APPAREL INTERVIEW:
Fred Everything,DJ/Producer, Montreal [CA]
Fred Everything drops his highly anticipated album "Love, Care, Kindness & Hope" on Lazy Days Recordings, following his previous "All Is Well" on Compost Records and a series of successful singles paving the way. The lineup also features Stereo MC's, Robert Owens, James Alexander Bright, and Sapele, enriching this record with diverse sonic influences that reflect its heartfelt nature. The sentiments that title the LP guide Fred's creative journey from the first track, and for those of us hungry for emotions like these, we feast and revel in them.
Fred Everything Q&A
-Fred, tell us how do you feel at this moment in time and what do you feel towards this album? Anything different from the previous ones?
- Hi! I’m feeling great thank!. Happy for this album to finally come out. I feel really good about it. Reading the reviews and feedbacks so far, I can tell people really understand and feel the message. It was a little nerve wrecking to put out something so personal like this out, but I’m glad I did.
-It's often said that once the record is out there for the public, it no longer truly belongs to the composer. Given the heartfelt and profound composition of your "Love, Care, Kindness & Hope," do you think this sense of dissociation might kick in for this album? Is this something you've experienced in the past with your previous works?
- It’s true, in fact, once It leaves me and my studio, it already doesn’t belong to me anymore. Although the sentiments are still mine and will forever be, I’m happy it can now be in other people’s lives.
-For those who aren't aware, tell us where the title comes from and how you approached the technical side of the composition. Did you manage to work live or separately with the collaborating artists?
- During the pandemic, I wrote 4 words on a Post-it as a sort of positive mantra to help me go through this period. These were the things I considered essential to my life and my well being and I wanted it to be a guide for my compositions in the studio. Other than with Robert Owens and Wayne Tennant, the collaborations were done remotely, but I did get a chance to first talk face to face with the artists and communicate my vision, and we were also able to do revisions based on my notes.
-What stands out from the first listen is the wide variety of sounds and musical influences in the album. So, we'd like to ask if, during the writing and production, you were able to listen to other music. Generally, what kind of music do you listen to when you're in the process of working on something of your own?
- I don’t listen to as much music as I would because I can’t while I’m working in the studio obviously! But during lockdown, I listened to a lot of Jazz. Mainly Spiritual Jazz which I found very healing. I also did listen to a bit of Dub during that time. Mostly vinyl from my collection.
Fred Everything Q&A
-Fred, tell us how do you feel at this moment in time and what do you feel towards this album? Anything different from the previous ones?
- Hi! I’m feeling great thank!. Happy for this album to finally come out. I feel really good about it. Reading the reviews and feedbacks so far, I can tell people really understand and feel the message. It was a little nerve wrecking to put out something so personal like this out, but I’m glad I did.
-It's often said that once the record is out there for the public, it no longer truly belongs to the composer. Given the heartfelt and profound composition of your "Love, Care, Kindness & Hope," do you think this sense of dissociation might kick in for this album? Is this something you've experienced in the past with your previous works?
- It’s true, in fact, once It leaves me and my studio, it already doesn’t belong to me anymore. Although the sentiments are still mine and will forever be, I’m happy it can now be in other people’s lives.
-For those who aren't aware, tell us where the title comes from and how you approached the technical side of the composition. Did you manage to work live or separately with the collaborating artists?
- During the pandemic, I wrote 4 words on a Post-it as a sort of positive mantra to help me go through this period. These were the things I considered essential to my life and my well being and I wanted it to be a guide for my compositions in the studio. Other than with Robert Owens and Wayne Tennant, the collaborations were done remotely, but I did get a chance to first talk face to face with the artists and communicate my vision, and we were also able to do revisions based on my notes.
-What stands out from the first listen is the wide variety of sounds and musical influences in the album. So, we'd like to ask if, during the writing and production, you were able to listen to other music. Generally, what kind of music do you listen to when you're in the process of working on something of your own?
- I don’t listen to as much music as I would because I can’t while I’m working in the studio obviously! But during lockdown, I listened to a lot of Jazz. Mainly Spiritual Jazz which I found very healing. I also did listen to a bit of Dub during that time. Mostly vinyl from my collection.
-What's the easiest track on the album, if there is one? Which one came together the quickest, and which one took the longest to complete?
- The first track, Hope Is On The Horizon. Other than the overdubs of horns, most of it was done and recorded in an evening before dinner. I started working with a sample, added a drum beat and the rest of the keys (Rhodes, Minimoog, Solina…) just flew. Then I recorded my own vocals as a place holder and ended up keeping them! The longest could be A Long Time Coming (fitting title!). The track itself didn't take that long, and I also sang on it, but finding the perfect vocalist for it took a bit of time after 2 people let me down on it, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as this is one of my favorite tracks on the album now!
-Tell us about your routine on the days when you were working on producing the album.
- Half of those tracks were written during a studio retreat north of Montreal. I brought only a few instruments with me and forced myself to write one song a day. When I came back to my studio, I started thinking of those tracks in context of an album and reach out to people for collaborations. I got the strings replayed by Pete Whitfield in London, Horns and flutes by Finn Peters in the Netherlands, and I wrote a few extra songs after that also.
-How do you plan to take this album on the road? Do you have a tour planned?
- I’m doing my first Fred Everything live show in 20 years at Mutek’s 25th anniversary this August in Montreal which might lead to more live dates later on. Otherwise, I’ll be doing some dates in US, Canada and Europe this summer and hopefully go back to Asia and South Africa this Fall.
Now some quick and fun questions to learn more about your personality (every curiosity and reasoning behind the answers is appreciated).
-If you were a geometric shape, what would you be?
- A circle. One of my friend said about me that I wasn’t a square but a circle. Just because I don’t go to the after party, doesn’t mean that I’m boring!
-If you were a city?
- Montréal. I lived in a few different cities and travelled a lot. While Montréal is not perfect, it is sort of perfect for me.
-If you could take a specific talent from a great musician, present or past, which talent would you steal and from whom?
- I’d love to be able to play like Herbie! If you were an animal, what would you be? While I should be a feline, my signs are Leo/Tiger, I think I would be a dog. A nice one that doesn’t bark too much unless you really mess with him.
-If you were an animal, what would you be?
- While I should be a feline, my signs are Leo/Tiger, I think I would be a dog. A nice one that doesn’t bark too much unless you really mess with him.
-Finally…We asked ChatGPT to ask you a question regarding the upcoming release. Here’s the question:
-“Hey Fred! Your upcoming album sounds exciting. As you've been working on this project, what's been the most unexpected or surprising aspect of the creative process for you?”
- Digging deeper into what it was that I really wanted to express and seeing/hearing the results.
-Fred, we hope you've enjoyed our imaginary couch and we sincerely thank you for your time. Best wishes for the album and your future projects!
The Apparel Music team
-What's the easiest track on the album, if there is one? Which one came together the quickest, and which one took the longest to complete?
- The first track, Hope Is On The Horizon. Other than the overdubs of horns, most of it was done and recorded in an evening before dinner. I started working with a sample, added a drum beat and the rest of the keys (Rhodes, Minimoog, Solina…) just flew. Then I recorded my own vocals as a place holder and ended up keeping them! The longest could be A Long Time Coming (fitting title!). The track itself didn't take that long, and I also sang on it, but finding the perfect vocalist for it took a bit of time after 2 people let me down on it, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as this is one of my favorite tracks on the album now!
-Tell us about your routine on the days when you were working on producing the album.
- Half of those tracks were written during a studio retreat north of Montreal. I brought only a few instruments with me and forced myself to write one song a day. When I came back to my studio, I started thinking of those tracks in context of an album and reach out to people for collaborations. I got the strings replayed by Pete Whitfield in London, Horns and flutes by Finn Peters in the Netherlands, and I wrote a few extra songs after that also.
-How do you plan to take this album on the road? Do you have a tour planned?
- I’m doing my first Fred Everything live show in 20 years at Mutek’s 25th anniversary this August in Montreal which might lead to more live dates later on. Otherwise, I’ll be doing some dates in US, Canada and Europe this summer and hopefully go back to Asia and South Africa this Fall.
Now some quick and fun questions to learn more about your personality (every curiosity and reasoning behind the answers is appreciated).
-If you were a geometric shape, what would you be?
- A circle. One of my friend said about me that I wasn’t a square but a circle. Just because I don’t go to the after party, doesn’t mean that I’m boring!
-If you were a city?
- Montréal. I lived in a few different cities and travelled a lot. While Montréal is not perfect, it is sort of perfect for me.
-If you could take a specific talent from a great musician, present or past, which talent would you steal and from whom?
- I’d love to be able to play like Herbie! If you were an animal, what would you be? While I should be a feline, my signs are Leo/Tiger, I think I would be a dog. A nice one that doesn’t bark too much unless you really mess with him.
-If you were an animal, what would you be?
- While I should be a feline, my signs are Leo/Tiger, I think I would be a dog. A nice one that doesn’t bark too much unless you really mess with him.
-Finally…We asked ChatGPT to ask you a question regarding the upcoming release. Here’s the question:
-“Hey Fred! Your upcoming album sounds exciting. As you've been working on this project, what's been the most unexpected or surprising aspect of the creative process for you?”
- Digging deeper into what it was that I really wanted to express and seeing/hearing the results.
-Fred, we hope you've enjoyed our imaginary couch and we sincerely thank you for your time. Best wishes for the album and your future projects!
The Apparel Music team
