.png)
Forgotten Frequencies is a producer and multi-instrumentalist hailing from the south side of Glasgow, Scotland. With a love of live performance and real instrumentation, his style ranges from low-key Rhodes-dominant house music, to up-tempo, euphoric, rush-hour stomps.
Having released on multiple VA compilations, from local Scottish labels Alumni and Tonic Note Records, to Dutch label Techfui, Forgotten Frequencies’ work, including debut release ‘Oh My’ (2019), has received praise from luminaries of the house like Laurent Garnier, Black Loops and Demuja. ‘Interplanetary’ (2020), showed a more developed and more relaxed style for the artist’s work, at home both on the dance floors and in headphones.
‘Simpler Vibrations’, the artist’s first EP, is a 4-track journey of warm and familiar compositions, combining soothing electric piano and punchy percussion with soulful guitars and vocal lines. As well as being the artist’s first solo release, the EP also contains another first; a carefully crafted remix of “Waves” by Glasgow scene veterans We Should Hang Out More. ‘Simpler Vibrations’ will be released in early March 2022, on WSHOM’s In The Event of Capture imprint.
We have had the pleasure of interviewing him, and this has been the result.
Can you tell us a little about your experience? Where are you from / how did you get into music?
I’ve been a music nut from a young age, with my Mum pretty much forcing me into piano lessons as a kid. This really set it all off for me and I learned a few instruments and played in different band scenes. The evolution to electronic music didn’t happen until I was about 19, with trips to Optimo at the Sub Club and Arches nights like Death Disco really starting my love affair with it all.
How is your sound evolving? What artists and genres do you enjoy mixing right now?
I find so much more of my music being very narrative-led nowadays, as opposed to simply being the product of jamming away on the synths. I’m drawn to artists like Harvey Sutherland, Jimpster, Session Victim and other musician-led electronic music with a live feel to it.
How do you feel that your music influences or impacts your listeners?
In all honesty, I’ve always made my music kind of selfishly for myself, and tried not to cater it to others, at risk of influencing it unnecessarily. I don’t use reference tracks and I rarely have a “song” in my head before jamming – I just like to see what happens when I’m really having fun in the studio, and I think this joy translates into the music and (hopefully) to the listeners too.
What projects are you working on right now? What can you tell us about your last job?
My last job was an absolute dream, working on a television production about naughty dogs, and they really weren’t that naughty at all. Safe to say there was a lot of downtime spent getting to know the cheeky pups, and it was definitely one of the best jobs I’ve ever had.
Where are you and what have you been doing now?
You can find me in my “studio” (livingroom) in Glasgow, currently thinking about making music, but actually procrastinating and making a coffee for inspiration instead. It’s been a sunny and hazy start to the day, and hoping to balance it out with some jam time later on..
Has that sound changed a lot in recent years? What is your musical criteria?
My music has been born of quite an array of influences, and tends not to be just one genre, or style I’d say. As long as it is summery, sunken music with plenty of Rhodes and live instruments, then I’m happy to make any kind of music.
Do you feel safe now to play a more experimental sound?
I’ve never really made my music for any particular audience, and am generally happier producing than DJing, so I’m not worried at all about producing and playing something unexpected, or not my “typical” style. I think my music has a recognisable quality to it, without having to be defined by a particular genre so I’m not too scared to mess around with it.
We all know that the digital revolution has affected sales, but has it affected creativity?
I do find that the boon of online platforms and streaming services has inevitably created so much ‘throwaway’ music but I think overall, the ability for artists to publish their own music and release without financial barriers is helping to level the playing field, and is an amazing phenomenon. It’s definitely been a catalyst for pushing and producing exciting new artists and music.
Can you tell us what your present and future projects are?
Now that the Simpler Vibrations EP is finished, I can hopefully find some time to rake through my messy field recording archive, and work on the remaining tracks for an upcoming 12 track LP - one track based around each city visited on my world travels. I’d say I’ve got 9 out of the 12 tracks finished and the prospect of that coming together soon really excites me. More news on that front soon...
