Les Fradkin is a master of his craft. A true master.
Unfamiliar with Les and his music? Allow me to catch you up to speed.
Les Fradkin is a composer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist as well as a pioneer and trailblazer of MIDI technology, especially MIDI guitar programming. He proficiently plays the piano, bass, guitar, Mellotron, Hammond Organ, an array of synthesizers, and the Starr Labs Ztar. Due to his work and impact on television music, Les was 1 of the 25 original inductees to the Television Music Producers Hall of Fame. His more recent single System Crash has crossed the 50K streams threshold on Spotify, however, Les had his first hit in the 1970s with the release of Song of 1,000 Voices.
With an innate ability to encapsulate the moment and energy of the times through language and music, Les’ latest album, Mirror Image, does exactly that. Following up on his 2020 release The Les Fradkin News (which captured the chaos and fear of that unprecedented year), Mirror Image continues through this journey of uncertainty with a fresh, transcending perspective which embraces faith and hope amidst the socio-political madness.
Having been picked up by a multitude of radio stations worldwide, Turn To The Movement is definitely one of the more impactful songs which thoroughly embraces, encapsulates and encourages the spirit of transcendence. With an empowering and uplifting energy, the song is a wise and heartfelt look at the planet’s current woes while also serving as a call to action to dig deep within to transcend and overcome all the trials and tribulations manifesting in front of us.
Looking and listening deeper into the Mirror Image EP, we find that each of the 6 tracks manages to shed light, wisdom and love onto the various socio-politico-economic issues impacting our minds, bodies and spirits over the past year. Remote Control touches on the corruption amongst those who lead our country. Living In A Black and White World, with its layers of meaning, is a conscious observation of culture and life in the U.S. as the 2020s march onward. Memories of Love reminds us that we are indeed loved, despite all the forces at work creating division and fear within humanity. The Lie We Live is a stark reminder that things are not always as they seem; even when the messages come from those we are told to trust and obey. Last but not least, there’s Critical Mass…a 41 second haunting instrumental piece that Fradkin says came to him through Divine Channels and sparked the creation of this uplifting, heartfelt, honest EP.
Mirror Image pushes us to look inside ourselves to overcome all the forces impacting us externally. It calls for us to reactivate our faith…not only in ourselves but for all of humanity. And it pushes us to think more critically about what’s been happening in the world over the last 12-18 months. For these reasons, Mirror Image is more than just another collection of songs. It’s a musical work with purpose; a really great one!
Listen or grab your own copy of Mirror Image on Bandcamp.
Connect with Les Fradkin directly through the official website.
Sidenote: This isn’t Fradkin’s first time receiving attention on these pages. You can find our previous features here and here; as well as this interview (opens in new tab).
