Cleveland-based musician, producer, and genre-shifting experimenter Tony Frissore has never been an artist who plays it safe. His career spanning Boston jazz clubs, New Orleans jam sessions, European dance floors, and national television placements has always been marked by boldness.
Yet with his latest single, “Stand for Freedom,” Frissore delivers one of the most daring works of his catalogue: a politically charged, powerfully reflective piece that merges experimental hip-hop, electronic atmospherics, and archival spoken word into a single, unignorable statement.
At the heart of “Stand for Freedom” is a historic voice that still cuts like steel. Instead of sampling the familiar messages of unity or diplomacy from Ralph J. Bunche’s 1949 Nobel Peace Prize address, Frissore centers on a lesser-spotlighted excerpt of Bunche’s blunt challenge to America to confront racial injustice and fully embody the democratic ideals it professes. Spoken more than 75 years ago, Bunche’s call lands with startling relevance, as if aimed directly at the world of today.
Frissore describes the moment he rediscovered the speech as a jolt: “When I heard Bunche turn directly to the American people and challenge them to examine their own house, I knew that was the part the world needed to hear again.” That spark became the emotional engine behind the track.
“Stand for Freedom” is both minimalistic and immersive. Frissore layers pulsing electronic rhythms, shadowy textures, and deliberate restraint, giving the archival audio both space and weight. This is not background music; it is built to confront the listener. The sound is dark, deliberate, and cinematic, a modern vessel for a timeless message.
But meaning aside, the track also reflects Frissore’s ongoing evolution as a producer. Known for blending funk, jazz, hip-hop, EDM, and global influences, Tony’s sound has traveled from the U.S. to Europe and across hundreds of television placements worldwide. Whether through 2008’s The Übermix, his 2019 Black Market Mix, or his down-tempo album Quarantine Chronicles, Frissore has always embraced reinvention. His 2025 run of singles, including “Just Fade Away,” “The Eagle Has Landed,” and “Know Yourself, has continued this pattern of fearless experimentation.
“Stand for Freedom,” however, feels different. It is not just a track but an intention. A moment of modern protest art. A bridge between historic demands for justice and contemporary electronic expression. Its urgency is unmistakable, not nostalgic, but present-tense. In a music landscape often driven by escapism, Tony Frissore offers something bolder: a reminder that freedom requires participation, courage, and accountability. And through this track, he invites listeners not just to hear history but to stand with it.