- When RA's Will Lynch interviewed Fred Peterkin last year, the New York producer mentioned "a certain set of chords...that are in almost every track that I do." Why does he keep coming back to them? "Because these chords make you feel a certain way when you hear them... It's like saying 'I love you' a thousand different times in a bunch of different ways." Peterkin's music is defined by its ability to say the same thing in endless new configurations. Across a decade of releases, he has wandered freely through moodier regions of house and techno, but the music's basic qualities—introspection, warmth, sincerity—have stayed the same.
Lately, the producer has been finding yet more ways to say "I love you." His most recent music as Black Jazz Consortium reached new heights of deep house luxury; as Fred P and Anomaly, Peterkin dabbled in an ascetic, techno-leaning sound; a recent Raw Trax EP as FP197 broke his music down to its atoms. 5 is the first of a planned trilogy of releases for Mule Musiq under the name FP Oner, and it suggests that this new project could be Peterkin's best in a while.
One of 5's defining characteristics is percussion: on tracks like "The Realm of Possibility" and "Platinum Soul," rich tapestries of congas and shakers are woven around sparse synthetic elements. Another is its pacing—Peterkin is no stranger to long-form composition, but he handles delayed gratification particularly well here. "The Art Of Regeneration" withholds its redemptive synth wash until past the three minute mark. "The Law Of Correspondence," ethereal at the opening, takes on a jazzy flourish partway in—enough to power it through a further seven minutes.
There's a dark side to the album, too, displayed in the spooky chord waft of "Manifestations Taking Place" and "Visions Of You"; if the 78-minute 5 had to lose a bit of flab, then these tracks could go first. But as with many of Peterkin's LPs, the length isn't too troubling. It doesn't appear to be a grand statement requiring digestion in one sitting. Instead, it rephrases the smaller things that Peterkin has always said, and does so in consistently engaging ways. It's surely no coincidence that there's a track called "Infinite Love"; Peterkin's got plenty of the stuff, and he's not tired of telling us.
Tracklist01. In The Mist Of Sunrise
02. Manifestations Taking Place
03. The Art Of Regeneration
04. The Law Of Correspondence
05. The Relm Of Possibility
06. The Otherness Dub
07. Platinum Soul
08. Visions Of You
09. Infinite Love
10. Cycles Of Life
11. Sleepless In Shibuya