Four Tet — There Is Love In You
Four Tet is something of an anomaly in the already outlandish world of electronic music. With galling aliases as “00110100 01010100” and “⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ”, it could be argued that this creative mind is as odd as that of Aphex Twin, although Four Tet reveals much more humanity, as someone who straddles the niche line between electronica, post-rock and jazz. Though involved in numerous side projects and offerings delving deeper into each of these genres, the amalgamation of these sounds and ideologies is what defines the cyborg sound of Four Tet. Earlier albums such as “Rounds” and “Pause” were deciphered as folktronica, however, like most creative minds, Four Tet changed sound over the course of time, with records like “Pink” and “New Energy” providing an outsider perspective on UK-based dance music. There Is Love In You is somewhat of a transitional album in his discography.
There Is Love In You shifts focus away from working within the IDM-influenced folktronica sound of previous projects, and turns towards bringing this sound to house music. The result is subtle electronic music that opts out of the orthodox 808 drum patterns and a focus on being “club-ready” in favour of using live instrumentation and setting meditative tones. “This Unfolds” is one of the most lavish landscapes on the album, with a celestial rhythm populated by minuscule twinkling elements that culminate to a bright and disarming excursion.
The album features long tracks that take their time, however the balance of potent emotion and exuberant playfulness ensures that focus is not lost from the artist or the listener. The track “Cycling” toys with a comparatively scarce portion of components, yet Four Tet masterfully creates a living, breathing world, crowned with jaunty piano triplets snaking through an understated kick drum and gliding bass.
Four Tet boasts more experience outside of electronic music compared to other modern electronic artists, starting his music career as part of a post-rock band, and hints of this appear in the approach towards song progression. This is most visible on the closer, “She Likes The Fight”, which feels like the album’s homecoming, orchestrated by a warm guitar phrase, and allowing a medley of instruments and ideas to flourish before the record closes. There Is Love In You may lack the usual pummeling beats typically seen in dance music, but instead paints atypically effervescent, emotive environments that are perfect for introspection.
