Almost three years since his last release, Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) drops a long short-player full of lengthy chillout tracks. Over a half-hour long, Ringer is a relatively huge EP that contains a smooth mix of house, kraut, and modern electronic beats that falls somewhere between background and headphone music. For the most part, it’s glassy and calm but at times becomes intentionally abrasive.
Ringer spans a wide array of moods, starting from upbeat and loose to darker, more distressed, tones. The opening, self-titled track is a lively techno bounce while rubbery and brassy effects co-mingle on the fly. A similar sound carries into “Ribbons”, which slowly builds on a cymbal-tinged jungle rhythm and watery, shimmering sounds. About fifteen minutes, or half the way through the EP, Hebden shifts it down into a stark synth tone carried by a pounding bass drum that completely dominate “Swimmer”. Then “Wing Body Wing” shuffles out of the delirium with a quick tempo, but an ultimately listless beat. The latter half of Ringer delivers a much different, and difficult, experience than the two tracks before it.
In its first two tracks, a near perfect blend of ultra-modern, atmospheric music introduces Four Tet’s latest work. Unfortunately, afterwards, the music becomes repetitive with negative effects, and rubs off some of the luster. Ringer is a solid effort, but makes things too difficult on itself.
MP3 Stream: “Ribbons”