Ray Leach
Fred Again.. and his genre of music feels like community. It brings people together and is best enjoyed in the present moment. I feel his music has the ability to change the way people socialise – particularly young people. His gigs seem like the kind of place where you’d want to switch off your phone and just take it all in.
Bringing people back into the present moment
Fred Again.. (or simply ‘Fred’)’s live sets have been hosted in stunning locations like rooftops, coastlines and large open-air venues. Usually, Fred is embedded in the crowd, on the same level as the listener, which creates less of a divide compared to traditional stages. His passion and excitement bleeds into the audience as he bops along to the beats, highlighted by this huge, endearing and recognisable grin as the sets go on.
‘Rooftop Live’ (Arun’s Roof, London)
Fred has been at the forefront of UK dance music for some time, but his late-summer album ten days this year has brought him back to the front of everyone’s minds and playlists. The album arrived at the perfect moment. As summer draws to a close and the seasons start to change, we welcome earlier evenings and nightlife culture changes its hat. Fred’s album perfectly complements this feeling and time of year.
To welcome his new album, Fred hosted a rooftop gig for his closest friends. It’s called “Rooftop Live (Arun’s Roof, London)” on youtube and it’s worth a watch. I like to play this aloud while I’m doing chores as it’s the most feel-good music I’ve found in a while. However, it’s hard to peel your eyes away from the screen because of the pure joy that Fred’s music brings to his mates — and the feeling is infectious.
‘just stand there’ is homegrown music video perfection
The eighth track on ten days, ‘just stand there’, is the perfect example of utilising a simple filming concept for maximum results. One camera, one location, two friends, spoken word and a keyboard. The result sends a shiver down your spine. I’m in awe of Fred’s ability to make everything he produces look so easy, yet you know his music is layered with feeling and technique.
Fred describes the film as being a “small, intimate, very still moment, so I like how [the music video] also kinda has that energy”. The video is truly intimate. It’s about pauses, eye contact, friends talking about love. It’s not immediately obvious what the context of the conversation is, but in the mystery lies the beauty. You can adopt the feelings of the song no matter what situation you are in yourself.
The Roaring (Romantic) Twenties
I feel like perhaps James Blake has inspired some of Fred’s work — maybe they’re even mates (though impossible to say without knowing them). Either way, I think that the two of them are pioneers of a new wave of music. New-age romantics who take modern electronic dance and inject it with beautiful spoken word and who don’t shy away from love notes in their songs.
Though the album is electronic dance-pop and therefore mostly instrumental, there are some really beautiful and moving lyrics. I have pulled some of my favourite lines from the album below.
“If I had my way, every day would be your parade”
‘adore u’ – Fred Again.. & Obonajayar
“I fear less with you on the passenger side”
‘fear less’ – Fred Again & Sampha
“She loves me… And I just stand there…my one-bed apartment feels like a coliseum… shе looks at me like she’s taking photos”
‘just stand there’ – Fred Again.. & SOAK
