Kieran Hebden is some kind of wunderkind. The electronic musician known as Four Tet has skirted across genres with more ease than anyone. England has given him access to all kinds of samples, and his fingers have proven he knows how to morph them into the realm of dub, house, minmalism, techno, and more.
Last year, he was working on the (now released) LP Morning/Evening and doing several DJ sets. During that time, he played an unknown track that fans kept asking for. Last October, it reappeared in his Rinse FM set. By the time the album dropped this year and it wasn’t on it, his audience began to wonder if it would ever leave his computer. At last, it has (snag a free download right here).
The song, titled “BACK2THESTART”, is a downtempo dance number that slowly finds its balance. After some looping drum tracks and “Let me dance” vocal loops from a young girl, it opens its wings, humming bass and synth in the background before everything burst with color. Somewhere in there, a Sam Smith-like vocalist comes into the mix, citing the song’s titular line. Then, just as quickly as it started, it’s over, leaving you in a glittery haze.
“Here’s a track people keep asking for,” Hebed tweeted when it surfaced on Soundcloud Wednesday. “Made this on a plane end of last year… Not sure what I was thinking or why it exists.” That uncertainty implies this is some kind of not-good-enough demo that he cut but couldn’t bring himself to trash in its entirety. Thank goodness. It’s unreleased tracks like these—no matter how seriously they’re deemed “bad” or “lazy”—that let us peek into the minds of some of history’s greatest musicians. Four Tet’s “BACK2THESTART” is no exception.
Give it a listen below:
What do you think of the track? Let us know in the comments below.
