California may take some getting used to for Fred Everything.

Okay, that’s a bit of an overstatement. But as a busy producer/DJ who first made a name for himself in Montreal’s house scene, Fred Everything needs to be available for phone interviews – especially those about his new album, Lost Together – at the drop of a hat: at home, in the airport, or backstage at a live gig; but not in a car, at least, not anymore.

“Sorry, I had to pull over,” says Fred. He’s recently transplanted from our northern neighbor to San Francisco, headquarters of OM Records: the label that released Fred’s latest and has been vitally influential in shaping the overall deep house movement. While Californians are often regarded as laid-back bohemian types, the kind that would naturally birth an electronic genre of chill, pounding grooves, the State has a pretty firm stance on the issue of cell phones: not while driving, thank you.

“Okay, we’re set now,” affirms Fred, ready to take the interview. “Don’t want to get a ticket!”

Besides the quirky legislation, the DJ is getting used to life on the west coast and to working more closely – professionally and physically – with OM. He’s just wrapped up a tour as one of four marquee names on the label’s star-studded “House of OM Tour,” a round of national gigs that brought Fred Everything, Colette, Andy Caldwell, and DJ Heather to packed nightclubs from sea to shining sea.

“We’re all friends,” says Fred of the quartet. “So it was a nice experience. It was a lot of fun, even if it was pretty tiring at times. We did up to four cities in a single week!”

The assemblage of top tier DJs may have been so well-traveled that they barely knew what city they were spinning, but at least they had the opportunity to make good on the title of Fred’s latest disc, and get Lost Together.

“It [the title] comes from the idea that we’re so connected nowadays,” explains Fred. “There’s constant email, text messages… everything you have is on your phone… there’s GPS.”

“But somehow,” he elaborates. “There seems to be this void [between people].”

Maybe it was the process of Fred’s relocating, but Lost Together manages to musically capture the hints of forlornness, melancholy, and yes, hopeful optimism that accompany a grand voyage. The steady cadence of beats rise and fall, like the steps of a brave nomad on a miles-long trek; the disc spins like the wheels of a caravan en route to a club oasis; and Fred manages to avoid undermining his trademark sound while also incorporating, more strongly than ever before, the specific deep house vibe that the west coast – and OM Records in particular – has been so instrumental in pioneering.

“It’s a logical progression,” says Fred of how Lost Together compares to his previous work, including his seminal 2000 work Under the Sun. Released shortly after his move to London, that album established Fred Everything as a name to watch in the future.

Lost Together, however, carps to his past.

“There’s an ‘80s flavor to it,” says Fred. “Elements of disco and funk. I’m not sure where it came from!”

Most likely, it came from Fred’s first home in the nightclubs of Quebec City, where he began hitting the nightclubs at the age of 13. “I was really young!” he laughs. “I’m not joking. I started going out really, really early.”

Diva Divo • copyright 2008 • kurtmalecdesigns.com