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  Christchurch producer Freq (Aran Gallagher) was in Wellington to play at Atlantis this weekend... Freq is a regular at many Christchurch and Gathering events. Aran is into quite a range of styles, and pretty prolific at the moment. Going by his current release Alloys, it would be easy to typecast him as a breakbeat trance producer... chugging acidlines, off the beat bass tones and skittery analog stutters with light rolling breaks flowing in and out... but lately he's been more interested in cutting across borders, putting material out thru a variety of names. Under another alias, Nyquist, he's exploring the harder side of the breaks scene, providing remixes on The Nomad's new release, Movement. Aran's toured with The Nomad under the Nyquist alias recently Aran is committed to getting another release on disk and out the door locally sometime soon, but firmly has his sights set on releasing material overseas. A deal has been signed for a 12" release in Germany, and the music is winging it's way over there now... But really this is his first step on a much longer mission.
Bio The need for more live local acts in the Christchurch electronic dance music scene, saw the formation of FREq early in 1996. Since this formation FREq has become one of New Zealands most renowned live electronic artists due to the success of the live performances that have been exhibited at various electronic dance events throughout New Zealand. Events such as Tranceformation (Castle Hill), Nice (Goat Island - Auckland), Omnivore (Wellington Town Hall), Karma 1 and 2 (ChristChurch Town Hall) and peak time sets at Gatherings 96/97 and 97/98 (Canaan Downs, Nelson) to name a few. Prompted by this success, FREq has constructed an album to represent these events and to represent his own personal musical journeys. The recently released debut album, ALLOYS, demonstrates the unique compound FREq creates between smooth mercury trance and rustic ferric breakbeat. During the Album this compound gradually precipitates into a beaker of soluble trance with miniature particles of solid house. The intense rhythmic and melodic nature of this experiment forms a highly concentrated solution - the unique sound of ALLOYS. Alloys was officially released Jan 1st 1998. Currently FREq is on a nation wide tour to promote the release. Copies of ALLOYS are available at the following locations: QUOTES FROM VOLUME REVIEW JAN 98 FREq:ALLOYS:POSITIVE ION RECORDS This locally-released debut album is best filed under trance, but with various dance genres making cameo appearances, it is pleasingly frenzied into a highly likable form of techno. FREq, a regular contributor of live sets to otherwise deejayed dance parties, has a punchy, characteristic sound, using strong, uplifting melodies propelled by pounding beats and squelchy synth. Some of the streamlined melodies of earlier works have been dirtied up, like minor manipulations within sunrise anthem 'The Cylon and the spooky reworking of 'Niar'. The later [of the album] segues into the glorious rush of trance mayhem which is 'Ferrous'. The richest alloy here, however, is 'Quilt', a rapturous dance groove swimming in subtle atmospheres. It is an album which will grow on you and isn't exclusively full of dance party music. Take this in and you be the judge. CONTACT FREq: freq@xtra.co.nz
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