* En anglais uniquement
Fret is an alias used by Mick Harris for his ventures into relentlessly hard, punishing techno in the vein of fellow Birmingham producers like Regis and
Surgeon. He released one EP as
Fret in 1995, then resurrected the moniker two decades later with 2017 full-length
Over Depth.
Harris is known for his involvement in a wide range of projects, including grindcore originators
Napalm Death, industrial hip-hop innovators
Scorn, dark ambient solo project
Lull, and free jazz/metal trio
Pain Killer. In 1995, he released an untitled 12" of experimental techno tracks under the name
Fret. The EP was the only record to be released on Resonance, a sublabel of notable Birmingham techno label Downwards. After the EP was released, Harris switched to the name Monrella for his techno recordings, and he released several 12"s on ZET, a label founded by Karl O'Connor (Regis). Nothing further was heard from
Fret until an untitled, previously unreleased track from 1995 was included on Downwards' 2013 compilation Halha.
Objekt included the
Fret track "Stuck" on Kern, Vol. 3, his 2016 mix for Tresor. The following year,
Fret's first full-length,
Over Depth, was released by German label Karlrecords. The release contained some of the heaviest, most complex beat excursions Harris had created since retiring
Scorn in 2011. The album was followed by the equally intense Silent Neighbour EP, which appeared on L.I.E.S. in 2018. ~ Paul Simpson