“Reflections mirrors my life experiences over the last two years, a reflection of who I was during this pivotal time.” – Frameworks
The past several years have offered the world time to reflect on the past, present, and future.
Wrested with newfound self-awareness, this temporal contemplation has driven the creativity of Manchester-based producer/multi-instrumentalist Frameworks, who over the past decade has garnered international recognition through his lush, melodic electronic soundscapes.
Since releasing his first material in the early 2010s, Frameworks has endeared himself to audiences through his thoughtful, evocative compositions, leading to collaborations with Island Records, stable JP Cooper and Ninja Tune’s Jono McCleery, a European tour support slot with Emancipator, and performance slots at festivals such as Coachella, Electric Forest, Lightning In A Bottle, Camp Bisco, and Shambhala.
Now, following previous albums such as Tides, Kings, and Imagine Gold, Frameworks releases his fourth full-length LP, REFLECTIONS, his most liberatory project yet. Written over two years during the pandemic, this new album is defined by openness, vulnerability, and honesty – a natural creative workflow birthed from letting go of preconceived expectations. As a result, the producer has crafted an emotional sonic investigation about time – meditating on who he was, who he is, and who he wants to be.
At the core of Frameworks’ new sonic explorations is his son, who, at nine months old, was diagnosed with a life-limiting condition, given three months to live, and survived. That was seven years ago, but the event has retained a tremendous impact on Frameworks’ worldview. Taking immense inspiration from his son’s resilience and strength, the producer has learned to cherish each and every day and acutely express his experiences – his moments in time – through music and songwriting.
Listeners got their first taste of REFLECTIONS with singles such as “BLUE LIGHT” with Australian vocalist Cleopold, immersive, club-ready track “NO TIME,” atmospheric cut “CIRCLES,” and the ethereal, trip-hop inspired tapestry “COLD.”
The rest of the REFLECTIONS LP is full of similar tracks filled to the brim with humanistic, painterly textures. For example, “PILOT,” a collaboration with Cleopold, is a richly detailed, IDM-influenced track with elegiac samples and sound design. Complemented by angelic vocals from Cleopold, “PILOT” inserts stuttering rhythms into an otherworldly sonic environment, transporting listeners into Frameworks’ heavenly, revelatory world.
REFLECTIONS kicks off with “TWENTY-TWO,” which sets the emotive dance tone of the album with yearning piano chord progressions mixed with a driving drum beat and infectious, euphoric vocal samples. There’s also “MIRRORS,” a hypnotic, circuitous track that continually adds luscious, ornate layers throughout its duration, culminating in a sumptuous yet restrained cacophony.
The LP is then rounded out by the bright, synth-heavy Cleopold-collaboration “SUNRISE”; the bassy, percussive “PORTS”; the glitchy, mesmerizing “BAD LUCK”; and the hopeful, tinkling closer “SLEEP.”
In an attempt to access and capture specific feelings and moments, Frameworks has made an album that sounds at once naturalistic and starkly synthetic. REFLECTIONS, through its investigation of the self, ultimately speaks to our common, contemporary realities. Our lives are mediated via digital interfaces – a new normal that forces us to confront various stages of our past, a constant barrage of memories. In this cold, icy techno-futurism, Frameworks has imbued glimmers of hope and human emotion with his kaleidoscopic, meditative sounds – an approach that encourages his listeners to be patient, to love, and to live.
Following his recent Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom show with electro-soul hero Michal Menert, fans can catch Frameworks and his live band play REFLECTIONS cuts this summer at festivals such as Summer Camp Music Festival, Sonic Bloom, and Shambhala Music Festival.
Tour dates
5/26/23 – 5/28/23: Summer Camp Music Festival 2023 – Chillicothe, IL
6/15/23 – 6/18/23: Sonic Bloom Festival 2023 – Rye, CO
6/16//23: AREA15 – Las Vegas, NV
6/17/23: Soundwell – Salt Lake City, UT
7/21/23 – 7/24/23: Shambhala Music Festival 2023 – Salmo, BC
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