.

The other half of Moderns, Fudurich, is an engineer, multi-instrumentalist and analogue artist. As a producer, he has worked with a variety of pop artists, but Moderns is his first collaboration with his own music production. Moderns is a Synth-Pop duo (short for synthesizer pop, also known as techno-pop). Pioneers of the genre include Kraftwerk, Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, Human League, Dead or Alive, Erasure, Yazoo, Pet Shop Boys, as well as A-ha and Alphaville. English band The Buggles have a song called ‘Technopop’, and Spanish band Mecano have described their style as techno-pop. It’s funny: the first song is called Jarre (the duo’s second most-listened-to track) and is reminiscent, of course, of Jean-Michel Jarre, who used to make this kind of music in France.

In fact, as with their debut, every track on the EP is a word: Jarre, Statique, Unison, Matter. Order and Terrestrial. the last song ends the EP with sounds of crickets, birds, nature… On stage, there seem to be three of them. Probably not on all the songs. We’ll have to check that out in concert.

Moderns is no disgrace to any of the music I’ve just listed, on the contrary. The duo are dreamers! They combine traditional and modern recording methods, relying on instrumentation and vocals without excessive digital manipulation. Using analogue synthesizers, drum machines and raw, natural vocals, the music is electronic but not sterile. Power, depth with music channelled through both retro and contemporary sounds.

Moderns have mainly been playing around Los Angeles and have released this second EP to great acclaim. Personally, I love it too. Christopher and his partner were unfortunately among those who lost their homes in the much-publicised fires. This meant that the band also lost their recording studio, apart from a few vintage items that Christopher was able to put in his car during the evacuation.

A devastating time for everyone involved and affected by this horrific event, Rosie had written a message humbly asking for any form of support. Simply sharing the GoFundMe link (which can be found in their bio) is a great way to help. Anything that can be done to help is helpful. When the kinds of music that have rocked me and still rock me bring new artists who are really worthwhile, I’m really happy. Sometimes that’s all it takes. I wish a long career and a happy life to everyone involved in Moderns.

Of course, I’ll be part of the adventure. I can’t wait for the first album… and the next ones!