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Frequencies (album)

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Frequencies
Studio album by
LFO
Released22 July 1991 (1991-07-22)
Recorded1990–1991
Genre
Length54:42
LabelWarp
Producer
  • LFO
  • Martin Williams
LFO chronology
Frequencies
(1991) 		Advance
(1996)

Frequencies is the debut studio album by British electronic music duo LFO, released on 22 July 1991 by Warp.[4] It peaked at No. 42 on the UK Albums Chart and was released to universal acclaim.[5]

Background

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Warp originally signed LFO in 1990 after DJ Martin played their tracks at Leeds Warehouse.[6] The duo were both 19 years old when they recorded their debut LP.[6] According to Mark Bell, most of the album was made by him alone because Gez Varley felt "trapped by the confines of Warp" and wanted to make more direct dance music; the credits were nonetheless split equally.[6]

Release

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Frequencies was originally released by Warp in the United Kingdom, while it was later released by Tommy Boy Records in the United States. The US edition of the album alters the track listing slightly, inserting "Track 14", which concludes the UK edition, in between "We Are Back" and "Tan Ta Ra"; the rest of the tracks then proceed in the same order as the UK edition.

"LFO", "We Are Back", and "What Is House? (LFO Remix)" (an expanded version of "Intro") were released as singles.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Clash8/10[7]
Mojo[8]
NME8/10[9]
State5/5[10]
Uncut[11]

In 2006, Frequencies was listed by The Observer as one of the "50 albums that changed music".[12]

In 2012, Fact placed Frequencies at number 47 on its list of the 100 best albums of the 1990s.[13] In a 2013 article for Fact, critic Simon Reynolds called Frequencies "one of electronic dance music's All Time Top 5 Albums".[14]

Mixmag included Frequencies in its 2018 list of the 50 most influential dance music albums of all time.[15]

Legacy and influence

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In 2009, the Warp20 (Recreated) compilation featured covers of "LFO" and "What Is House? (LFO Remix)" by Luke Vibert and Autechre, respectively.[16]

Friendly Fires selected Frequencies for inclusion in a 2015 NME list of "cult classic" albums compiled by musicians and NME writers.[17]

In 2021, Squarepusher said that hearing the track "LFO" was instrumental in him becoming more interested in electronic music, as he was struck by the track's futurist sound and use of bass.[18]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Mark Bell and Gez Varley, except "LFO" by Mark Bell, Gez Varley, and Martin Williams

No.TitleLength
1."Intro"2:24
2."LFO"3:26
3."Simon from Sydney"5:05
4."Nurture"4:40
5."Freeze"3:56
6."We Are Back"4:45
7."Tan Ta Ra"4:29
8."You Have to Understand"4:04
9."El Ef Oh!"3:49
10."Love Is the Message"3:45
11."Mentok 1"4:17
12."Think a Moment"3:27
13."Groovy Distortion"3:28
14."Track 14"2:57
Total length:54:42

Charts

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Chart (1991) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[19] 42

References

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  1. ^ a b c Cooper, Sean. "Frequencies – LFO". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  2. ^ Cardew, Ben (7 December 2022). "How LFO's 'Frequencies' became a benchmark for '90s bleep techno". DJ Mag. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  3. ^ Leone, Dominique (12 November 2003). "LFO: Sheath". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Warp Records | LFO | Frequencies | WARP3". Warp. Archived from the original on 6 January 2007. Retrieved 20 May 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ Cooper, Sean. "LFO". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  6. ^ a b c themilkman (13 October 2014). "Interview (2002): LFO Low Frequency Opportunist". The Milk Factory. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  7. ^ Bennett, Matthew (31 October 2011). "LFO – Frequencies". Clash. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  8. ^ Harrison, Ian (January 2012). "LFO: Frequencies". Mojo. No. 218.
  9. ^ Sherman (27 July 1991). "Better Oscillate Than Never". NME. p. 29.
  10. ^ McCausland, Darragh (8 November 2011). "LFO – Frequencies (reissue)". State. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^ "LFO: Frequencies". Uncut. No. 177. February 2012. p. 91.
  12. ^ "The 50 albums that changed music". The Observer. 16 July 2006. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  13. ^ Sande, Kiran; Lea, Tom; Morpurgo, Joseph; Finlayson, Angus; Beatnick, Mr.; Purdom, Tim; Jahdi, Robin; Gunn, Tam (3 September 2012). "The 100 Best Albums of the 1990s". Fact. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  14. ^ Reynolds, Simon (22 July 2013). "The 20 best bleep records ever made". Fact. p. 6. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  15. ^ "The 50 most influential dance music albums of all time". Mixmag. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  16. ^ Breihan, Tom (1 July 2009). "Warp20 Box Set Tracklist Revealed". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  17. ^ "100 Lost Albums You Need To Know". NME. 6 March 2015. p. 6. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ^ Squarepusher (10 June 2021). "Squarepusher INTERVIEW" (Interview). Interviewed by Anthony Fantano. Event occurs at 4:38. Retrieved 19 April 2023 – via YouTube.
  19. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
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