Tag Archives: Fred Everything

Let’s Dance – Fred Everything: Love, Care, Kindness & Dubs (Lazy Days Recordings)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Fred Everything returns to last year’s Love, Care, Kindness & Hope, presenting a set of alternative versions, instrumentals, dubs, reprises and a couple of unreleased tracks, Broken Flute Thing and A Long Time Coming.

He does so mostly under his own steam, or with a couple of carefully chosen remixers – blending what is to all intents and purposes a new, stripped back album.

What’s the music like?

This isn’t your average remix cash-in – quite the opposite, as Fred Everything has curated a classy and well thought out collection that moves really nicely between house, dub, breezy beatless instrumentals and a few tougher house moments.

On the clubbier side sits the excellent Atjazz Galaxy Aart remix of Asolee, and Evening Ghost (Live at Mutek), which has a sharp edge. Moonrise (Dub) has a hint of the ‘80s club in its reworking.

These are complemented with some really lovely hot weather moments. The Lazy Dub version of Breathe hits the sweet spot straight away, with some beautiful string arrangements, while the sultry Alternate Version of Never, with typically winsome vocals from Robert Owens, benefits from Finn Peters’ saxophone artistry. A Long Dub Coming is a beauty, the pick of the two versions of the track here – Sapele’s vocals complemented by rich instrumentation. Meanwhile Soul Love proves a hot and humid beauty in beatless instrumental form, while Broken Flute Thing works a treat with a nagging piano motif.

Does it all work?

It does – and as such proves an ideal complement to the original album.

Is it recommended?

It certainly is. Quality house music on the deeper side for the summer, which you’re encouraged to acquire without delay…along with the original album if you don’t have it already!

For fans of… Miguel Migs, Osunlade, Atjazz, Andy Caldwell

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Published post no.2,474 – Saturday 15 March 2025

Switched On: All Is Well – A Break In Time (Compost / Drumpoet Community)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Fred Everything (real name Frédéric Blais) started A Break In Time as an exercise in calming meditation during lockdown – its function to do as the title suggests, a break from the stress.

It wasn’t long before he realised that the music was taking form and had album-making potential so, donning the All Is Well moniker, he worked on realising the project as a homage to ambient music in general, looking back to early works from Carl Craig and Black Dog, as well as the legendary Warp compilation Artificial Intelligence.

What’s the music like?

A Break In Time is certainly ambient, but occasionally it brings to the surface an underlying tension explained by when it was written. Blais writes instinctively well in this form, the tracks are really well structured, and the voicing is such that the listener can choose whether to take the music from background to foreground. It is equally effective in either form.

Day One establishes calming, warm textures, but the music takes on more movement with tracks like Forever And A Year, where active percussion is paired with wavy keyboard lines, creating a curious tension. Risqué has a rising motif that can prove disorientating too, like a distant alarm – but by contrast a track like At Well matches synth riffs with washes of colour.

Does it all work?

It does. Blais has achieved a really satisfying blend where musical instinct and a keen sense of structure go hand in hand.

Is it recommended?

It is – this is an album with staying power, and the ability to create its own unique atmosphere. Another fine piece of work from Fred Everything.

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