Two years on from their widely acclaimed third album, This Bit of Earth, Greg Dowling and Shane Johnson are back on the Go Deep label with their latest long player. What I Mean By Beautiful touches on the previous collection’s themes of upheaval and dislocation, digging through the lost and found of modern life and always looking for light in dark places.

The album marks something of a return to the duo’s house music roots, with a four-to-the-floor foundation underpinning many of the eleven tracks. It exudes a warm, natural sound, where samples sit with modular synths, programmed drums with live loops, and quirky plugins with obscure outboard gear.

Opening track, ‘I Float in the Clouds’, sets a dramatic tone with intricately interwoven guitar and keyboard lines, fragmented, spectral vocals and deep, melodic bass. Tempos range widely throughout the record, from the loose, low-slung grooves of ‘So They Were Changed’ and ‘High Wire’, to the infectious, mid-paced title track, to the intense house workouts of ‘You Came Into My Life’ and ‘All In Everything’. Greg and Shane’s long established dub leanings are also in evidence, especially on the slow motion churn of ‘Low Tide Dub’ and spacious atmospherics of ‘South Gate Step’. The album closes on an open and optimistic note with the soothing pads and deep electronic pulse of ‘Be Brave’, the result of a collaborative project with author Lisa McInerney and actor, Hillary Rose.

DJ Feedback:

CHARLES WEBSTER / MISO RECORDS
‘Beautiful album....so much depth and emotion in the music with impeccable sonics and attention to the all-important details.’

HOT TODDY / CRAZY P
‘Lush and immersive with an emotional, melancholic tug.’

LAURENT GARNIER
‘Pure beauty.’

COFLO / OCHA
‘Awesome, love Fish Go Deep and this is a lovely new sonic excursion for them!’

MASSIMILIANO PAGLIARA
‘This is indeed very beautiful.’

BILL BREWSTER / DJ HISTORY
‘Love these guys and loved the last album. Standouts on first listen: Love The Other, What I Mean By Beautiful, High Wire.’

MR V / SOLE CHANNEL
‘Love this album and where Fish went musically.’

SUBATOMIC / AFTERLIFE
‘This is a truly beautiful album, a breath of fresh air in a world that looks to the past so often rather than forward for inspiration. I loved This Bit of Earth but love this album even more. Full radio support all year.’

BILLY SCURRY
‘Bleedin sensational… like Basic Channel meets The Tom Tom Club!’

CLIVE FROM ACCOUNTS
‘Deep, rich with ideas and beautifully produced.’

FEEL FLY / INTERNATIONAL FEEL
‘Wow! An exciting and magnificent record, masterful work!’

KEN FAN / CAFE DEL MAR
‘Wow wasn’t expecting that, amazing.’

JERRY BOUTHIER / CONTINENTAL RECORDS
‘Very well put together and inspired all the way, bravo!!’

TREVOR FUNG / THE PROJECT
‘Fabulous LP…All tracks…Love it!!’

KEVIN REYNOLDS / TRANSMAT
‘Fish Go Deep produced a stunning complete album. The drift of Larry Heard, dubbed notes grazing Burger / Ink ethos and one can feel clouds of The Orb. 10 out of 10 for me.’

SEAN JOHNSTON / A LOVE FROM OUTER SPACE
‘Great stuff! Lovely production.’