Four Tet – There Is Love In You (Domino)

Four Tet has finally released his new album, There Is Love In You, after much hype on the internet.Since his first solo effort, Dialogue, which was heavily jazz influenced, Four Tet has veered in many tangents, showing his many influences from disparate genres, the Ringer EP hinted at a whole new sound, combining his love of electronic music and krautrock.

There Is Love In You borrows that krautrock template from the Ringer EP, cyclical electronic beats, deep analogue synths, and predominantly the use of repetition to create a groove so ever present on his post disco European krautrock influences.

Heavily processed electronic melodies swirl with kraut grooves and chopped vocals on tracks such as “Angel Echoes”, “Love Cry”, “Circling”, and “Sing”, no matter how heavy the groove, the female vocals, heavily chopped, mostly beyond recognition of words, take the melody to a higher, more spiritual place. “The Unfolds” slows down the pace with sluggish drums, guitar melody and subtle electronic textures bubbling underneath, until a 4/4 beat kicks in carrying the flute melody and playful tambourine. “Reversing” toys with electronics as soundscape to the full, with a sweet short track, while “Plastic People” has taken the 2-step out of a 2-step shuffle, allowing the percussion to carry the momentum.

One thing noticeable from There Is Love In You, is Kieran’ busy DJ schedule, his involvement with current dubstep and funky producers, has overflowed into a full length album, those influences of playing to a dancefloor have showed here, but as usual the Four Tet slant on things adds an eclecticism that only Hebden can achieve, he weaves in so many influences, so many subtleties, its only on repeated listens that new sounds present themselves, and new more complex melodies seem to evolve. This for me is music that can become timeless, showing something new with every listen, which gives it longevity, allowing it to become more than a fashionable sound.

There Is Love In You comes highly recommended, its not an immediate satisfaction, but the satisfaction grows with every listen.

Wayne Stronell