Four Tet All Nighter

The last time I spent a night at Brixton Academy the air was thick with smelly marijuana and fruity vapour. The fully engaged crowd swayed, bobbed and even lurched to the music, all focused on the man in the centre of the stage, walled in by a cube of screens and flashing lights.

A night bathed in white mediocrity

Last Friday (and almost half a year later), I returned to see a pitch-black stage lit only by a few lamps. This was Four Tet’s modern alternative to the last supper, bringing together some of London’s best DJ’s and electronic producers.

I expected one of the greatest nights of my life, verging on a religious experience. Instead, it was a night bathed in white mediocrity, devoid of any diversity or variation. The incessant bassy drops and uninspired samples quickly grew tiring. There were few moments where the crowd truly came alive, and most of these were whenFour Tet played some of his more high-profile reworks including his recent remix of Eric Prydz’s Opus.

To call the all-nighter disappointing would be an understatement; I left disillusioned not only with my love for Four Tet and his musical output, but the state of London’s electronic scene.