Fred again.. - Actual Life 3
Electronic – Released October 28, 2022 – 13 songs, 40 mins
ROZ
British producer, DJ, singer, and songwriter Fred Gibson has had a fascinating trajectory throughout his short career. At only sixteen years of age, Gibson found himself in an acapella group under the legendary visual artist and producer Brian Eno, who has worked with the likes of David Bowie, Talking Heads, U2 and Coldplay. By 2019, Gibson had racked up an impressive list of writing and producing credits for artists such as Ellie Goulding, Clean Bandit, Rita Ora, Eminem, BTS, Swedish House Mafia and Ed Sheeran. From there, he would begin his journey under his new and current alias Fred again.., a project that would produce two electronic dance albums in the midst of the pandemic shutdowns (albums that reflected as such) and one now in 2022, this week's album, Actual Life 3.
These days, it can be difficult to carve out a place in the modern electronic dance music scene. The leaps and bounds made in audio technology combined with the near-universal accessibility to music sharing platforms combine to develop genres that are saturated to their absolute breaking points. A full studio of equipment can be compacted into a small, in-the-box laptop setup for only a few hundred dollars. Millions of songs can be found through streaming websites such as Soundcloud, Bandcamp and Youtube. All of these factors only make Fred again’s fresh spin on the electronic music genre all the more impressive, as he finds a way to not only implement high quality production techniques but also how to use personal, emotional snippets from his life as the base of the broth. Throughout all of his Actual Life series, Fred again has sampled everything from random strangers off of the street, FaceTime calls with friends and even other artists songs that meant something deeper to him on a personal level. Sincerity drips from each track that he creates and it is this quality that elevates him from the masses.
It is this sincerity that touched so many when he released Actual Life 1. Created at the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic, it echoed the somber feelings of defeatism that Gibson was going through at the time. Actual Life 3 finishes Gibson’s journey as a now breakthrough artist and DJ, and while not striking the same universal chord that the world felt in 2020 and 2021, nevertheless has everything one could ask for from a dance record. With a sound that seems built for all listening experiences - be it a live show, in the car or simply on your headphones - the energy and emotion is nothing short of palpable. The melodies and instrumentations are carefully crafted by Gibson’s educated ear; whether it's the electrifying piano chords of Delilah, the vocal driven leads of Kammy, the sample savviness of Bleu, the frisson-inducing bassline of Danielle, the emotional arrangements of Mustafa, the soul-driven sound of Clara or the relaxing ambience of Winnie - if you want it, it’s there. It’s all there.
On a personal note, the TSR boys were able to witness Gibson's very first Coachella moment - the first of many large festival moments that he would eventually end up having on his post-lockdown summer circuit. This was an experience that I can only describe as completely genuine and pure; here you have an artist who has put so much of himself into his work throughout a period of time where his entire industry was completely shut down. From making music all alone, to seeing hundreds of people enjoying his music and his performance in real time on one of the biggest music stages of them all - you could hear the trembling in his voice and feel the gratefulness in his words. In many ways, Actual Life 3 feels like an extension of the experience that TSR had when we saw Fred again.. live that day. If this album marks the end of Gibson’s Actual Life saga, it will serve as the perfect ending to a trilogy that has unquestionably made its mark on the electronic dance music genre for good.
Overall Rating: 8.8/10
Favourite Song: Danielle (smile on my face)
LUNDI
Did you all know that TSR was founded in the dark days of COVID? We may have mentioned it once or ten times before, but I’m bringing it up again as it’s something we share with this week’s artist, Fred again.., who developed his stage name and started his ongoing Actual Life project in a similar timeframe. Congrats, Fred, you’ve made it, we’ll hopefully be along shortly. Fred’s third entry in this album series, aptly titled Actual Life 3, just hit streaming sites everywhere and it’s time to let that beat drop.
For those unfamiliar Fred again.. is an uber talented multi instrumentalist disc jockey who also lays vocals and produces tracks. Haven’t heard of him? I wager a lot haven’t, but the British born budding star is currently blazing a trail through the EDM industry. Fred has brought something fresh to a stale genre by incorporating voice memos, iPhone videos and social media clips into his samples, and even takes it a step further by forgoing the flashing lights and fireworks of the typical DJ back drop and making these clips the star of his live show. It may sound a bit weird or corny, but it’s truly a spin on the way of old that works wonders. I promise you will not be disappointed and recommend checking it out for yourself here:
This adopted method of stage show has given Fred an uncanny ability to have listeners connect to his music through emotional interaction with other fans. Sure his music motifs are a mix of love, sadness, and despair like most, but the fuel for the fire isn’t coming from the superstar Fred, it’s coming from your neighbor, the stadium’s stage tech, your long lost friend, or just a fellow music lover reaching out. The videos are what makes Fred and we are what make the videos. EDM has always had feeling of togetherness and acceptance that no other genre matches but it’s next level what Fred has created. While the typical artist adoration still exists, Fred’s unique offering brings strangers together in a new way. Having experienced myself, I can only say it’s worth your time making an effort to be apart of his crowd somewhere down the line.
But alas, here we are three paragraphs in and I’ve hardly mentioned the album itself. In fact this overall review process has resulted in the understanding that I love Fred the artist, what he stands for, what he promotes, but without the supporting visuals and live setting experience his music mostly blends in with the remainder of the genre. It boils down to being a good EDM album, but that’s about as far as I’d take it.
See Actual Life 3 struggles with repetition, a flaw often noted in this industry, but Fred does himself no favours as most tracks are a looping of samples accompanied by a drum machine that sound nearly identical in the first 30 seconds as they do for the entirety of the song. He does not build or layer often, a technique that I wish had more prevalence in the genre, but with so many fans just hanging on for the serotonin release of the beat drop, this simplistic approach will appease the loyal masses.
In the end, AL3 becomes a pick and choose collection of tracks where I’ll put Danielle, Delilah, and Clara on my playlists, but leave the remainder to be heard next when we meet again at the festival stage.
Fred again.. the artist has injected a much needed breath of fresh air into the EDM industry through his unique live show, but his music alone does little to innovate or differentiate. Actual Life 3 has moments of excellence but without the interactive live experience it gets lost amongst the rest.
Overall Rating: 7.3/10
Favourite Song: Danielle (smile on my face)
REID
Music festivals rule for so many reasons. One of them is the lineup drop. Your crew anxiously awaits the release for months and when it finally comes, you have a slew of new artists to dig into ahead of the big weekend. Oftentimes you leave the event months later with new favourites. Fred again.. falls into this category for me after Coachella 2021. Roz and Danimal hyped him and bangers like (Marea) We’ve Lost Dancing, Kyle (I Found You), Lights Out, Admit it (U Don’t Want 2) made him a can’t miss show despite lining up against Maggie Rogers. We absolutely made the right decision. Frederick John Philip Gibson put off one of the sets of the weekend and gained a fan in me. His humble and genuine appreciation for the crowd size and reaction was heart-warming. Combined with an incredible musical performance, it was truly a special experience, one I’m happy to have shared with the TSR boys.
If you’re following along the TSR life with us, you know we step outside our comfort zones and cover a variety of genres. Other than Rüfüs du Sol, my love of dance music is typically enjoyed with a playlist of favourites from multiple artists. A full album is a little out of the norm but here’s to hoping Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022) can break down those boundaries.
AF3 marks a trifecta of studio releases in eighteen months from the UK record producer, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and DJ. (Did I mention this guy is uber talented? He’s the type to have seven or eight acronyms after his name on LinkedIn.) Gibson’s Actual Life trademark is heavy sampling. Whether it’s a conversation with a friend, stranger or special excerpt from another artist, he turns a moment into a spectacle. Check out this live studio performance for a glimpse. AF3 starts on a high with Eyelar and the infectious, Delilah. From here it loses steam until you get a jolt from the bass of Nathan and the up-tempo, Danielle. Other than those, nothing really stands out and overall, the listening experience tends to drag. Despite it being normal for this genre, the sampling and repetition feels a little overdone. Once again, this electronic experience will live and die in playlists.
Rarely does the third instalment of a trilogy live up to its predecessors and AF3 is no different. Other than a few great playlist additions, the album falls flat. A new direction is hopefully on the horizon for Gibson and it’s intriguing to know where this immense talent will go next. Because despite a little dip, this star is rising.
The main purpose of TSR is to find, celebrate and appreciate music and live experiences. With that said, I conclude with a simple recommendation. If Fred again.. is in your city, buy the tickets and mark it on your calendar. You won’t be disappointed.
Overall Rating – 6.6/10
Favourite Song – Delilah (pull me out of this)