Four Tet - Ringer
[Domino]

For anyone who has followed the constantly evolving world of Four Tet, it will come of no surprise to hear the famed producer-remixer-musican has gone minimal techno on his latest project, the four-track 'Ringer' EP.

Hebden has had his fingers in many, many pies in the last nine years; the laptop-tronics of his startling debut 'Dialogue' through to the turbo-charged 'Everything Ecastatic', his improvised live jazz-electronics collaboration with drummer Steve Reid and a flirtation with hip-hop (the Madvillain remixes for a Stones Throw 12"), to the post-rock band Fridge and who could forget the dozens upon dozens of remixes; from obscure names to the biggest of indie bands, Mr Hebden is one busy boy.

Of the four, the title track 'Ringer' is the most likely to please the average listener, moreso than the (slightly) more experimental b-sides - although the ten minute duration may test the patience to those who aren't familiar with Hebden's not-so straight to the crunch offerings. Heavily drawn-out, 'Ringer' is pushed through a slow-cooker in terms of getting anywhere, taking its time to slowly absorb and introduce new beeps, rings, free-jazz-synth sounds, harp plucks and a shrapnel of female vocals, before the unexpected crescendo of the big live drums Four Tet has become so linked with.

Second song 'Ribbons' is underwater space-dub; expansive, rippling keyboards and bubbling digital twinkles sound like they are submerged at the bottom of the deepest of oceans, before morphing into the flat 4/4 beats of 'Swimmer', with its deafening, ear-writhing line of tinitis-causing white noise and shuffling cymbals. The live-ish sounding minimalism of 'Wing Body Wing' is the most organic if you will and most Four Tet-like, when you see the instrumentation involved; bongos, percussion, handclaps, hornet-sting synths and once more, those improvised jazz-band drum rolls (it's not really a Four Tet record without them, is it?).

With more choice on offer than a box of Cadbury's 'Heroes', 'Ringer' has something for every lover of electronica. Where will he go from here? Your guess is as good as mine, but it's going to be exciting to find it.

Ringer Tracklisting:

1. Ringer
2. Ribbons
3. Swimmer
4. Wing Body Wing