Five Tracks to Get You Stoked for British Electronica Heavyweight Four Tet

Fans of boundary-pushing, eclectic electronica will have plenty of cause to celebrate on Nov 17 as Omni Space plays host to British producer Four Tet.

The acclaimed musician is not only beloved by his followers but can also count legends like Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Burial, and Steve Reid among his collaborators. Last year Kieran Hebden, as he is otherwise known, released his ninth full length, New Energy, to some of his most enthused reviews yet, with critics calling it a return to form that also pushed his sound forward. Exclaim! magazine, for instance, praised the album's "sonic palettes ... that bleed into textures born from transfigured field recordings and sonic artifacts that epitomize the producer's discography while refining his sonic identity."

To get you stoked for this can't miss set, we've rounded up five of our favorite Four Tet tracks, some that reach the upper strata of experimentalism, others that dive deep into the traditions of jazz, and others that straddle both of those extremes.

Scientists
Skittering antsy high hat and big bright '80s synth pulses give way to soaring sultry female vocal samples that rush in at the climax of this dynamic and varied track. Fans who love the unpredictable yet seamless transitions in Four Tet's music often point to tracks like "Scientists" as a testament to his skills. And when a saxophone begins to bray, the track also showcases the organic and electronica elements that Four Tet so deftly finds the elusive overlaps between.

Parallel Jalebi
Piercing, repetitive percussion, like a woodpecker, frantically driving its beak into a tree, balanced with soothing coos from female backup singers. The former, more abrasive element is a prime example of how Four Tet peaks the interest and pushes the conventional wisdom of his listeners.    

Jupiters
On this expansive six-minute track from Four Tet's 2006 Pink Remixes EP, dissonant electro keynotes ring out epically and hauntingly, like the echo of church organ notes being heard by a poor soul drowning at the bottom of a well. At the two minute mark there is a fade out and short pause before an essentially new song kicks in entirely, one with pitter-pat production and tightly looped samples that sound like high pitched pops. Anyone who thinks they have Four Tet figured out will have their expectations toppled by this off the wall track.

Planet (live at Funkhaus in Berlin, May 10, 2018)
If you think Four Tet is a genius in the studio, then brace yourself for his onstage wizardry. Recorded earlier this year during a set in Berlin, this song begins with quick synth burst in otherwise strategic silence, reminiscent of flares in the dead of night, before more synths that gurgle and chime slowly fade in. Before he brings such ruckus forth you can hear the crowd whistle and bellow in excitement before being hypnotically lulled into silence to digest each intricate sonic texture, until the beat drops with abandon and that crowd begin shrieking again ecstatically.

Misnomer
A seven-year-old track that showcases Four Tet's love of kicks off with complex bebop drumming coupled with smooth jazz electric piano and bass. Synths creep in and hauntingly linger, never coming to dominate even though they threaten to and the listener waits for such electronica to swallow up the more vintage organic fare, or at least clash with it in dramatic fashion like on his other tracks. But it never happens and the track fades out, making for a bold curveball of a track.

Hear much more like this when Four Tet comes to Omni Space on Nov 17. Tickets cost RMB 300 on the door or RMB 220 advance. For more information, click here.

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
Instagram: mullin.kyle

Photos: dancingastronaut.com, courtesy of Modern Sky, Soundcloud, Bandcamp