George FitzGerald's Debut 'Fading Love' Is Faultless

George Fitzgerald is back having spent two years creating his debut album 'Fading Love'. On April 27th he will release his first LP on Double Six Records. This renowned DJ born in Watford but now a Berlin resident is known for his dance floor fillers, Ibiza nightclub appearances and more recently his residency on BBC radio 1.

The album opens with 'About Time'; a chilled out and inviting track. The vocals delivered by London based producer Oli Bayston a.k.a 'Boxed In' at first glance seem slightly too sickly sweet and a bit uncertain in their delivery. However, this first impression is quickly reversed as the second track 'Full Circle' is revealed.

It seems that when it comes to vocals Fitzgerald has chosen a careful approach. This has brought meaning and more sincerity than many of his previous releases and are more than just an afterthought to pad out a dance track. He himself has said “Everything was made on hardware and recorded in a different way and there where no sampled vocals. All of the vocal lines are rigged in and sung. So it was just meant to sound a lot more personal”. From the track titles to the melancholy lyrics it certainly seems like this album is a personal story of his own.

On the production side of things the album is faultless, crystal clear and the beats are deep and tantalising. The tunes vary distinctly with heavier tracks such as "Knife To The Heart" which is a darker and more stark in contrast to the two opening songs on the album . There is a definitive house music feel throughout; some of the sounds are so raw and so rhythmically rich that there are elements of techno in there that bare similarities to Clark or even Roman Flugel.

"Call It Love" feat. Lawrence Hart with its vocals and repetitive synth. tones along with other tracks such as "Shards" share likeness to many original UK dance acts such as Underworld and Leftfield. One of Fitzgerald's musical heros is the UK producer 'Four Tet' and his fresh approach to his own projects. This inspiration can be heard throughout the album and especially in "Begging At The End" with his more experimental approach to the rhythms.

The album concludes with two contrasting tracks which seem to fit together perfectly. "Mayajima" is the album's token ambient track. It is a little slice of a sleepy morning on a beach in Ibiza after the party has ended. At only 1.36 minutes long it cleverly acts as a bridge from the heavy "Crystallise" to the final track "The Waiting" which rounds off the album with another vocal track featuring Lawrence Hart, another heartfelt song full of emotion and clarity.

It's obvious that Fitzgerald intends for some of these tracks to reach the dance floor and there is no doubt that they will. However this is an album that has been produced as a collection of songs that fit together in the way they do for a reason. The balance between euphoric ambient vocals and dark sincere beats have created an album which paint a picture of sadness and reality. This album needs to be listened to as a whole to capture Fitzgerald's intended emotional effect.

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Words by Poppy Jones

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