Buzzin Electronic Music

Single Review – Fourtet – Ringer (Domino Records)

The latest release from Four Tet aka Kieran Hebden is a four track mini album/ep lasting 31 minutes. When does an ep become a mini album?

It’s hard to be objective about Four Tet as I have been a big fan of his own releases, remixes for other artists, and the band that preceeded his solo career, Fridge.

The Ringer is more of the same exceptional, smooth, melodic electronica from Four Tet. The title track starts with a trance-forming loop before a bass drum and accompanying soft keyboard melodies completely open the track.

As with many Four Tet tunes, experimentation doesn’t lead to difficult or hard beats. All four tracks – The Ringer, Ribbons, Swimmer, and Wing Body Wing are easy listening electronica.

In a strange way The Ringer reminds me of Sunrise by The Beloved; not the tune itself but a comparison of the gentle, soothing essence of the track. I can see it now, a hard night clubbing ends with the sunrise and Four Tet’s The Ringer making everybody feel groovy and peaceful.

Four Tet will be playing live over the coming months:

April
Thursday 24th – IndigO2, London, UK
Sunday 27th – Triptych festival, Glasgow, UK
Wednesday 30th – The Fix – Bergenfest, Bergen, Norway
May
Saturday 17th – ATP festival, Minehead, UK
Saturday 31st – Mezzanine, San Francisco, CA

June
Wednesday 4th – Holocene, Portland, OR
Friday 6th – Studio B, Brooklyn, NY
Thursday 12th – Daydream Festival, Barcelona, Spain
Sunday 15th – Synch Festival, Athens, Greece – performing with Steve Reid

July
Tuesday 22nd – River to River festival, New York, NY – performing with Steve Reid

August
Friday 1st – Nachtdigital Festival, Olganitz, Germany
Friday 8th – Underage Festival, London, UK

Visit www.fourtet.net for the latest live dates and news.

The Ringer by Four Tet is availbe from record shops next week. A digital version is already available from bleep.com and also from Other Music.

You can listen to The Ringer on Four Tet’s official MySpace page.