Fred Everything has been a timeless figure through the epoch of House music. A seasoned DJ, Producer and performer, the French-Canadian artist has made his mark on various electronic music genres since the early nineties, going from the stage to the studio to the booth as one interconnected piece of the same puzzle. Fred Everything was there before the impasse of genre distinctions took root in electronic music and was consecrated with the “everything” moniker precisely for his ability to go from House, to Techno, to Ambient and Drum & Bass through his live sets.
Harnessing the energy of his live shows and his innate ability for music in the studio, a visceral mood and emotion seeped into his recordings, finding a sympathy with the Deep House genre through his recorded work. Rising to prominence in the late nineties first as a live performer and then as a recording artist, Fred Everything became a distinguished fixture in the electronic music echelon and garnered a reputation that precedes him everywhere today.
A regular contributor to the 20:20 Vision label amongst others, Fred Everything’s music has made an invaluable impact on the electronic music landscape for twenty years today. As a remixer his contributed to discographies from Derrick Carter to Roy Davis Jnr. touching tracks with his kaleidoscopic palette and keen ear. His is a severe talent, a producer with a midas touch and a technical ability that has influenced a whole new generation of producer.
Something of a veteran today, Fred Everything continues to make his mark on the current musical landscape with music that digs deep through the trenches of the soul and although he no longer performs live, he can still be found expressing himself through the music of others in the booth. He joins us and Ivaylo for the Bogota Showcase this weekend, allowing us the opportunity to send over some questions and query an experienced hand about House music, playing live and the depth he manages to communicate through his recorded works.
As a seasoned hand in your field how have seen electronic music- and club culture evolve through the years?
This is a pretty wide question. I started going out and getting involved in music in the late 80’s. Back then, it was more of a “private club”. Everybody knew each other and it felt like you were part of something special. Nowadays, it has reached Pop Culture level. But what’s great, is that there are still amazing music being made. There’s just even more to choose from.
What do you see the benefits and drawbacks in the extensive popularity it enjoys today?
The benefit is that there could be more work opportunity for artists, but the drawback is this constant sense of competition to get “there”. Sometimes, people lose the purpose of why they started to do this thing in the first place.
Deep House, a genre which you are generally associated with, has been at the forefront of all this, acting as that bridge between the club and the radio. What are your thoughts on the popularity the genre is receiving today and how does it compare to when you were starting out?
I don’t think about this too much. Genres and labels are important for filing and for people to be able to find you easier. Deep House is so wide these days. It’s hard to really tell what it is anymore. I’m happy that it gets recognition outside the underground world, but it doesn’t affect me or how I create.
What is the essence of Deep House for you that you try to convey in your music and your sets?
I don’t think that way. In my sets, there could be elements of Disco, House, Techno, Electro. Anything that I’m feeling at the time. I like a pretty wide range of music. But If you ask me to name a tune that represents Deep House, I would say something like Round Two “New Day”.
You started out performing live with your instruments, which was very much the reality for most electronic music producers back then. What do you think it laid down in terms of a foundation for producing music and DJing?
I was playing live at the beginning because that’s all I knew and couldn’t afford records, since I was spending everything I had on equipment. I stopped because I never felt I was able to really do what I wanted to do with it. DJ became a better outlet for me in a Live situation. That way, I could concentrate on studio the rest of the time.
When did and how did a sound or sonic aesthetic cement for you when you were starting out?
Probably towards the mid-end 90’s when House Music became more interesting to me. Before, I was more into a slightly more Techno sound (Warp, Bio-Rhythm/Network…) and wasn’t so into the generic organ/diva sample house. Things started to shift when people started to integrate more influences in their music, especially in the UK where they were fusing house with dub, latin, jazz, funk, etc…
There’s that obvious visceral feel to your music and whether we go from your club singles to the album cuts, you bring a lot of emotional depth out in your music. Is it about you conveying your own emotional state or something more?
It’s really what comes naturally. I try not to think too much when I write music. I guess you could say that it is a direct reflection of who I am. I don’t start off with a specific intention.
For the more dance floor tracks, what do you hope it encourages in the dancer?
I guess the easy answer would be to dance! But hopefully they can get lost in the music a bit and forget everything else for a few minutes at least.
Do you think there’s some connection there between playing your instruments, much like your live sets from the past?
Except for a live show at the Jazz festival in Montreal in the early 2000s, I haven’t played live since the early 90’s, so it doesn’t really inform how I make music in the studio. Although in the past few years, I’ve set up my studio so it could interact more with jam based sessions, making all my analog instruments talk to each other. I then record in Logic, like a tape recorder, and use moments from it to create something that breaths a little more.
Listening to your latest release,”Colors of Dawn” there’s a definitive sense of joy in the music, that extends back to your earlier releases like Diggin’ too, but at the time it seems more content than those early releases. What’s consolidated in your sound over the course of your career for you?
Joy is good! Although I think there’s also a sense of melancholy. Which are probably two emotions that are very present inside of me.
As part of the first generation of this music, where do you think it needs to go next to keep that original sense of awe and uncharted territory it began with?
It needs to remain an honest expression.
And where do you see yourself fitting into that paradigm?
This is what I try to do.
How do you see your music evolving over your next most recent releases?
I can’t really answer that but lately, I’ve been writing different style of music in the studio. Some slower moments, lots of ambient music that I still haven’t released, some broken and even electro moments. I haven’t written much typical House Music in a few months now.
I know Deep House is just one part of a pretty diverse musical identity, so if you were to move completely away from the dance floor which areas of music would you like to explore further?
I answered a little bit in the previous question. But I would say that I have a soft spot for ambient electronic music these days.
There is an association with Bogota records that goes way back with you, and yet there hasn’t been a solo release from you on the label thus far. Do you see that changing any time in the near future?
I’ve know Ivo for a very long time now, from my first times in Bulgaria, and we have remained friends since. Although, it’s very difficult for me to release original material outside my own label, Lazy Days Recordings, and a very few other ones that I already work with. So that might explain why.
Playing at the Bogota showcase how do you hope your set will unfold?
I never know what’s going to happen musically, as I like to follow the vibe of each night without a preconceived expectation. But I’m very excited to be back in Oslo after so many years, and heard great things about Jaeger and the sound system, so that should be fun!
As a seasoned hand in your field how have seen electronic music- and club culture evolve through the years?
This is a pretty wide question. I started going out and getting involved in music in the late 80’s. Back then, it was more of a “private club”. Everybody knew each other and it felt like you were part of something special. Nowadays, it has reached Pop Culture level. But what’s great, is that there are still amazing music being made. There’s just even more to choose from.
What do you see the benefits and drawbacks in the extensive popularity it enjoys today?
The benefit is that there could be more work opportunity for artists, but the drawback is this constant sense of competition to get “there”. Sometimes, people lose the purpose of why they started to do this thing in the first place.
Deep House, a genre which you are generally associated with, has been at the forefront of all this, acting as that bridge between the club and the radio. What are your thoughts on the popularity the genre is receiving today and how does it compare to when you were starting out?
I don’t think about this too much. Genres and labels are important for filing and for people to be able to find you easier. Deep House is so wide these days. It’s hard to really tell what it is anymore. I’m happy that it gets recognition outside the underground world, but it doesn’t affect me or how I create.
What is the essence of Deep House for you that you try to convey in your music and your sets?
I don’t think that way. In my sets, there could be elements of Disco, House, Techno, Electro. Anything that I’m feeling at the time. I like a pretty wide range of music. But If you ask me to name a tune that represents Deep House, I would say something like Round Two “New Day”.
You started out performing live with your instruments, which was very much the reality for most electronic music producers back then. What do you think it laid down in terms of a foundation for producing music and DJing?
I was playing Live at the beginning because that’s all I knew and couldn’t afford records, since I was spending everything I had on equipment. I stopped because I never felt I was able to really do what I wanted to do with it. DJ became a better outlet for me in a Live situation. That way, I could concentrate on studio the rest of the time.
When did and how did a sound or sonic aesthetic cement for you when you were starting out?
Probably towards the mid-end 90’s when House Music became more interesting to me. Before, I was more into a slightly more Techno sound (Warp, Bio-Rhythm/Network…) and wasn’t so into the generic organ/diva sample house. Things started to shift when people started to integrate more influences in their music, especially in the UK where they were fusing house with dub, latin, jazz, funk, etc…
There’s that obvious visceral feel to your music and whether we go from your club singles to the album cuts, you bring a lot of emotional depth out in your music. Is it about you conveying your own emotional state or something more?
It’s really what comes naturally. I try not to think too much when I write music. I guess you could say that it is a direct reflection of who I am. I don’t start off with a specific intention.
For the more dance floor tracks, what do you hope it encourages in the dancer?
I guess the easy answer would be to dance! But hopefully they can get lost in the music a bit and forget everything else for a few minutes at least.
Do you think there’s some connection there between playing your instruments, much like your live sets from the past?
Except for a live show at the Jazz festival in Montreal in the early 2000s, I haven’t played live since the early 90’s, so it doesn’t really inform how I make music in the studio. Although in the past few years, I’ve set up my studio so it could interact more with jam based sessions, making all my analog instruments talk to each other. I then record in Logic, like a tape recorder, and use moments from it to create something that breaths a little more.
Listening to your latest release,”Colors of Dawn” there’s a definitive sense of joy in the music, that extends back to your earlier releases like Diggin’ too, but at the time it seems more content than those early releases. What’s consolidated in your sound over the course of your career for you?
Joy is good! Although I think there’s also a sense of melancholy. Which are probably two emotions that are very present inside of me.
As part of the first generation of this music, where do you think it needs to go next to keep that original sense of awe and uncharted territory it began with?
It needs to remain an honest expression.
And where do you see yourself fitting into that paradigm?
This is what I try to do.
How do you see your music evolving over your next most recent releases?
I can’t really answer that but lately, I’ve been writing different style of music in the studio. Some slower moments, lots of ambient music that I still haven’t released, some broken and even electro moments. I haven’t written much typical House Music in a few months now.
I know Deep House is just one part of a pretty diverse musical identity, so if you were to move completely away from the dance floor which areas of music would you like to explore further?
I answered a little bit in the previous question. But I would say that I have a soft spot for ambient electronic music these days.
There is an association with Bogota records that goes way back with you, and yet there hasn’t been a solo release from you on the label thus far. Do you see that changing any time in the near future?
I’ve know Ivo for a very long time now, from my first times in Bulgaria, and we have remained friends since. Although, it’s very difficult for me to release original material outside my own label, Lazy Days Recordings, and a very few other ones that I already work with. So that might explain why.
Playing at the Bogota showcase how do you hope your set will unfold?
I never know what’s going to happen musically, as I like to follow the vibe of each night without a preconceived expectation. But I’m very excited to be back in Oslo after so many years, and heard great things about Jaeger and the sound system, so that should be fun!