“THE RIVER” OUT NOW VIA FMU RECORDS
FMU Records has had a standout debut year. Since officially launching at the tail end of 2022, it has delivered an exceptional LP from label boss Whyte Fang, a slew of singles from popular artists, including SIPPY, Dani King, Jon Casey, Dabow, VILLA, and Aliias, and, most recently, snagged a “Best Breakthrough Label” nomination for DJ Mag’s coveted “Best of North America 2023” awards. Their roster continues to expand with “The River,” a transcendental new drum and bass single by new artist, Fredrick. Recognized for consistently pushing the boundaries with his distinctive sound design, New Zealand native Jono Schnell - best known as QUIX - aims to use the newly-launched Fredrick project to experiment with left-field sounds and textures. “The River” is out now via FMU Records.
Having already established a creative synergy through their collaboration on "Time," Schnell and Alex Scholler find themselves perfectly aligned within their creative vision and artistic approach, making it the ideal platform for the unveiling of Schnell's latest endeavor, Fredrick. While "The River'' remains faithful to Schnell's unique artistry and trap music roots, it ventures into uncharted territory by adopting a more rhythmic and unfiltered approach to its drops and production.
"'The River', the track that shouldn’t have worked, but it did. I remember saying to myself at the beginning of the project, forget every piece of production knowledge you know and just WRITE. Don’t worry about the technical side, just throw samples into your session as fast as you can and see what happens… I wrote this song a year ago whilst in lockdown, thinking I’d never play a show again, I was frustrated and wanted to do something new, different, and fresh. I basically made the song In an evening and then over the last couple of months perfected it to what it is now but I remember intently making the choice that this song would be a big “left of field” record that would either fail terribly or win tremendously! Expect the unexpected and get weird with some unconventional drum and bass."
- Fredrick
"The River" is an immersive force that sweeps across the esteemed landscape of music with sheer intensity, unfolding sonically via thick brush strokes. Drawing inspiration from the intricacies and acute detail displayed in fine art, depths of trap influences, and his own past projects, the track plunges into a tumultuous realm, where powerful mallet strikes forge an unwavering presence within the thunderous drop. The composition's unconventional, yet meticulously designed, melodic structure defies the constraints of traditional norms, with an expansive sea of percussive details. A subtle vocal embellishment delicately drizzles throughout, seamlessly blending into the intricate tapestry of the composition. With a pulsing bassline and intricate drops, "The River" is destined to find its place in all sorts of playlists and mixes, and primed to become a longtime favorite in FMU Record’s rapidly expanding discography.
FREDRICK SOCIALS