UK dance legends Faithless announce their hotly anticipated eighth album Champion Sound, to be released in four parts. Kicking off 6th June via ADA, Part 1 – Forever Free – features the final recorded vocal of iconic frontman Maxi Jazz. Part 2 (Phone Number) drops in July, followed by Book of Hours in August, before the full album lands this September.
One of the world’s most recognisable dance acts, with three No.1 albums, numerous Top 10 singles, album sales in excess of 20 million and streaming figures touching the billion mark, Faithless stand in a class of their own as one of the world’s most celebrated dance acts. A leading force in electronic music for three decades, their distinctive style, powerful messaging, unforgettable live shows and continued ability to push the sonic envelope has seen them straddle the underground and mainstream like no-one else. They are a case in point that success can be achieved without ever diluting your message, ethos, or integrity with topics such as social justice and spiritual searching becoming a golden thread through their music. Few maintain the balance between depth and accessibility, while elevating a culture like Faithless continue to do.
Headed up by original members Rollo and Sister Bliss, the band have embraced a revolving cast of collaborators – including most recently global superstar Bebe Rexha on ‘Dollars And Dimes’ – to create some of the most memorable music of the past 30 years. Innovators both in sound and delivery with an uncompromising vision, their unique translation of dance music to the stage combines synthesisers with live instruments, poetry and spoken word. They were one of the first electronic music acts to become festival headliners and continue that tradition topping the bill at Glastonbury again last year and selling out their recent European tour which included headline dates at London’s Roundhouse and Brixton Academy.
Always ones to break the mould, they continue this tradition with their groundbreaking four part album Champion Sound, their eighth studio album and first in five years.. In an era dominated by release cycles, it’s a sonic rebellion and an unflinching statement of intent that launches with ‘Forever Free’ on 6th June, followed by ‘Phone Number’, ‘Book Of Hours’ and the fourth part ‘Champion Sound’ completing the record over the coming months. A double album that can be listened to as a whole or enjoyed individually with each part having its own distinct identity.
‘Forever Free’ opens with a track of the same name, where soaring distorted synth chords and angelic choir like vocals provide a chill-inducing intro before dropping to near silence for a familiar voice to take the stage. Anyone who has been lucky enough to witness their recent live shows will know Faithless’ iconic late singer Maxi Jazz is still very much part of the band’s DNA. His unforgettable voice and presence on anthems like ‘God Is A DJ’, ‘Insomnia’ and ‘We Come One’, tracks that transcend the dance music canon and can be counted as some of the greatest of any genre, still loom large in their live performances. It’s a fitting and moving tribute that Champion Sound and ‘Forever Free’ feature his last ever recorded vocal on this incredible opening track, honouring an incomparable talent eternally core to the Faithless story as they embark on this visionary new chapter.
‘Forever Free’ rolls straight into funky house-flavoured ‘In Your Own Groove’ featuring one of Maxi’s best friends in the world, L.S.K. Combining soulful vocals with trancey pads and spacey bleeps, Faithless take a palette of old-school references and turn them into something hypnotically fresh and distinctively them, moving effortlessly from spine-tingling emotion to uniting the room in dance.
Throbbing, swirling, widescreen build is the order of the day on third track ‘Fugitive’, described by Rollo as ‘if Pink Floyd or Spiritualized made house music’, Faithless send us into orbit with cinematic pads and rising arps. Punctuated with the occasional ‘forever free’ vocal, ‘Fugitive’ takes us on the kind of transcendent sonic journey that calls to mind their incredible stage shows, where live instrumentation effortlessly blend with electronic elements.
From ‘Fugitive’s’ peak we drop straight into the electrifying ‘Peace And Noise’, released earlier this year featuring powerful vocals from spoken word poet Suli Breaks. Direct, propulsive and bassline-led, the ‘Forever Free’ thread continues on ‘Peace And Noise’ as Suli picks up the lyrical baton from Maxi Jazz in the first quarter, stating ‘I wanna be forever free’ as the track, and part 1 of this compelling introduction the Champion Sound universe, draws to its close.
Essential listening for OG Faithless devotees and newer ones alike, ‘Forever Free’ is a fresh delivery of everything the band are adored for and a thrilling showcase of their unmatched approach to innovation which drives the Champion Sound era and ethos. Further collaborations on parts 2, 3 and 4 come from artists including Bebe Rexha, Emmanuel Jal and Antony Szmierek and this June, before a packed summer of festivals, the band head to Ireland for two very special, intimate gigs. Raw, up-close performances in smaller venues, designed just like Champion Sound to bring you closer and deeper into Faithless’ ever evolving world.
