Four Tet @ the Independent, 2010-02-26

So confession: back when I was in college, I stole a beat from Four Tet.  The underlying drums to She Moves She became the best part of the best song I had written that wasn’t a direct rip-off of Interpol, which is by way of saying that Four Tet is really good.  His CD “Rounds” became a study-music staple and I’ve tried and failed to imitate his sense of music off-balance, melodies shattered and reconstructed.

This was the first chance I’ve had to see him, and what surprised me most was the straightforwardness of his music.  For a good solid hour and a half, a four on the floor beat alternately swallowed and propped up the cacophony of strange and otherworldly sounds.  His new stuff is already more dance-y than his older work, and tonight he mostly gave the capacity crowd what it craved, music to move to.

My favorite moment was a beautiful rendition of My Angel Rocks Back and Forth that ended the evening; it was haunting, strange, and bits of it are still ringing in my ears.