Four Tet with Ben UFO at Coda

Photo by Sarah Rix (2014 at Foundry)

Four Tet (Kieran Hebden) has been one artist who has illuded me for the past few years. I have been a fan of his productions since the 2010 album There is Love in You, but this is the first time I have had the opportunity to see him DJ live.

I walked in around 11:15, and was surprised to see Kieren’s trademark afro already behind the portable turntable. I had heard he had been playing open to close alongside Ben UFO at the various location throughout their North American tour, but it is still unusual for a headliner to open the night. Around 11:30 Ben UFO took over, and wasted no time in crafting a bass-heavy soundscape.

Ben UFO runs the Hessle Audio label alongside fellow Londoner Pearson Sound. Their Rinse FM show of the same name has quickly become my favorite 2 hours of music every week, mixing downtempo oddities with the best new house and techno, and everything in-between. Ben’s set was more upbeat than most of what is played on his radio show, but it kept the same dreamy atmosphere. He is master of the long transition, which stood out as he blended genres to keep the dance floor pumping. The audience was certainly appreciative, taking up a channt of “U.F.O” towards the end of his set.

Four Tet once again took the stage around 1:30am to applause and brought the tempo back down momentarily with some reggae beats before highlighting some of his own productions. Newer songs like 2015’s Evening Side/Morning Side were sadly missing, but what we did get was a lot of classic material from his back catalogue, with 2010’s There is Love in You featuring heavily.

When not playing his own creations, Four Tet focused on non-generic beats and time signatures, drawing heavily from afro beats. That’s not to say he completely ignored tracks from his homeland. There was a fair slice of garage, including a remix of Cheryl Cole’s Fight For This Love, which worked unsettlingly well. The beats were also brazenly minimal at times, showing a restraint which was a pleasure to listen to.

Ben UFO rejoined the stage around 3:30 and the duo continued to keep the crowd moving with some back to back action. One thing that really made the night stand out was the lack of visuals or light/lazer show. From the moment I entered to the moment I staggered out around 4am there was an unchanging red glow encapsulating the stage. This decision to keep the visual aspect of the show at an absolute minimum had the effect of focusing my attention on the music, launching me on a aural odyssey as the beats drove the crowd around me.