Okay, I’m going to kick out another one for the evening. This one’s titled “Planet,” from Brit-based Kieran Hebden’s electronic nom de plume Four Tet.
Honestly, I’ve been meaning to post all kinds of Four Tet. For example, I’ve had “Two Thousand & Seventeen” sitting in the queue for months. But for one reason or another, the drive and inspiration just eluded me. It’s probably got something to do with the fact that I’ve missed his last couple of live show/DJ performances, and that’s got me down. The worst thing about it is I had tix for the “New Energy” tour a few years back, and caught the flu. Then he did an all-nighter at the Hollywood Palladium earlier this year, and I was sick again.
And no, I wasn’t going to endure Coachella to catch him there. Too many people. Too pricey. Too far away. And quite frankly, I’d rather catch Four Tet in a more intimate environment.
I guess some things just aren’t meant to be, no matter how much you want them.
Well … in retrospect, fuck that. I’m sick of being sick. And tired of all the reasons why I can’t or won’t. So I’ll just start here … and mend the fences with Four Tet.
This one’s another track that got spit out of my playlist rage shuffle, which landed me on the soft bleeps and blops of the wind-chimey dulcimer dance track “Planet.” Four Tet’s music is not always for everyone. But if you allow yourself to slide into his ethnic ambient groove, his music can offer a lush meditative minimalism of calming beats, slightly abstract and off-center, yet always grounded in meditative melodies of mind-soothing seduction.
“Planet” is one of the more upbeat tracks from “New Energy,” which is mostly a chilled affair. Yet even at its most beat-centric, it still manages to massage your subconscious with the softest tech-centric beats that trance-inducing transcendentalism can conjure. Oh, how I wish I could’ve experienced this one live. Or for that matter, any of it. I’m guessing I’ll have to wait until his next album, unless he returns to the states later in the year. Too bad FYF is dead. He’d probably show up for that fest, since he was one of their mainstays.
Anyway, here’s Four Tet’s “Planet” for your horizontal musings. Enjoy it’s rhythmic ambience.
“Planet” from the 2017 album “New Energy.”
And because I brought it up, and have been meaning to post it, here’s “Two Thousand and Seventeen.” I find this downtempo groove to be absolutely beautiful. I often find myself drifting off into altered states of consciousness for its duration. It takes me to a place I just want to be all the time. Add some incense, candles, and/or the beach at night in the summertime, and all is good in the world. Enjoy!
“Two Thousand and Seventeen” from the 2017 album “New Energy.”
Lastly, and more a piece of trivia than anything else, check out this recording of
“Jai Jai Jai Bajrang Bali” from Hari Om Sharan. He’s a Hindu devotional singer and lyricist, who released this track in 1979. He’s since passed away, back in 2007. But his legacy seems to have survived and inspired Four Tet, and in particular, “Two Thousand and Seventeen.” Give it a listen and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
