There is a commonly used phrase that tells us that if something is too good to be true, it probably isn’t. As a heuristic for scepticism, it advises caution whenever an offer promises incredible rewards with minimal risk, effort, or cost. Google goes so far as to advise me that this is “one of the most reliable rules of thumb for navigating life”.
And then, as if to prove all this wrong, Sun 13 favourite Dan Guidance releases his second free album in 18 months, with Freequencies Two.
Do not let that fact that this album is being given away fool you into thinking it is in anyway throwaway or substandard in any aspect. It is an album of superior atmospheric drum & bass that stands very effectively as a coherent whole. It is an album that will undoubtedly end up in my top albums of 2026. The fact that it is free is just the cherry on the top.
Dan Guidance is prolific enough, with albums and a seemingly endless flow of excellent and varied EPs, many available on his own Portal Recordings label, but to have a collection of 12 songs of this quality that can be just given away is as much of a mark of his talent as it is of his generosity.
Freequencies Two starts off with Forgotten Fear, following in Guidance’s proven formula of driving drum beats, layers of melody and a female vocal adding human warmth. It straddles the line between being an up-tempo dancefloor filler and a chilled post-clubbing vibe.
One thing Dan Guidance does well is providing enough catchy hooks for his songs to work their way into your subconscious and stay with you long after they have finished.
Next track Let Me Be There again demonstrates how a human vocal can bring emotion and tenderness into a song, even if that voice is cut up and heavily effected. Strings and keyboards vie with each other to carry the melody and the song rises and falls over its near five minute length. The depth of different textures demonstrated on just the one song is another nod to dan Guidance’s mastery of his genre.
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Run keeps the theme going and is another ultra-catchy slice of drum & bass, despite being the most minimalist track so far. Deep sub bass growls and skittering rhythms underpin another beautiful vocal. An exercise in just how effective a ‘less-is-more’ approach can be.
Waiting To Fall starts off with a vocal that puts me in mind of The Doors before progressing into more minimal liquid DnB. The Jim Morrison-esque vocals float throughout the track, giving it a cool ‘old meets new’ feel.
Forest Jungle is less straightforward, with syncopated drums and keyboard stabs throwing the listener off balance. Tiny snippets of vocal fragments add texture and the song has a driving energy.
One thing that stands out in Dan Guidance songs is how cleverly all the component parts are put together and how he manages to keep the liquid feel even with some fairly aggressive sounding percussion.
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Gone For Good builds up by adding elements as the song progresses, starting with a repeated piano riff, adding layers of percussion until another cut up vocal comes in. All of these elements are then expanded upon and they evolve into something truly beautiful.
In a similar vein, Misunderstanding again starts off minimally but soon grows into another lush DnB epic. Here the vocals seem to have been cut up to such an extent that I am not sure they are left in any understandable language. They do add something for the consciousness to latch onto in a similar manner to Cocteau Twins use of glossolalia.
Catalysts features some mighty drums, high in the mix, that give the song body and allow the instrumentation to take on a floaty, dreamlike quality without losing substance. Surprisingly some huge dirty bass kicks in, demonstrating Dan Guidance’s unfailing ability to mix up disparate elements in a song and still allow it to blend together perfectly.
Absorbed throws off-kilter drums at us and adds swathes of atmospheric keyboard washes to counteract the abrasive effect of the percussion. It is another display of creating beauty in a space where hard meets soft. Critters is again built on a bedrock of shape-shifting drums, adding a range of bleeps and digital squiggles into the mix. It is the furthest we have come from a conventional DnB background and adds a different shade to the album.
The tracklisting on Freequencies Two is superb, as Lost In Thought carries on nicely with the twisted rhythms of the previous track, and is another clever and effective blend of the chilled and the hectic coming together perfectly.
Freequencies Two closes on a chilled note with Ancient History, a slow but steady track that features a driving beat and some low, low bass. Again the song evolves as it goes along and new elements are added and we end up a long way from where we started.
Freequencies Two is one of those rare beasts, an album that does not have a bad moment on it. It is further proof that liquid drum & bass is one of the most vibrant and varied genres around and that Dan Guidance remains it prime creator.
There is another well used phrase that tells us that the best things in life are free. Dan Guidance has just proved that one to be true.
Buy Freequencies Two is out now via Portal Recordings. Listen here.