When laying the foundations for his new album, during a creative residency, after more than a year of pandemic, composer Fred Everything scribbled on a Post-it these words which gave the title to the best album of his discography, available since this morning: love, care, kindness And hope.
Is music more pleasant to listen to depending on the weather? In any case, Fred Everything conceived the idea of a winter record. “I was talking about it recently with Poirier, who will also be launching a new album: are there albums that are better listened to in summer? As for mine, I don’t really know. I rather believe that they listen well during the four seasons. »
Love, Care, Kindness & Hope was born in the fall, maybe some will even hear it. It couldn’t have happened better than today, at the edge of summer: the musician faithful to his good habits, internationally recognized for a good twenty years for his sophisticated deep house touch and full of soul, explores here other tempos, other atmospheres, other types of orchestrations. When composing the album, Fred tells us, “I was trying to play with [des concepts] which I had never done in the studio before. To achieve this, I sought to show the most honest vision of myself, and to let myself go in this process, without other considerations. What is unique about me? »
Autumn was conducive to this introspection – sorry, not just any autumn, that of the year 2021, “in the middle of a pandemic, after having been able to experience a few moments of freedom during the summer,” says Fred Everything. Afterwards, we fell back into darkness, in the fall.” He took refuge in the Laurentians, bringing the bare essentials, a polyphonic synthesizer (Prophet-6), a monophonic synthesizer (Moog Grandmother) and a computer, “because with that, I can do everything. This creative residency, in the countryside, was for me a way of not giving up and continuing to remain active, engaged and positive in my work.”
“During the pandemic too, I turned a lot to jazz, and particularly spiritual jazz”, which colors the general atmosphere of this new album. “I have loved jazz my whole life, but never understood exactly what I loved most about it. I discovered incredible things in spiritual jazz, something motivating that I needed in times of uncertainty. Since the pandemic, my collection of Pharoah Sanders albums has grown! »
The album opens with this eloquent title: Hope Is On The Horizon. A piece with a slow tempo, an almost dub groove (an influence which will appear elsewhere on the album), a touch of brass and wind orchestrations (and a discreet crossing solo pointing towards the finale). House remains the backbone of Fred Everything’s work, but more than ever, on this album, his grooves present themselves with greater versatility, borrowing from hip-hop when British veterans Stereo MC’s (everybody remembers of their success Connected1992?) layer their rhymes on the delicate and wriggling breakbeat of Soul Love.
“I made the album I dreamed of. I don’t know yet if I succeeded, but in any case, I’m proud of it, for example to have people like the Stereo MC’s on a song. I dreamed of that, and the pandemic gave me the kick in the butt necessary to make it happen. » Same for another distinguished guest, Robert Owens, the dulcet soul voice of the classic deep house track Never.
Pioneer of the American electronic scene, first recognized as a singer, but originally a DJ, Robert Owens founded with Larry Heard, composer and DJ from Chicago, Fingers Inc., who gave us the legendary Mystery of Love (1985) and Can You Feel It? (1986), founding songs of house.
“He was there, in front of the microphone, in my studio, we had our headphones on, and when he started singing, I got chills. He is at the genesis of house. We know him less as a composer and DJ, because his voice is recognizable among thousands. And Robert is such a nice guy. One of his big hits is called I’ll Be Your Friend [coécrite avec David Morales et Satoshi Tomiie, 1991], and since that time, all these songs have been about this theme: being there for others. »
Love, Care, Kindness & Hope was released on the Lazy Days Recordings label. Fred Everything will be DJing on July 6 at the Off Piknic Électronik program, then on August 23 at the Mutek festival.