By Samir Singh.
On the 29th of July 2022, a twenty-eight-year-old, mild-mannered Londoner performed an hour-long Boiler Room set to an energetic crowd. The artist in question, Fred John Philip Gibson (more commonly known by his stage name Fred Again) had been a somewhat elusive figure as a musical producer, despite working alongside the likes of Burna Boy and Stormzy. Preferring not to share the limelight with the commercially successful artists he worked with, Fred Again remained something of an enigma to his contemporaries.
Fast forward three months, his boiler room performance had amassed millions of views on YouTube, meaning Fred is quickly becoming a household name in electronic music. Just by watching his performances online, the underlying reasons behind his meteoric rise to stardom become apparent. Fred Again possesses a certain talent for inducing complete elation in the crowds that gather to see him play. His rare mix of vivid storytelling and euphoric instrumentation is reminiscent of a previous era of dance music, a time that seemed less digital and uniform, and therefore far more tactile and human.
A few minutes into his boiler room set, I was hit with a wave of intoxicating nostalgia; somehow this platinum-blond-haired Londoner seemed to encapsulate the pure joy of early Daft Punk, the honest storytelling of Kendrick Lamar, and the addictive basslines of Chase & Status. Fred is a breath of fresh air to a genre that is suffocated by formulaic, synthetic dance tunes devoid of real personality. Fred is able to separate himself from other artists by providing music that is as fiercely intimate and personal as it is sonically enjoyable. Brutally honest anecdotes of substance abuse and mental health problems interweave the melodies of Fred’s house inspired tracks. In a digital age, where human connection is a rare commodity, Fred Again’s music is something of a saving grace.
The rapid ascent of Fred Again to fame, and the cult following he has amassed along the way, is indicative of an important sentiment – there is an intrinsic gravitation towards art that is honest and vulnerable. While Fred’s music is being played in virtually every underground club in London, it is important to recognize that Fred’s newfound acclaim is a consequence of how unapologetically human his music is.