Four Tet

Kieran Hebden (born 1978), best known by the stage name Four Tet, is an English post-rock and electronic musician. Hebden first came to prominence as a member of the band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist.

Hebden's music originally eschewed the traditional pop song format in favour of a more abstract approach—his sound and melodies incorporate elements of hip hop, electronica, techno, jazz, grime and folk music with live instrumentation. His newer works are inspired heavily by house music.

Hebden has also remixed tracks by artists including Aphex Twin, Explosions in the Sky, Super Furry Animals, Radiohead, Ellie Goulding, Lana Del Rey, Manic Street Preachers, Sia and Black Sabbath, and has produced two albums by psychedelic improvisational group Sunburned Hand of the Man. Hebden's recent output includes a number of improvisational works with jazz drummer Steve Reid and collaborations with Burial and Thom Yorke.

History

Kieran Hebden was born in London to a South African-born Indian mother and a British sociology lecturer father. He attended Elliott School in Putney, where he formed the band Fridge with classmates Adem Ilhan and Sam Jeffers. The band signed a recording contract when Hebden was 15, and released their first album, Ceefax, on Trevor Jackson's Output Recordings label in March 1997.

Brainticket

Brainticket is an experimental krautrock band from the early ‘70s known for its use of exotic instruments and jazz-inspired compositions. The band continues to perform concerts and release albums in the 2000s.

History

Brainticket was founded by Joel Vandroogenbroeck, a Belgian who grew up studying classical piano before switching to jazz. He received the Art Tatum prize as “youngest jazz pianist” at the age of fifteen, and toured around Europe and Africa including performances with the Quincy Jones Orchestra at the World Exhibition in Brussels and the RAI symphony of Rome. By 1967, Vandroogenbroeck was still playing jazz but he found new inspiration in German krautrock artists Amon Duul II, Can and Tangerine Dream. Under the influence of these groups, Joel and guitarist Ron Byer recruited drummer Wolfgang Paap and formed the trio that would become Brainticket. The group’s 1971 debut album Cottonwoodhill featured British vocalist Dawn Muir.Cottonwoodhill immediately ran into controversy for its association with psychedelic drugs. Much to Vandroogenbroeck's disgust, the album came with a warning label that insisted you should "only listen once a day to this record. Your brain might be destroyed,” which led to the album being banned in several countries including the USA.