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Everything about Fred
Montreal-based Fred Everything star has been on the rise for several years, building a strong following off of an almost unrestrained vision for variation in his production and DJing. His remix work with labels like 20:20 Vision, Om, Mantis, Shaboom, Grand Royal, Stereo Deluxe, Turbo, and of course Bombay has garnered him worldwide praise from a variety of sources.
This year his song "Friday", co-produced with 20For7 and featuring the unforgettable "You should be here with me. We should be rocking it, we should be kicking it together" vocals of Venessa Baker, has been a massive hit and caned to death by the likes of Pete Tong and Sasha et al.
In the early days of his career, he was billed as ‘DJ Everything’, a clear reflection of his genre-defying sets. Ever since a career-changing gig at the In The City Festival in Glasgow in 1997, he hasn’t looked back. He's now a regular on both the European and North American house circuits, offering up a set full of disco, funk and soul.
RA caught up with Fred as his latest long player "House Of Om" hits record shelves around the world. Fred gives us the lowdown on his current sound, counts himself out of the race for Jessica Simpson and warns illegal downloaders they could make him lose his appetite.
Fred Everything, is a name born out of your love for genre variation within a set. Do you mix it up as much as you used to, or is there be a general house feeling throughout a set of yours nowadays?
It’s always been pretty much all about house. When I started to produce, I obviously tried and tested more styles but I felt house was the one for me. I can express so much through it, it can be emotional, soulful or funky or even tougher. You can mix in so many influences from African music to techno and pure soul music, I love it!
You were one of the first Montreal DJs to make an impression on the global scene. Who is one of the cities rising stars at the moment?
Well obviously Tiga, he’s on another level right now anyways. More of a pop star now really, doing very very well. Other than that, a DJ like Mighty Kat is also one to watch.
The well documented supremacy issue between Canadians and Americans is prominent throughout the sporting world. Have you noticed the same thing in the DJing world?
Not at all. People just adore Canada anyways. They always want to know more about the country, especially about Montreal, which is one of the best cities in the world.
Can you describe the make up of your latest album project "House Of Om"?
I gathered my favourite tracks that I’ve been playing out in the past 6 months or so. I am fortunate enough to have access to music way before it’s released so there are a few tracks on it that haven’t even been released yet. I wanted it to represent my DJ sets. I basically mixed it at home, tried a few combinations and got the right one pretty quick. Mixed it live in my studio at home and that’s it really.
Your release is part of the popular "House Of Om" Series. Did you listen to any of the previous "House Of Om" albums prior to putting yours together?
Well, I sort of heard Sneak’s one, which I liked, but I almost never listen to mix CDs anyways. When I’m not working on music in my studio or in clubs, I listen to artist albums, almost exclusively non house.
"Dance, being a form of expression, goes against that certain freedom that the US is fighting for…”
A young kid in Quebec e-mails to inform you that he heard your album after downloading it off the web through a P2P network. He is full of plaudits for the release, but has clearly not paid for the album – how do you feel about this?
I get that in clubs a lot. I just clearly say, "You know you shouldn’t do that, or at least don’t tell me that", but I still appreciate and try not to give anyone a hard time about it. I still appreciate that people enjoy my music, regardless of how they got it. I mean, as a kid who couldn’t afford to buy records, I copied a lot of albums on tape. Now, I can afford [them], so I buy [them]. Let's hope people will not forget that artists need to eat too!
As a regular a the WMC you have seen it change over the years. Does it still play as an integral role nowadays as it did throughout the '90s?
Not every year is mindblowing, but there are always great parties and it’s good to see everybody (did I mention the beach?). It definitely helped me out a lot to get gigs. So many people attend every year. I think if you play good sets there, your calendar usually just fills up by itself.
What does the production pipeline have in store for 2006?
Couple of remixes, a new relase on Lazy Days (my label) by Demarkus Lewis, and quite a few collaborations that should be on my next artist album.
Pacha New York was shut down by Police on opening night. Are the police being too strict since the R.A.V.E act was passed, or is their a lack of self management by clubs throughout the USA?
Any repression will just make people want to dance even more. Dance, being a form of expression, goes against that certain freedom that the US is fighting for…
‘Revolution’ was licensed to The Newly Weds. Now that Jessica Simpson is available will you be calling her up, or is their a Mrs Fred Everything providing support behind the scenes?
Ha Ha. No don’t think so, she’s way too intellectual for me.
Both Stereo in Montreal and Fabric in London are known for their impressive sound systems. Which club in the world has the best sound and whose sound engineers need to return to Sound Engineering 101?
Stereo has a gigantic sound and Fabric has a tight sound. I love both, obviously the 2 best systems I've ever heard/played on. A lot of smaller clubs should revisit their sound but some of them don’t really care enough. Sometimes, it’s also more about a party than just sound.
As a DJ, is your ultimate responsibility to entertain or to educate the audience? Or to blend an element of both?
I think entertain. I just play the music I love and try to make people appreciate it. That’s usually how it works best. Educate just sounds weird to me.
Some DJs are known to party post gig, while others like to leave the club straight away and opt for hotel Zzzzzzz. If both have delivered flawless sets, is there a responsibility for the DJ to hang around after the gig and which of the two are you?
There is no responsibility to hang out. It just depends on the night/schedule really. I usually close parties and might hang out at someone’s house for an hour or so. It just depends on the situation.
‘House Of Om’ by Fred Everything is out now through Om Records.
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Published / Wednesday, 14 December 2005
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