by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Fredfades is the name under which the versatile and well-travelled Norwegian producer Fredrik Øverlie records. With hip hop and rap on his CV, Øverlie – also an accomplished DJ – is using this album as a way of documenting his travels and some of the many musical styles he has encountered, showing off his versatility at the same time.

Caviar is his second Fredfades album, following six years after the release of Warmth. It features a number of guest vocalists.

What’s the music like?

Caviar is a really strong album, packed with durable riffs, feelgood vibes and strong beats, knitted together to make a strong album that has the ideal ebb and flow.

The title track gets us underway, an accomplished poolside jam that sets the scene for a record that proves willing to look back as much as it looks forward. That much is clear in the rolling ‘90s beat of Winner, one of Øverlie’s finest moments, with its catchy vocal snippet giving it the ideal club vibe. Well, Well, Well does brilliantly in this respect too, using a riff on the glockenspiel that really stays put!

The vocal tracks are on point, too. Bendik HK brings the heat to Summer Of Love in tandem with a peak time piano riff, while Kristian Hamilton lends smokey tones to My Heart Is On The Edge. Tenerife 1994 goes deeper, Krushed Ice joining for a well-worked tribute to Pharoah Sanders that would please the likes of Kevin Yost – while the Balearic vibe is strong on Intuition, where MoRuf’s ‘you are one of a kind’ vocal makes a strong impact.

Does it all work?

It does – the proportions of each track are just right, meaning the album flows really well.

Is it recommended?

Definitely. This is an album to keep close to your ears as the summer warms up!

Listen

Buy