Fred Everything – 7 Tracks Which Massively Influenced My Career (LV Legends)

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Fred Everything has been a DJ/Producer that we have long admired here at LV HQ. A producer who has released tracks across the house sphere from deep through to classic US vocal he’s got that DJ’s touch in the studio, creating tracks which work the dance-floor to perfection.

A prolific producer his discography runs deep, notching up some 55 pages alone on Traxsource with releases there dating back to ’98 and pre digital vinyl releases stretching even further back to around ’95. With releases and remixes on Om, Freerange, Defected, 2020 Vision, Large, Nervous, Toolroom, Atjazz and Salted he’s an artist who is clearly held in high esteem by his peers. His own label Lazy Days has also built a rock solid reputation since launching back in 2005. A vessel for Fred Everything’s own production and collaboration it has also seen some of the most respected producers on the scene pass through.

Fred Everything’s latest release sees him land on the mighty Compost Records collaborating with Ottawa’s Trevor Walker on the sublime E.S.M. (Earth, Sun, Moon). You can check out the premier of the dub below.

Grab the EP via: https://CompostRecords.lnk.to/FredEverythingTrevorWalker_ESM

We are very pleased to invite Fred onto our legends series to talk about some of the tracks that have influenced his career and his own tracks which have shaped his career over the last two decades. It’s a fascinating selection charting the last two decades.

Fred Everything – 7 Tracks Which Massively Influenced My Career (LV Legends)

1.Pepe Bradock – Life
[2000 – Atavism FR]
Pepe Bradock was such a big influence on me. I used to clear the floor with Burning (Deep Burnt) before it became a hit, but ultimately the big one for me was Life (and 4 as a close second). There’s something I love about 2 chords house tunes that never quite resolve. It keeps a certain tension, always making you want more. Add to that strings, square bass lines and bleepy portamentos and you got me!
15 years later, a Soundcloud user insisted I copied Pepe Bradock’s on my track Ô on Atjazz Record Company. I thought of course he was wrong but I thanked him for the compliment!
Fred Everything – Ô
[2015 – Atjazz Record Company UK]
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2.Metro Area – Miura
[2001 – Environ US]
I wish I could say that I was first influenced by the classic proto house sound of the Prelude era that Metro Area were inspired by, but in fact, it because of them that I later fell into the 80s disco rabbit hole. At the time of the release, Metro Area were kind of the “House” alternative to the Electroclash scene which wasn’t really for me. Records like these and Daniel Wang’s early releases on Balihu (Like Some Dreams comes to mind) had this retro-futurist vibe. Raw like Chicago house but 100% rooted in New York/New Jersey culture. Another lesser known track from that era that’s worth mentioning is Morgan Geist (half of Metro Area) 24K also on Environ.
In 2003, I released Here (Now) as a B-Side on 20:20 Vision that became more popular than the A-Side itself and got rediscovered lately in an Electronic Beats B-Sides special by my friend Ian Pooley. I was heavily into the space disco sound of Idjut Boys and the whole Scandinavian crew like (Svek, Erot, Those Norwegians…), so Here (Now) was kind of the love child of that sound and Metro Area. Here’s the 2020 re-work of the tune I recently re-released (with a great Prins Thomas remix to come full circle with the Scandinavian influence).
Fred Everything – Here (Now) (A 2020 Space Disco Odyssey)
[2003-2021 – 20:20 Vision UK/Lazy Days Recordings CA]
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3.Ron Trent & Chez Damier – The Choice

[1993 – KMS US]

One of my most played tunes ever. I discovered Prescription Records in Quebec City while going through my friend Nic B’s record collection one afternoon (*we may have micro dosed shrooms that day). My first introduction was the Ani/Noni Records. I remember thinking there was such a unique spirit/vibe to these records. It was taking me to a strange unknown place but I was attracted to it. I think that right there is why I love House Music. I never quite understood it. It’s simplistic approach, doing things the “wrong” way, but thinking back, I think it was the honesty of those records that made me fall in love with them. They were direct and assumed. Taking no prisoners. I chose The Choice (no pun intended) because of trademark Prescription stab sound that seem to want to jump out of the speakers.
This remix I did of my friend Llorca (aka Art Of Tones) shows my the influence that Prescription had on me with the call and response chord work.
Art Of Tones feat Jaw – Call The Shots (Fred Everything Lazy Vox Revision)
[2010 – 20:20 Vision UK]
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4.Tuff Little Unit – Join The Future

[1991 – Warp UK]

Possibly my real first introduction to House Music, via Sheffield, was Warp Records. #1 to #20 in their catalog were life affirming for me and the whole bass culture (more on that in Matt Anniss’s essential read Join The Future https://velocitypress.uk/product/join-the-future-book/). Of course LFO LFO was huge but Join The Future had this Detroit influence going on with the keys. Very close to what Network was doing at the time with their Bio Rhythm compilations, which built the bridges between Detroit and the UK. I remember having a great fanboy conversation with George (Nightmares On Wax) in Croatia about that whole era. Hearing his stories of that time are a treasured memory.
I made a lot of bleepy tracks in the early 90s but sadly (or not) they’re not available anywhere but on old DATs and Tapes. The only thing I can think off the top of my head now would be Winter Tones on Drumpoet Community that makes a nice use of bleeps and bass with a melancholic Detroit feel.
Fred Everything – Winter Tones
[2016 – Drumpoet Community CH]
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5.I:Cube – Oblivion (Dixon’s Edit)

[2004 – Versatile FR]

I’m a massive fan of all things I:Cube, Chateau Flight (with Gilb’r) and Versatile Records. I love how I:Cube made use of 2 very obvious samples (Adonis – No Way Back Bass Line, Logic – The Warning Acapella) in a very non-obvious (or maybe oblivious!) way. He’s a master at creating a cinematic vibe with his multiple layers of synths and atmospheric sounds, creating a unique world that’s truly his. He might be a bit of a recluse but he lets us deep inside his personal world through his wide imagination. Of course, Dixon did what he does best, a perfect edit for the dancefloor.
I’ve been wanting an I:Cube Remix for the longest time. I’ve met Gilb’r And Nicolas (I:Cube) a long time ago so the line of communication was there but It took a little while to get things to happen. Finally during the pandemic, some time freed up for him and I got this beautiful remix of my track Barbarella, which is basically a brand new I:Cube song!
Fred Everything – Barbarella (I:Cube Parisian Sleeze Remix)
[2021 – Lazy Days Recordings CA]
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6.Presence – Better Day

[1997 – Pagan Records UK]

Another 2 chord house classic! This time by Charles Webster. In 1997, I finally took a trip to the UK to play and meet some of the people I had been in touch with. I had a list of clubs and DJs I wanted to hear. I went to Space @ Bar Rhumba, and Plastic People (the old venue on Oxford Street). The second time I heard it, I had to go find the courage and ask the DJ – Kenny Hawkes (RIP), what it was. I somehow managed to find the label’s number and call their office : [read in a thick French-Canadian accent] “Hi, my name is Fred, I’m DJ from Montreal in Canada… I heard this record Better Day by Presence. Can you send me a copy?”. A puzzled person at the other end of the line was kind enough to send a copy to my friend’s apartment. I got it the next morning and I proudly faxed back my feedbacks as we did back then.
Fast Forward 5 years, I made this little sketch in Reason on my Toshiba laptop and took this to Karl The Voice in Paris. Two Chords, a House Beat and a male vocal. I’m sure the blueprint of Better Day was already in my DNA. This is still a song that people mention to me as one of their favourites of mine. It came out on my 2nd album on 20:20 Vision Light Of Day.
Fred Everything – For Your Pleasure

[2003 – 20:20 Vision UK]

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7.Round Two – New Day

[1995 – Main Street DE]

Basic Channel’s Markus Ernestus and Moritz Von Oswald (Maurizio) may be known as masters of the dub techno genre, but they also made one of the best Deep House tunes ever.
Simple backing track, lead by Andy Caine’s soulful vocal. Perfection. The original pressing is not the best so i dared make a personal edit of it and extended the beginning and end in a respectful way. It reminds me of a great night at the Sub Club ages ago. Classic tune in a classic club.
I chose my collaboration with Robert Owens here to showcase the Classic Deep Vocal house influence that a song like New Day had on me. I don’t always know where my inspiration come from when I write a new song, but it’s obvious that the tracks mentioned in this feature are all a part of me now and will continue to influence me.
Fred Everything & Robert Owens – I’ll Take You In

[2020 – Lazy Days Recordings CA]

 

Grab the EP via: https://CompostRecords.lnk.to/FredEverythingTrevorWalker_ESM

And check all the tracks on the Bandcamp below.

For more info please check:

Fred Everything Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fredeverything
Fred Everything Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/fredeverything
Fred Everything Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fredeverything/
Fred Everything Twitter: https://twitter.com/fredeverything
Compost Records Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/compostrecords
Compost Records Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/compost
Compost Records Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/compostrecords/
Compost Records Twitter: https://twitter.com/CompostRecords

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