Four Tet on Ambitious New LP and What It’s Like to DJ With Skrillex
Kieran Hebden, better known as Four Tet, has been one of the most durable and influential electronic producers of the modern era. Over eight albums since 1999 his sound has been flecked with folk, dubstep, sampledelica and house music, never quite settling into any one sound. He’s collaborated with an eclectic cast that includes Thom Yorke, Madlib, Burial, Miles Davis drummer Steve Reid and, as of this past April, Skrillex. His latest album, Morning/Evening, is by far his most ambitious statement yet. Drawing on both classical Indian music and early electronic music, each of its two tracks double as a 20-minute journey. We caught up with Hebden, who told us about the gorgeous new album, the role of his Indian heritage, playing jam band festivals and frantic Skrillex sets.
Earlier this spring, you did a DJ set with Skrillex in London, which seems like an odd pairing. How did that happen?
I’ve been in touch with Sonny [Moore, a.k.a. Skrillex] for a while. He approached me to do a remix and then we wanted to work on some music together. We haven’t gotten around to finishing anything but then he came to London and had a free day in his schedule. So we chose this unlikely venue in London, this metal club I hadn’t been to since a teenager and it was undeniably fun. The crowd went crazy. It was nice to get a sense for what its like for him to play, to see the reactions he gets, to see that from his perspective. There were these young kids worshipping him, just going bananas for the entire set. His style of mixing is really fast and frantic, which was new for me. But it’s the way people used to play garage and jungle, in that same spirit.
How different is it from playing alongside Jamie xx?
Jamie and I play eclectic, slower stuff when we get together. The set with Sonny was full-on. He was probably playing more mellow than normal and I was playing harder than I’ve ever played before.
After a decade on Domino, you began to self-release your albums in 2012. What led you to take the reins?
Well, I wouldn’t have been in that position without all the help and groundwork of Domino building me up. I wanted to release There Is Love in You on my own but I wasn’t set up for that. The main reason is clichéd: I had a child and time became very precious to me. I needed to eliminate the things that weren’t efficient: marketing stuff, interviews, strategy, promotion. I didn’t want to worry about that anymore. I just wanted to create the best possible stuff I could for the most hardcore and devoted fans. I could achieve so much on Twitter and social media that all that energy going to getting on the racks at Barnes & Noble was so trivial.
I want to present my music in a simple way, in the least condescending manner possible. I don’t want to send out a press release or dumb it down in any way. In making my last record, Beautiful Rewind, I wanted to make a new age record but made out of old pirate radio broadcasts. Everybody dwelt on the pirate radio samples, thinking that old rave culture was my reference. It was made with total disrespect. I’m into people making art with complete disregard to its background and where it comes from. I was using pirate radio in a context that was so wrong.
