When I had the opportunity to get to know this Londoner in more depth, I was captivated by his way of remembering those years as a waiter at the legendary Black Market Records record store, one that had been serving most DJs and music lovers for twenty-seven years. the electronic dance sounds of the British capital. That stage greatly marked the future of George FitzGerald.
For example, the birth and boiling of dubstep, which then branched out into all kinds of ravings over the first decade. We perceive it perfectly in “The Let Down” or “Hearts/Fernweh”, some of his early works. However George decided over time to focus more on layering his music based on micro-melodies, captivating voices, house structures and even accurate licks of avant-garde pop. “All That Must Be” of 2018 set and supported that guideline. Four years later, in “Stellar Drifting”, even rounded it more if possible. That which the occasional notable tweak more step or abyssal dub put in without the need for a shoehorn…
In both cases, he was already signed with Domino Recordings, a label that needs few presentations, and that shines in its history for being right rather than wrong. Well, George FitzGerald returns to it, this time with a four-track EP: “Not As I”. A record that is heard in the blink of an eye. With that sensitivity and that way of tuning each element, everything is easier.
The song that opens the new from this producer who has also been a Berliner by adoption for at least a decade, is “Mother”. SYML participates in it, this is Brian Fennell solo –curiously he belonged to a band called Barcelona and has recently collaborated with Lana Del Rey– whose voice unleashes emotions and perfect crumbs for our brains to melt and our hearts to break in two . Because of course, it’s never just a throbbing vocal, FitzGerald’s melodic rocking is as close and natural as it is hypnotic. In order not to get off the cloud created with “Mother”, appears immediately after “Venus”. Simple that really looks like an outstretched arm from the previous one. Still chopping up and speeding up a bit more rhythm and vocal details – gimmicky sampling this time – as well as dipping into a few more layers of synths, they’re made for each other. They even last the same. Well almost.
Half of this walk is precisely for “Not As I”, a drop in tempo that is perfect for taking a breather. The producer himself admits it, assuring that this song was created “while everything around me keeps accelerating… A return to writing patient music in an impatient world“. Knowing that this man did not always have an easy time sitting down to create, he is quite an incentive that he now knows how to make the most of, so to speak, the rush and immediacy of chaos.
I understand that this maestro, whom I have seen for a long time sitting next to other artists such as Bonobo, Panda Bear or Dark Sky, has learned to take refuge in his music when experiencing his own transition. Compositions that renew you and at the same time make us feel reasonably calm. That the BPM is always present there. “All Roads”, the track that closes the new EP reinforces my theory of exploration and personal maturity. It seems that he once again leaves a door open –as big as those of a field without fences– to continue reflecting through his electronic, human and vital expression.