From liminal gems to dark-dwelling seduction...
'Fading Love', the first full-length from the now Berlin-based *George FitzGerald*, arrives after years of crafting, mixing and producing on the peripheries of the London scene.
A seasoned beat maker, his name is perhaps best linked to creating liminal house-inflected gems - on this record, though, it's in the dark that FitzGerald truly prospers. 'Fading Love' an exercise in restraint, a streamlined ten tracks serving as the bridge between the brooding techno of Berlin and a UK garage sensibility inherited from London. Clearly FitzGerald's more at ease with exploring the magic hour effect, and the comedown that follows.
'Full Circle', featuring Domino-alumni Boxed In (Oli Bayston), represents the main theme of the LP, a foreboding number that signifies the breakdown of a defining relationship. Played out through plucked synths with an organic sheen, it never veers off into easy earworm radio-pop, instead comfortable enough to evolve slowly in its own middling tempo. FitzGerald maintaining a tricky balancing act between thoughtful lyricism and affecting, brooding electronics.
Even though the producer revels in making disciplined dance music that is as much about atmospherics as it is locked-in tension, something a bit more idiosyncratic is welcomed. 'Crystallize' recalls his work on Katy B's 2013 single 'I Like You', Lawrence Hart's dour tones augmented by an iridescent, dynamic rhythm direct for club use; retaining its afterdark quality, the track is a seamless melding of commercial and underground realms.
Still, the conclusion of 'Fading Love' finds the pace slowing, the final two tracks meditative in nature, as if FitzGerald is at peace with the outcome in a literal and metaphorical sense, more comfortable with ending hthe record away from the lights.
George FitzGerald ably balances guest vocalists who supplement his analogue production, providing a consistent counterpart throughout, while the unswerving nature of the record makes it easy to listen to. Nevertheless, 'Fading Love' feels like a transitional phase in the producer's journey, an accomplished springboard to launch a more definitive statement of intent next time round.
*7/10*
Words: *Shahzaib Hussein*
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*Buy Clash Magazine*
Get Clash on your mobile, for free: *iPhone* / *Android* Reported by Clash 9 hours ago.
'Fading Love', the first full-length from the now Berlin-based *George FitzGerald*, arrives after years of crafting, mixing and producing on the peripheries of the London scene.
A seasoned beat maker, his name is perhaps best linked to creating liminal house-inflected gems - on this record, though, it's in the dark that FitzGerald truly prospers. 'Fading Love' an exercise in restraint, a streamlined ten tracks serving as the bridge between the brooding techno of Berlin and a UK garage sensibility inherited from London. Clearly FitzGerald's more at ease with exploring the magic hour effect, and the comedown that follows.
'Full Circle', featuring Domino-alumni Boxed In (Oli Bayston), represents the main theme of the LP, a foreboding number that signifies the breakdown of a defining relationship. Played out through plucked synths with an organic sheen, it never veers off into easy earworm radio-pop, instead comfortable enough to evolve slowly in its own middling tempo. FitzGerald maintaining a tricky balancing act between thoughtful lyricism and affecting, brooding electronics.
Even though the producer revels in making disciplined dance music that is as much about atmospherics as it is locked-in tension, something a bit more idiosyncratic is welcomed. 'Crystallize' recalls his work on Katy B's 2013 single 'I Like You', Lawrence Hart's dour tones augmented by an iridescent, dynamic rhythm direct for club use; retaining its afterdark quality, the track is a seamless melding of commercial and underground realms.
Still, the conclusion of 'Fading Love' finds the pace slowing, the final two tracks meditative in nature, as if FitzGerald is at peace with the outcome in a literal and metaphorical sense, more comfortable with ending hthe record away from the lights.
George FitzGerald ably balances guest vocalists who supplement his analogue production, providing a consistent counterpart throughout, while the unswerving nature of the record makes it easy to listen to. Nevertheless, 'Fading Love' feels like a transitional phase in the producer's journey, an accomplished springboard to launch a more definitive statement of intent next time round.
*7/10*
Words: *Shahzaib Hussein*
- - -
- - -
*Buy Clash Magazine*
Get Clash on your mobile, for free: *iPhone* / *Android* Reported by Clash 9 hours ago.