About

Secret Life is a collaboration between Fred again.. and Eno, recorded during the Actual Life era and released on Four Tet’s Text label. The album features Fred again..’s sample collages slowed down to the ambient pioneer’s glacial pace. Eno has said of Gibson, “I didn’t really understand a lot of what he was doing. It took me quite a while to think, ‘Oh my gosh, this is really a new idea about how you can make music.’” Fred again.. calls Brian Eno his mentor, but the legendary musician and ambient pioneer sees it as more of a two-way street. Introduced by a friend of his who happened to be Eno’s neighbour, 16-year-old Fred Gibson started attending some of Eno’s legendary a capella performances at his home, going on to become his unofficial protégé.

Across the album, Eno lets his protégé take the narrative reins, laying soundscapes behind Fred’s soft-focus storytelling. 

While most of ‘Secret Life’ hovers around in an ambient fog with a line or two of vocals here and there, the beautiful and chilling ‘Enough’ is a welcome dose of melody. ‘Cmon’ then best transmits the push and pull between Eno and Gibson, with the latter trying to direct the track towards the dancefloor while the former keeps it on a level.

Released just a few weeks after Fred closed Coachella with a set of thunderous dance and techno alongside Four Tet and Skrillex, Secret Life sees him handbrake turn once again into ambient haze, assisted by the man who made it all happen for him. This surprise album – despite its frequent beauty – works best as a puzzle piece rather than a standout record in its own right. — (via NME)

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Label: Text Records
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Worldwide
Released: May 11, 2023
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Ambient, Dream Pop
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File under: Electronic / Ambient