Veteran DJ Gilles Peterson – who hung up his Radio 1 headphones for the last time this week – is clearly in a nostalgic mood.
Earlier this week, he posted up a vintage Four Tet mix from his Worldwide radio show, dating all the way back to 2003. The set offers a fascinating insight into how Kieran Hebden’s sensibilities have evolved over the last decade. Hebden’s recent-ish Plastic People residency saw him exploring the fringes of house, dubstep and techno; here, he’s in a much earthier mood.
Drum-fills, sax work, ‘Space Is The Place’ – it’s a sunny, enchanting set. As his DJ Kicks and LateNightTales compilations demonstrate, Hebden has a real knack for finding through-lines in historically/geographically diverse materials. His Worldwide set, by contrast, locks in to a distinct vibe, and does so with panache. The link was originally posted on Peterson’s Lost Tapes blog, where you can also sample Peterson’s first ever legal broadcast. On a more contemporary note, Four Tet is playing a free in-store this evening at Phonica Records.