“Vinyl, and the whole album experience, has always been an analogue fantasy for me. The warm tones you get from the needle in the grooves was something lost in the digital and CD realm. Then there is the cover art, a tangible connection you can hold in your hands, making the listening experience more fantastical, bringing you into the artists’ world they have created.”
“My parents always had vinyl around the house while I was growing up. My father was a big Joe Cocker fan. I remember the Mad Dogs & Englishmen album cover like it was yesterday. I was always confused, because I would hear Cocker’s version of “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window” and sometimes I would hear The Beatles version. I didn’t understand how there could be two versions of the same song.
Now, this might sound strange, but as much as I remember how the record sounded and looked, I also remember the smell: the combination of the cardboard-cover mixed with vinyl scent of the album. It was an all part of immersive experience for this kid.
When got older, I would go to second-hand/thrift stores a lot. Partially for financial reasons and partially for the cool finds. As much as music was everything to me, I never bought a lot of recorded music growing up. If I ever had the extra money, I was spending it on music gear (bass strings, cables, amp and guitar repairs, etc).
Once I discovered the “thrift store” world, it was about the second-hand clothes at first. But I started noticing how many albums were always there. As well as playing bass, I was just getting into sampling with my Akai MPC2000 drum machine. I quickly realized vinyl albums were a goldmine for samples. So I started picking up vinyl albums at thrift store.
The first record I bought from there was an album called James Bond Thrillers, which were the themes and scores from early James Bond movies such as Dr. No, Goldfinger, and From Russia With Love. I’m a fanatical James Bond fan, so the combo of that and the vinyl was a perfect match. That album still sits on a shelf in my studio, today.
All The Way This. All The Way That. is my first release on vinyl. I don’t think it could have happened at a more perfect time and with the right material for this album. We recorded most of the tracks straight to actual tape, so with that in mind, it just had to be released on vinyl—the analogue-fantasy realized.”
—Freekbass
TVD is delighted to be premiering “R U Ready,” the current single from Freekbass’ forthcoming and first full-length vinyl release All The Way This. All The Way That. It’s one serious slice of retro-neo-funk. (Right, we just created a genre.) And if its heavy pocket and deep groove doesn’t have you moving and nodding along, friend—you’re dead. Our recommendation: play this one loud.
All The Way This. All The Way That., the new full-length release from Freekbass is available for preorder now via Color Red Music.
Enter to win All The Way This. All The Way That. on vinyl by citing in the comments below the first record you’ve purchased on vinyl and why it holds a prominent place within your record collection—and memory. We’ll choose one enthusiastic record collector for a copy of Freekbass’ latest on vinyl one week from today, Friday May 24, 2019. One winner with a North American mailing address will be notified directly via email.
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PHOTO: TONY ARRASMITH
