Four Tet, a.k.a. British producer Kieran Hebden, has been a vanguard of emotive electronica since his 2003 breakout Rounds. On that record, he created a sample-based potpourri of jazz, hip-hop, and folk that came to embody “folktronica,” a genre tag Hebden has been working to shed ever since. Recent Four Tet releases have leaned heavily on the 4/4 kick of house and techno; nearly every track on 2010’s brilliant There Is Love in You thumped with a confident momentum, graceful in its presentation of each sonic idea. Meanwhile, the 2012 singles compilation Pink offered several undeniable “bangers” that paired Hebden’s keen ear for melody with floor-filling rhythmic aggression.
With Beautiful Rewind, the Four Tet sound takes another left turn into thornier territory, swapping the emotional nakedness of There Is Love in You for something more guarded and mysterious. Read More