ISSUE #25
Sixteen Oceans
by Four Tet
Sixteen Oceans is a paradigmatic piece of electronic dance music. It's the sound of physical and psychological exploration through flourishing landscapes and twisted dance floors.
At long last, the legendary Four Tet has released his latest album and it's everything we've ever wanted. It is the tenth LP in his discography following 2017's New Energy (and subsequent releases of the singles: Teenage Birdsong, Baby, and 4T Recordings). We have been on high alert, dying in anticipation for the next installment in the UK-based legend's arsenal.
It’s brilliant.
It’s Four Tet, true-to-form. His signature blends of house, downtempo, and timbres from all over the world are stamped all over this album. There's a hopeful innocence to the tracks: School, Baby, and Teenage Birdsong. All three very much reminiscent of the inherent curiosity of adolescence. These tracks let you see new worlds, new perspectives. They're soothing. Fluid even. Then you have tracks like: Love Salad, Insect Near Piha Beach, and Something in the Sadness. Tracks that exist only to permeate your soul and get your blood flowing.
Check out the official video to Baby below!
I'm in quarantine for possible exposure to COVID-19. So for the last week, I've been from my apartment and will remain inside for another week to keep an eye on my physiology in case any symptoms develop. Naturally, I've been going batshit insane. It's also amplified by the fact that the weather has been so disconcertingly beautiful in the Bay Area recently. As I look out my window and envy the freedom of passers-by, I turn toward music in an attempt to subdue my adult-onset claustrophobia.
Sixteen Oceans is exactly what I needed at the peak of my neuroses. It’s another masterpiece by Kieren Hebden, and we hope he continues to explore and continues to evolve.
Consider purchasing Sixteen Oceans here! We're seeing Four Tet this fall on October 27, 2020 at the sold-out Hollywood Palladium, with lighting design by SQUIDSOUP! And hope you can catch him live ASAP!
Four Tet at Alexandra Palace. Lighting by SQUIDSOUP.
Happy Friday, everyone! Stay safe out there!
Armando
Waking Up Down
by Yaeji
Amidst the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to stay grounded and take care of yourself. These are both things the new Yaeji banger can help you with.
Brooklyn born with roots in LA and Seoul, techno and house producer Kathy Yaeji Lee brings us the first hypnotic single off her upcoming Mixtape What We Drew 우리가 그려왔던, out April 2nd. Waking Up Down is a mid-tempo house track that features Yaeji’s delicate, mesmerizing monotone listing off the accomplishments of adulthood. I don’t mean doing your taxes, climbing the corporate ladder or dealing with relatives asking you for money. We’re talking:
I got waking up down
I got cooking down
I got making a list and checking down
I got hydrating down
I got listening down
I got you and me and we’re both so down
An ethereal harmonizing melody glides up from the depths and joins the flat delivery I love so much for a chorus in Korean:
쉽진 않지. It’s not easy
쉬운 거라곤 없지. There’s no such thing as easy
게으르면. If I’m lazy
다 내 탓이라 하지. They all say it’s my fault
쉽진 않지. It’s not easy
쉬운 거라곤 없지. There’s no such thing as easy
늦지 않지. It’s not late
아직 늦진 않았지. It’s still not too late
And that’s when the bassline hits. This dirty, wiggly masterpiece of the subsonic calls out to the best of deep house - Dirtybird artists like Justin Martin or Claude VonStroke - but fits like an ultraviolet jigsaw piece against the calm, cloudless sky of Waking Up Down’s melodic elements. And I won’t even get into how incredible the music video is. That you’ll have to see for yourself below.
While a plethora of concerts (and sports, and everything) are being canceled for the coming months, Yaeji’s tour for What We Drew 우리가 그려왔던 is scheduled for July, hitting Portland on September 11th and the Bay Area on September 16th. Get tickets here.
