CD-Charts Position 1
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Rounds

by: Four Tet

Release Date May 05, 2003

Interesting to see how this CD has polarised reviewers' opinion on these pages to such a great degree. `Rounds' is certainly not an album for hardcore musos only, but neither does it give up its treasures immediately.

On the first couple if listens it sounds like a bit of mess. You hear a collage of skittering, cut-up beats, electronic effects and samples of `real' instruments and other found sounds all thrown together with seemingly no overall design.

Listen on and persevere, though, and the picture changes. Threads of melody and structure appear on each and every track and the album turns into a multi-layered treasure trove of sound. `She Moves She' features a frisky beat, gently plucked strings and a chiming ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
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Ringer

by: Four Tet

Release Date April 21, 2008
after the joyous explosion that was 'Everything Ecstatic' and various recordings made with jazz drummer Steve Reid, it was a safe bet to say that wherever Kieran took us next it certainly wouldn't be predictable. Hearing this latest ep/mini-album still comes as something of a surprise though...there are unmistakable bursts of that Four Tet sound, in particular the jazz tinged percussions that put you in mind of old Alice Coltrane or Pharoah Sanders albums...but largely 'Ringer' marks a leap back in time by Kieran to an era when IDM was at its peak.
so, how does it sound? rather bloody good actually!! the title track is the standout, building slowly and subtley on ambient waves that take the listener well past the 5 minute mark until it peaks ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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Pause

by: Four Tet

Release Date April 01, 2002
Okay, I'm a little late to this particular party. But this album is superb and I have to tell it like it is. Warm, intimate, melodic always, comforting, HUMAN music. Often quite downtempo and late night, occassionally dubby and getting into real grooves. One of the best albums ever heard!

CD-Charts Position 4
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Everything Ecstatic

by: Four Tet

Release Date May 23, 2005
Kieran Hebden follows up the glorious folk-tronica whimsy of `Rounds' with a more energetic, beat-driven album in `Everything Ecstatic'.

The opener, `A Joy' sets the tone with its low, intense bass groove and pounding drum loop. The track then dissolves into a noisy, random sequence which is then sharply followed by the joyously catchy, simple melodic hook of `'Smile Around the Face' which does exactly what it says on the tin.

`Sun Drums and Soil' features frenetic drum bursts overlaying more shuffling beats, backed with Boards of Canda-style synth washes. It gradually builds with layers of horns and sax and vocal samples to a thrilling crescendo.

`And Then Patterns' and `High Fives', consecutive tracks, are ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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Late Night Tales: Mixed By Four Tet

by: Four Tet, mixed by Four Tet

Release Date October 04, 2004
Here we get a peek inside the head of Keiran "Four Tet" Hebden to see what makes him tick. Nothing wrong with that, you might think and being a fan of his 2003 "Rounds" album I was certainly interested to catch an earful of his musical influences. However, listening to this compilation, you have to wonder if the Another Late Night/Tales series is really the best platform to accommodate them.

For starters, ANL/NLT compilations typically have some kind of flow to them. Hebden's juxtapositions seem to have little interest in flow whatsoever, the far-from-logical transition from Tortoise's rattling marimba epic (sorry, "post-rock") "Why We Fight" through Gravediggaz' pounding hip-hop to Joe Henderson's spacious, laidback jazz being a prime example. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
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DJ Kicks - Four Tet: Mixed By Four Tet

by: Four Tet

Release Date June 26, 2006
Here we get a peek inside the head of Keiran "Four Tet" Hebden to see what makes him tick. Nothing wrong with that, you might think and being a fan of his 2003 "Rounds" album I was certainly interested to catch an earful of his musical influences. However, listening to this compilation, you have to wonder if the Another Late Night/Tales series is really the best platform to accommodate them.

For starters, ANL/NLT compilations typically have some kind of flow to them. Hebden's juxtapositions seem to have little interest in flow whatsoever, the far-from-logical transition from Tortoise's rattling marimba epic (sorry, "post-rock") "Why We Fight" through Gravediggaz' pounding hip-hop to Joe Henderson's spacious, laidback jazz being a prime example. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
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Remixes

by: Four Tet

Release Date September 25, 2006
This is an interesting CD; disc one (75 minutes) consists of tracks remixed by Four Tet and disc two (52 minutes) consists of Four Tet tracks remixed by other people.

Four Tet make a better job of remixing other people than other people do of them so the longer first disc makes it for me; I don't know what the originals sound like but their version of Bloc Party's So Here We Are is sublime and Pole's Heim and Sia's Breathe Me are excellent.

Not just for completists; this is an original, beautiful atmospheric piece of music.

CD-Charts Position 8
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My Angel Rocks Back and Forth [CD + DVD]

by: Four Tet

Release Date October 06, 2003
I bought this EP having enjoyed some excellent Four Tet tracks from other people's collections. I was after their rich, interesting, moving sound, but I did not find it here. The tracks range from empty to annoying. The first track comes closest to being enjoyable, with a pleasant smoothing progression of sampled melodies in the background, but it is tramped on by a needless, harsh, overriding percussion beat that completely kills it for me.

Sadly, the videos on the accompaning disc do not save this edition. Two are vaguely entertaining, but poorly executed, and the other two are gross, one to the point of my wishing I hadn't bothered watching it.

Overall, a rather shallow and at times irratating listening (and viewing) experience.

CD-Charts Position 9
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Four Tet - Everything Ecstatic

by: Four Tet

Release Date November 07, 2005
I bought this EP having enjoyed some excellent Four Tet tracks from other people's collections. I was after their rich, interesting, moving sound, but I did not find it here. The tracks range from empty to annoying. The first track comes closest to being enjoyable, with a pleasant smoothing progression of sampled melodies in the background, but it is tramped on by a needless, harsh, overriding percussion beat that completely kills it for me.

Sadly, the videos on the accompaning disc do not save this edition. Two are vaguely entertaining, but poorly executed, and the other two are gross, one to the point of my wishing I hadn't bothered watching it.

Overall, a rather shallow and at times irratating listening (and viewing) experience.

CD-Charts Position 10
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Dialogue

by: Four Tet

Release Date October 01, 1999
kieran hebden is a nice man. if he wasn't i would still say that this album is good. because it is. even though there are some pretty scary sounds in here - i am sure i heard a hamster falling down stairs - they are mostly wrapped up in melodies and lovely skittering beats. i read somewhere that kieran doesn't have days off because he likes making music so much. maybe he should have more days off because then he would have more time to question whether honky sax madness is always a good thing. because it isn't. however, i am glad that he exists because without him hamsters would get less work and would have to spend all day in their cages and that would be sad. this however is lovely!