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Farrago announces debut album 'Blesssed', shares lead single

Its 11 tracks offer listeners an insight into his thought process after suffering a stroke three years ago

Farrago has announced his forthcoming album 'Blesssed', set for release on May 19, and shared the record's lead track 'Addicted To Bass' featuring Amelie Lens.

A forceful statement from the producer and DJ, 'Addicted To Bass' incorporates Lens' slicing vocals, packed with reverb and atmospheric filters. The track grapples with palpable tension at times, plus added low-end synths and scattered percussives.

"I wrote down the lyrics in my notes in the middle of the night after I woke up and wrote them in a dream (I know, sounds cliché. Me dreaming of making a great song is a recurring dream... I just rarely remember any of it when I wake up)," he explains.

"The track came together quickly because the elements are fairly simple yet powerful because I wanted to leave a lot of room for the vocals. The vocals are what makes this track so special to me, I’m very happy Amelie was able to nail the sentiment I had in mind with them so perfectly."

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'Addicted To Bass' is situated as one of 11 tracks on forthcoming LP 'Blesssed', which weaves through euphoric melodies, golden-era techno and even psytrance hitters.

The record emerges as a sonic diary, illustrating Farrago's thoughts following a stroke three years ago. Following the news from doctors that he may encounter issues in his day-to-day life, anxiety crippled his creativity, before the producer opened Ableton some year and a half and completed all tracks found on the finished album.

“The first track I made for ‘Blesssed’ was the first track I worked on after having a stroke three years ago," he explains. "Life can be short so after my accident I decided I shouldn’t postpone any big dreams I had anymore. I didn’t make music during covid because my brain was still in recovery, and I was terrified of going into the studio. Doctors told me I’d suffered a serious amount of brain damage and they weren’t sure how this would affect my day-to-day life. I had severe anxiety that I would have lost my touch and maybe not be able to make music anymore at all. It was nearly 20 months later where I first found the courage to open Ableton again.

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“I made the first track for the album in two days while lying down on the sofa on my laptop speakers. Very unusual way of working to be fair, but I was happy. Because the remaining 10 tracks were all made in a timespan of four months, it was the first time in my life I felt like I had enough tracks that fit together sound-wise to consider releasing them as an album. ‘Blesssed’ became a possibility.”

'Blesssed' will be released via Farrago's own imprint Vermillion Trax, intended to subvert expectations and deviate from the norm. You can pre-order the album here, and listen to lead single 'Addicted To Bass' featuring Amelie Lens here.

Niamh Ingram is Mixmag's Weekend Editor, follow her on Twitter