Four years after his ‘Actual Life’ series propelled him towards mainstream royalty, Fred Again.. still remains the man of the moment. The London-based producer and DJ born Fred Gibson has found himself on a global takeover mission, one that has fluctuated from selling out stadiums in New York to popping up at Sheffield’s 1,000-capacity Forge, while also becoming the first dance act to headline Reading & Leeds in 2024.
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While ‘Actual Life’ and his fourth album, 2024’s ‘Ten Days’, largely transmitted bliss and euphoria through the simplicity of everyday life, Gibson has also developed a knack for heavy-hitting ragers in the realms of garage, dubstep and jungle. It’s on ‘USB’, an “infinite album” conceptualised in 2022 for tracks that don’t fit into any particular world, where such exemplary hits like ‘Rumble’ and ‘Jungle’ have found a home.
‘USB002’, the second vinyl-only release for ‘USB’ features 16 recent tracks – many of which were rolled out onto streaming platforms across 10 weeks. Gibson worked on them in real time alongside 10 surprise DJ pop-ups around the globe, from Dublin to Mexico City. Despite a Glastonbury-style verification process, The Times reported that 100,000 people attempted to buy tickets for the opening show in Glasgow.
Suitably, ‘USB002’ carries the hallmarks of a living, breathing body of work – with plenty of help from Gibson’s friends, including Floating Points and Sammy Virji. The uncompromising techno-driven tension to ‘Ambery’ harkens back to the former’s 2019 album ‘Crush’, while Gibson’s version of ‘The Floor’ feels like that slow ascent up a rollercoaster, before the inevitable plummet back down to ground zero.
Not just limited to a who’s who of dance music, two Aussie guitar bands surprisingly make an appearance. ‘You’re A Star’ stretches Amyl & The Sniffers’ ‘Big Dreams’ into breakbeat gold, while ‘Hardstyle 2’ transforms the experimental post-punk of Shady Nasty into an Underworld-adjacent universe, with the assistance of Kettama. Gibson’s infinite flex seems to be that he can find common ground with absolutely anyone; these are not remixes – they are takeovers.
Visually, the world Gibson introduced around the rollout of ‘USB002’ helps to convey the impetus behind the music. Filming was banned at the shows, which occupied vast warehouses under a canopy of lights, while Gibson’s team released spellbinding monochrome footage and shot artwork for each single at the shows. Capturing that adrenaline, it’s a project centred around the magic of the here and now that Gibson’s sheer presence seems to be able to instigate by simply appearing.
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While the ‘Actual Life’ series and ‘Ten Days’ captured flickers of life, the common thread of ‘USB’ seems to be an eternal state of flux, where all limits and shackles are off. Bridging the gap between the album and playlist format, ‘USB002’ is the latest piece of evidence that the man of the hour will surely become the man of the decade, and – with the streak he’s on – perhaps his generation.
Details
- Record label: Atlantic Records
- Release date: December 16, 2025