In 2010 FM dropped into the studio with Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet to talk about the making of his tracks Sing and Love Cry from his album There Is Love in You.
Astonishing that one of the most innovative, well respected electronic music producers of our time is giving you a tutorial on how he makes music (probably for free) and all you can comment on is his looks/what genre/how old the software etc etc. Pay attention to the techniques and valuable information he's giving you and try to learn something...and show some respect.
*Uses Pro Tools 5 and an early version of Ableton with very few plugins *Does very little actual "mixing" and just leaves sounds the way he found them.. people compliment him on how 'warm' his music sounds. *Finds ways to get the most out of a single sample by pitching, stretching, being creative with it *Throws in random elements now and then for a bit of surprise *Doesn't get this album mastered because he is ALREADY HAPPY with what is coming out of the speakers. ....Has a totally unique sound that could only come from him. (that's an opinion, of course) This is by FAR one of the BEST videos I've ever seen in the Future Music library. So much to learn from this guy about the simplicity of just listening and carefully selecting what you want. Fuck all this over-processing, comparing your tracks and trying to sound as "loud and bright" as the next guy. This album was made in 2010. In 2018, we all have WAY more than what we need to make music. The only thing we have to learn is to simply listen to the sounds we've chosen and trust our instincts. Bravo FourTet! :)
It's crazy how easy he makes this all look...I mean, there's millions of people using the exact same process (chop up a sample, throw a beat under it, mess about), but only Four Tet sounds like Four Tet.
its like painting a masterpiece. there are a few techniques but you're just putting brush to canvas with the same tubes of colour anyone would get if they bought them. give it to a child and it looks balls, but give them to Carravaggio and sure it would be genius. and all it is is...brushmarks! there's some mentality of electronic music that it has to be technically complex and that we need expensive modular synths or something expensive and iconic, then find out a complex way of routing it and learn max/msp or whatever. this is really exploring the bare possibilities almost in a way that it removes limitations! tech should make the artist explore his creativity more easily, no?
@@jorgepeterbarton thats oversimplifying it- the masters of painting mixed their own pigments and could draw, sketch, sculpt and etch as well. they were well rounded craftsmen in their trade.
what’s crazy is he has always been like this in terms of eclecticism. his sample choice, composition, and overall sound design is just him. most people’s sounds evolve and change over time but four tet has ALWAYS sounded like four tet… insane
"I want it to have all those moments of impact but I just want to use my own way of doing all those things I dont want to rely on any of the cliche kind of moves we hear a million times again and again." real fucking talk
Like Andrew Scheps says, the only thing that matters is what comes out of the speakers. This is a great example of someone not giving a shit about flashy techniques, but just using their instincts to make incredible music in a way that's natural to them. So inspiring. Kieran is an electronic music titan.
I think I've watched this video at least half a dozen times, but now after finally implementing his techniques into my own music, I am even more thankful for him taking the time to share his wisdom. He's the most humble electronic producer out there.
'Sing' is one of my favorite electronic songs of all time. I've been a lover of electronic music since Aphex Twin's ...I Care Because You Do in 1995 and 'Sing' is the first song that forced me to get up and dance. Pure genius!
I love when he explains his now trademark "flutter reverse" technique. I also use Ableton and use samples frequently, and that's one of those things I gravitated towards naturally, when thinking of ways to utilize samples in multiple ways. I'm so glad he mentioned it, and always get a boost thinking that's automatically where my head went. Samples and loops are finicky, and hearing him talking about trying samples at half speed and double time, and "trying to get whatever I can out of it" is so DIY production. He's my favorite producer by far, and always impresses me with his resourcefulness on a computer.
"I like the idea of a little riff that could have been the beginning of a track, is brought in at the end and fades out kinda quickly, like.. kinda hints at another idea that could happen in the future of the track, you know like the track's got a life beyond what you've heard." 18:10
reminds me of the burial+massive attack track "four walls", when at the end, a kick drum starts banging again leaving you thinking what could happen after the track finishes :D
this is so nice lol. I know this comment is a bit old but if you see mine, pls check splesh or eastre by autechre it basically does the same thing at the end
I remember watching this years ago and it really inspired my music making. It reminded me that the most important part of music was the creativity and the experimentation not endless mixing and eqing. I’m so happy I’ve watched it again 😊.
I just learned that people still think Keiran is Burial! He 100% is not. They're high school friends, who have no doubt influenced one another's working approach (burial also works mostly just by editing audio on the timeline, rather than using hard/soft synths), and had already recorded and released "Moth / Wolf Cub" together (2009, on KH's Text Records) a year before this video was originally shot (2010).
This blew my fucking mind when it first came out, and I love that last trick with the reversing stuff so much I immediately stole it and have used it ever since. This guy is an actual goddamn genius.
I've never seen anyone whose workflow is so similar to mine, it's like I'm watching myself, only that I use ableton... Also the first track is my ringtone since two years, and a remix of the second song was one of the reasons I went into electronic music. Mind blown!
@@benhall2235 what else is ableton widely known for besides live? if i say i was playing my fender, you're not gonna say "actually you were playing your stratocaster" are you?
@@dragon-id5uj So? My point is valid still. Call it what you like makes no difference to me. The name of the software is Live though. Makes sense as unlike most DAWs it’s a performance/stage sequencer as well as a linear composition style DAW.
Thanks for posting this. Great producer. Loving Four Tet and other experimental electronic artists like Amon Tobin, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Sqaurepusher, The Bug, Forest Swords, Allflaws
Wow the Nicky Romero video's first 5 minutes felt like 3 hours just couldn't sit it out and these 45 minutes just passed as in te blink of an eye. Nice footage indeed :)
Four Tet is a brilliant artist and seems to be a first rate dude in general. The way he plays live is very impressive. I can't believe that I still haven't gotten to see him in person yet.
Dear Kieran - thanks so much for these insights - great inspiration and very important for me to see what an enourmous amount of work (or better playing around!) you put into your tracks! and there are definitely NO rules ;-)
This cat is one of the most adventurous and creative in the game. Love his body work and stuff from the likes of Burial, Flying Lotus, Autechre, Aphex Twin, Venetian Snares, Sqaurepusher, Eskmo, Allflaws
This guy along with Caribou and Bibio are my musical gods. Through absorbtion of their sounds they helped me stay confident in experimentation and originality in my music. Musically I don't know where I'd be without them
Just 2 mins in and his workflow for that first track is basically how I go about it. It's nice to see because I'm always doubting. I always think there's some better way that I'm not employing.
It's a really sorry indictment of the dance scene when someone like Kieran Hebden, with all that talent (the man is a true innovator and heavyweight on the real/underground scene) only has 100,000 views on a video like this...and some euro rave/pop cretin like Avici has over 2.5 million views. Not sure what that means for the future of dance music, but I'm glad that artists like Kieran are doing what they do.
The irony in this comment is your inability to recognise what made Avicii so special. The way you complain about people not appreciating/understanding Four Tet, you're doing the exact same thing with Avicii.
You are amazing. Seriously, it's like i have found the best dude to piss off on the internet. You are right, i can't handle you, you are too much for me, you are too much for the internet, you are just too hot to handle and everyone needs to realize this and your opinions are so out there but right. I will take your advice and quit my job as a network engineer and try and get a proper job to overcome this huge ordeal that has mentally scarred me for life. Thanks. Much love, Jc.
I know I’ve come late to this but that was magic, so many ideas to take away... Both tracks are great, but Love Cry is a total banger, always been one of my favourites, great to see and hear how it was made. Thanks Kieran for sharing so much of your process and thanks FM for putting it out there.
When you start archiving sounds like this it gets very difficult to remember the origins of the sounds.. The lack of context helps make things objective.
The way that chopped synth interacts with the percussion is great. Similar principle to Dilla - Snapping Necks in Africa, sometimes sounds just fit in the same pocket and groove together as one part. Some of my favorite basslines do this with the kick and/or multiple bass sounds (And maybe some overtone-only sounds to layer), you can do it with noise with some plucky rhythmic chords, use the equivalent of guitar ghost notes etc., one of my favorite aspects of music.
Astonishing that one of the most innovative, well respected electronic music producers of our time is giving you a tutorial on how he makes music (probably for free) and all you can comment on is his looks/what genre/how old the software etc etc. Pay attention to the techniques and valuable information he's giving you and try to learn something...and show some respect.
Well said. This is why they bitch about him: They have no musical talent of their own.
This comment certainly didn’t grow old, well said
Also (and it’s totally irrelevant, but still) he’s not a bad looking guy at all.
I'm wondering what made you call him "innovative".
@@talgy2671 shut up and keep listening edm and brostep
*Uses Pro Tools 5 and an early version of Ableton with very few plugins
*Does very little actual "mixing" and just leaves sounds the way he found them.. people compliment him on how 'warm' his music sounds.
*Finds ways to get the most out of a single sample by pitching, stretching, being creative with it
*Throws in random elements now and then for a bit of surprise
*Doesn't get this album mastered because he is ALREADY HAPPY with what is coming out of the speakers.
....Has a totally unique sound that could only come from him. (that's an opinion, of course)
This is by FAR one of the BEST videos I've ever seen in the Future Music library. So much to learn from this guy about the simplicity of just listening and carefully selecting what you want. Fuck all this over-processing, comparing your tracks and trying to sound as "loud and bright" as the next guy. This album was made in 2010. In 2018, we all have WAY more than what we need to make music. The only thing we have to learn is to simply listen to the sounds we've chosen and trust our instincts. Bravo FourTet! :)
so so true
🙏
Well said.
"In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity."
👏🙏
1000%
I couldn't be more pleased when he said "none of this is mastered"
LOVE THAT
coming back to this after almost a decade. still gold.
It's crazy how easy he makes this all look...I mean, there's millions of people using the exact same process (chop up a sample, throw a beat under it, mess about), but only Four Tet sounds like Four Tet.
30:52
its like painting a masterpiece. there are a few techniques but you're just putting brush to canvas with the same tubes of colour anyone would get if they bought them. give it to a child and it looks balls, but give them to Carravaggio and sure it would be genius. and all it is is...brushmarks!
there's some mentality of electronic music that it has to be technically complex and that we need expensive modular synths or something expensive and iconic, then find out a complex way of routing it and learn max/msp or whatever. this is really exploring the bare possibilities almost in a way that it removes limitations! tech should make the artist explore his creativity more easily, no?
@@jorgepeterbarton thats oversimplifying it- the masters of painting mixed their own pigments and could draw, sketch, sculpt and etch as well. they were well rounded craftsmen in their trade.
@holdenrains you proved his point even further
this is a holy grail of making electronic music and only a couple thousand people realize it. there is love in you was a classic.
6 years later up to nearly half a million...but still, less than 500,000 people! This is legendary.
what’s crazy is he has always been like this in terms of eclecticism. his sample choice, composition, and overall sound design is just him. most people’s sounds evolve and change over time but four tet has ALWAYS sounded like four tet… insane
"I want it to have all those moments of impact but I just want to use my own way of doing all those things I dont want to rely on any of the cliche kind of moves we hear a million times again and again."
real
fucking
talk
I learned more from this video than the 100s of other tutorials and FMM videos I've watched combined.
How can you not love this dude? So creative and distinctive
Like Andrew Scheps says, the only thing that matters is what comes out of the speakers. This is a great example of someone not giving a shit about flashy techniques, but just using their instincts to make incredible music in a way that's natural to them. So inspiring. Kieran is an electronic music titan.
After watching this I have so much respect for this guy and all his tracks.
This was originally for the print magazine, so was released in 2010 on dvd with it.
Us looking at a screen watching four tet looking at a screen .
Love his music
I didn't notice... After a while I just sorta.... screened it out. 8)
You could put a video of you watching your screen. :)
I think I've watched this video at least half a dozen times, but now after finally implementing his techniques into my own music, I am even more thankful for him taking the time to share his wisdom. He's the most humble electronic producer out there.
'Sing' is one of my favorite electronic songs of all time. I've been a lover of electronic music since Aphex Twin's ...I Care Because You Do in 1995 and 'Sing' is the first song that forced me to get up and dance. Pure genius!
I love when he explains his now trademark "flutter reverse" technique. I also use Ableton and use samples frequently, and that's one of those things I gravitated towards naturally, when thinking of ways to utilize samples in multiple ways. I'm so glad he mentioned it, and always get a boost thinking that's automatically where my head went. Samples and loops are finicky, and hearing him talking about trying samples at half speed and double time, and "trying to get whatever I can out of it" is so DIY production. He's my favorite producer by far, and always impresses me with his resourcefulness on a computer.
exactly. well said. would love to exchange some songs if you’re still making music
@@judegnelson link me, bubba
"I like the idea of a little riff that could have been the beginning of a track, is brought in at the end and fades out kinda quickly, like.. kinda hints at another idea that could happen in the future of the track, you know like the track's got a life beyond what you've heard." 18:10
rash s an absolute genius move. I mean the intention behind that is so brilliant. Many producers fear to take that sort of risk
Love that so much.
reminds me of the burial+massive attack track "four walls", when at the end, a kick drum starts banging again leaving you thinking what could happen after the track finishes :D
this is so nice lol. I know this comment is a bit old but if you see mine, pls check splesh or eastre by autechre it basically does the same thing at the end
@@cornale thanks, will listen now
I remember watching this years ago and it really inspired my music making. It reminded me that the most important part of music was the creativity and the experimentation not endless mixing and eqing. I’m so happy I’ve watched it again 😊.
Four Tet is a genius. Love his drums sounds
This video felt like it was 5 minutes long. What a guy. Thanks Future Music!
So pleasing to listen to him discuss things in such detail with great knowledge of the craft.
I guarantee you that "friend of his" who lent him the Prophet 5 is Thom Yorke.
whoop de doo
Exactly who I was thinking of.
Imagine getting to borrow and play the prophet 5 used on Everything in its Right Place
@@benjaminengelberg6332 Such a great track that 😎
Or Bonobo.
Probably the most important "In the studio" docu for me personally!
What a really nice guy. I'm so glad I watched this. Thank you FourTet
I really dig his approach to sound manipulation. back to basics in a clever manner. great musician.
almost a decade later and still so inspiring
13 years actually
For someone who knows a little about DAWs, but has never dabbled into producing this is really mindopening. Thanks a lot!
One of the most innovative sounding and inspiring producers in recent times. Awesome. Thank you for sharing. Much appreciated.
I guess some of us watched this four times or more and everytime we're suprised it's over so fast, again.
I just learned that people still think Keiran is Burial!
He 100% is not.
They're high school friends, who have no doubt influenced one another's working approach (burial also works mostly just by editing audio on the timeline, rather than using hard/soft synths), and had already recorded and released "Moth / Wolf Cub" together (2009, on KH's Text Records) a year before this video was originally shot (2010).
Now we know what Burial looks like. Crazy
All hail Four Tet! It's so inspirational to watch him work away and explain his musical endeavors.
God damn Four Tet you are amazing.
super inspiring... love cry and sing are my two favorite songs from the album, so it feels like this video was made just for me :P
fascinating, so grateful someone as clever and articulate as him is willing to explain how he does what he does
Man, the outro to Love Cry is so awesome. I love how he explains exactly how he did it. What an actual boss :D
This is what might finally push me to do it. Thank you.
I'm glad he is so open about every detail.
I think I've watched and studied this video like a dozen times now. Would totally go gay for him.
?? freak
Same here, ahahah!
Spectre's Rings jasjajsajsjas it's the first time I see it but I am on my way to love him too .
Ty so much mr. Four tet to showing us this. Very great music workflow. I love four tet alot! Buy theese great albums!
Finally! I always wanted to see the full version!
Thank you
I love the artefacts of filming the screen
Sing * is a track that just lifts every single pain away in my bones and soul... my total favourite!!! Just watched him last night in Ally Pally 👏
This blew my fucking mind when it first came out, and I love that last trick with the reversing stuff so much I immediately stole it and have used it ever since. This guy is an actual goddamn genius.
I've never seen anyone whose workflow is so similar to mine, it's like I'm watching myself, only that I use ableton... Also the first track is my ringtone since two years, and a remix of the second song was one of the reasons I went into electronic music. Mind blown!
Ableton is to Live what Steinberg is to Cubase, propellor heads is to Reason, Avid is to Pro Tools etc :) You use Live really.
@@benhall2235 what else is ableton widely known for besides live? if i say i was playing my fender, you're not gonna say "actually you were playing your stratocaster" are you?
@@dragon-id5uj So? My point is valid still. Call it what you like makes no difference to me. The name of the software is Live though. Makes sense as unlike most DAWs it’s a performance/stage sequencer as well as a linear composition style DAW.
@@dragon-id5uj What else are propellorheads known for besides Reason?
@@dragon-id5uj or image line besides FL Studio?
Thanks for posting this. Really nice to get a glimpse of his workflow and techniques.
Thanks for posting this. Great producer.
Loving Four Tet and other experimental electronic artists like
Amon Tobin, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Sqaurepusher, The Bug, Forest Swords, Allflaws
Wow the Nicky Romero video's first 5 minutes felt like 3 hours just couldn't sit it out and these 45 minutes just passed as in te blink of an eye. Nice footage indeed :)
Wow....I want more of this....
What an intimate look into Four Tet’s creative process ✨🎶
I love how he gets all dreamy talking about the Prophet 5 :)
Four Tet is a brilliant artist and seems to be a first rate dude in general. The way he plays live is very impressive. I can't believe that I still haven't gotten to see him in person yet.
thx futur music for all these precious videos now this is a video of a guys breaking every rule of conventional stuff, a great one !!!
Dear Kieran - thanks so much for these insights - great inspiration and very important for me to see what an enourmous amount of work (or better playing around!) you put into your tracks! and there are definitely NO rules ;-)
This cat is one of the most adventurous and creative in the game. Love his body work and stuff from the likes of Burial, Flying Lotus, Autechre, Aphex Twin, Venetian Snares, Sqaurepusher, Eskmo, Allflaws
This video is absolutely incredible. Thank you Kieran! This is invaluable
Ohhhh sweet! So stoked you uploaded this
A guy that inspires you to delve deep and get creative.
I really enjoyed watching this, thank you FM
This guy along with Caribou and Bibio are my musical gods. Through absorbtion of their sounds they helped me stay confident in experimentation and originality in my music. Musically I don't know where I'd be without them
Fascinating and he seems like nice, thoughtful chap.
Great interview, thanks a lot. Four Tet is cool!
Four Tet: *reveals secret formula to the world
World: *still can't sound like Four Tet
*drops Country Riddim*
The conclusion of this is, do what you want if it sounds good
Crazy amount of gems dropped here, he has a super fuckin cool process
His wife sounds like Bjork the way he's recorded her. Nice.
Thought the same
Yeah reminds me of her Medulla album
Just 2 mins in and his workflow for that first track is basically how I go about it. It's nice to see because I'm always doubting. I always think there's some better way that I'm not employing.
i have so much respect for this dude
mans a genius
Great video! Four Tet is amazing :)
Wow, what a top bloke to give away tricks like that. Nice one, got to go find some new samples to play with now. Thanks for the inspiration :)
this series is amazing
Four Tet is the coolest person on earth. I love you, man!
WATCHED ALL 42 MINUTES! Love him!
Caps like it's some kind of major achievement to concentrate on one thing for FORTY TWO WHOLE MINUTES!!!
It's a really sorry indictment of the dance scene when someone like Kieran Hebden, with all that talent (the man is a true innovator and heavyweight on the real/underground scene) only has 100,000 views on a video like this...and some euro rave/pop cretin like Avici has over 2.5 million views. Not sure what that means for the future of dance music, but I'm glad that artists like Kieran are doing what they do.
I'm guessing you're one of the 3.5 million tone-deaf twats that watched the Avici video, right??
hahaha
only real niggas stan Avicii
What's with the Avicii hate???
The irony in this comment is your inability to recognise what made Avicii so special. The way you complain about people not appreciating/understanding Four Tet, you're doing the exact same thing with Avicii.
Kieran should do a Masterclass in Music Production.
i fkn wish!
That's one I would absolutely pay for, holy sh*t.
such passion in four tet's heart
You are amazing. Seriously, it's like i have found the best dude to piss off on the internet. You are right, i can't handle you, you are too much for me, you are too much for the internet, you are just too hot to handle and everyone needs to realize this and your opinions are so out there but right. I will take your advice and quit my job as a network engineer and try and get a proper job to overcome this huge ordeal that has mentally scarred me for life. Thanks. Much love, Jc.
I know I’ve come late to this but that was magic, so many ideas to take away... Both tracks are great, but Love Cry is a total banger, always been one of my favourites, great to see and hear how it was made. Thanks Kieran for sharing so much of your process and thanks FM for putting it out there.
I love the fact that he's not even sure what he sampled in a lot of it, Kieran is fantastic
When you start archiving sounds like this it gets very difficult to remember the origins of the sounds.. The lack of context helps make things objective.
You are falling for the charade. He knows exactly what he sampled but doesnt wanna credit or clear.@@Claidheambmor
that was amazing /// great words, great sounds, great mind, great dude.
"I have a compressor on that...I'm not sure why."
He’s nothing short of a genius :-)
Great insight into his process.
I love how this guy is not only a mad scientist but he looks like one too.
Thanks for this video guys
suchh inspiration!! got mad respect for him
The way that chopped synth interacts with the percussion is great. Similar principle to Dilla - Snapping Necks in Africa, sometimes sounds just fit in the same pocket and groove together as one part. Some of my favorite basslines do this with the kick and/or multiple bass sounds (And maybe some overtone-only sounds to layer), you can do it with noise with some plucky rhythmic chords, use the equivalent of guitar ghost notes etc., one of my favorite aspects of music.
The side chaining sounds killer
Too dope
Been into Four Tet for years but never did it click One Little Plane was his wife. Have an awesome album by this lady somewhere. Check her out
Legend! Thanks for sharing that info, I'm listening (and loving) it now
Simplicity at its finest.
THANK YOU
Four tet in the jungle🎉
where is Country riddim?
He's killing it...that's why
Still so humble - Respect
Brilliant producer, the man and his nerdness!
Genius.