Faithless Open a New Chapter With ‘Champion Sound: Pt. 1 – Forever Free’
An emotional tribute, a sonic evolution, and the beginning of something much bigger.
Few names carry the weight in electronic music that Faithless does. From their early days threading existential truths through club anthems, to their pioneering fusion of poetry and production, they’ve never stood still. Now, five years since their last studio release, they return with something more than just an album. ‘Champion Sound’ is a four-part opus — and Part 1: Forever Free, out now via ADA, is a deeply personal opening statement.
This first instalment doesn’t just reintroduce Faithless — it reaffirms their position as spiritual leaders in electronic music. From the first track, we’re faced with the voice of Maxi Jazz — a presence both grounding and transcendent. On the title track ‘Forever Free’, his final recorded vocal guides us through soaring synths and choral textures that feel like a hymn for a new era. It's not just a song — it’s a tribute, a reckoning, a legacy.
And yet Forever Free doesn’t linger in memory alone. It pulses forward. ‘In Your Own Groove’ brings in Maxi’s longtime friend L.S.K., whose soulful delivery floats over trance-tinged house textures with vintage flair. It’s the kind of track that manages to feel intimate even while aimed at dancefloors — a Faithless hallmark.
‘Fugitive’ widens the lens even further. Rollo calls it “if Pink Floyd or Spiritualized made house music” — and it’s easy to see why. Cinematic, slow-burning, and emotionally unrestrained, the track climbs into atmospheres most producers don’t dare to reach. It’s Faithless once again finding room for psychedelia in the club, a space where tension and release is measured not in drops, but in mood.
Then comes ‘Peace And Noise’ — spoken word poet Suli Breaks taking the mic where Maxi leaves off. It's more than a collaboration; it’s a passing of the torch. With driving basslines and a call to be “forever free,” the track roots the album's message in the now. It's protest music for the afterparty — urgent, vital, and unmistakably Faithless.
With Champion Sound, Faithless are subverting the album format itself. Releasing the record in four parts over four months is a deliberate, defiant move — a challenge to today’s fractured attention spans, and a gesture of generosity: here’s something to live with, not just consume.
Part 1 is a declaration. It’s tender, fierce, and euphoric. It shows that even after three decades, Faithless are not simply survivors of dance music’s many evolutions — they remain architects of its future.
For longtime followers, this is a moment of reflection. For new listeners, it’s a perfect introduction. And for everyone in between, Forever Free is the kind of record that reminds us why we ever fell in love with music in the first place.
