(Azuli/Stomp)

Normally I’m not much of a fan of mixed cds, nor particularly of the whole concept of ‘late night chill-out lounge’ tunes, but in this collection of Kieran Hebden’s (aka Four Tet) favourite tracks my worst expectations haven’t been realised by any stretch.  Rather than a collection of dullish contemporary pap, in Four Tet’s Late Night Tales one finds a smoothly transitioned collection of tracks that are rare and interesting.  It’s so smooth, in fact, that it kept pleasantly slipping by in its own cloud of purple haze and I had to keep checking which track I was up to in writing this review.

The collection encompasses 70s psychedelic and experimental sounds, hip hop, jazz, and ambient, with a whopping 20 tracks, it’s also quite good value…  Hebden has clearly spent some time in second hand record stores tracking down lost classics, and this collection has provided the basis for giving them a broader circulation.  Hip hop fans ought to enjoy this compilation, especially.

The compilation kicks off with a quiet flute/music box piece straight out of the experimental 1970s.  It is followed by a brilliant piece of hip hop in ‘Battle Rhymes for Battle Times’ by Koushik, one of the best tunes on the whole compilation and the first track to be released on Four Tet’s label.  The broken beat sensibility of Koushik continues in the drumming interlude that follows (from 1967), and in Manfred Mann’s ‘One Way Glass’ (1969).  What’s amazing about all this is the way that themes and sounds recur across four decades of music, indeed hopefully this collection will inspire listeners to broaden their horizons in putting together their own dj sets and in home listening.

After Manfred Mann we reach a rather jazzy interlude with Terry Riley’s ‘Music for the Gift’, an instance of sound manipulation/noise music from the early 1960s.  Some delicate 1970s ambient follows, paving the way nicely for ‘Why We Fight’ by Tortoise.  This is a track that showcases Tortoise at their hypnotic best, and its situation within this collection highlights the parallels with 1970s jazz and experimental sounds that Tortoise’s music draws.  ‘2 Cups of Blood’ by Gravediggaz is a bit of change of pace, with a darker sound and harder hip hop edge.

‘Earth’ by Joe Henderson, originally released in 1973, follows Gravediggaz and sits well next to the hip hop.  This tune will be a real find for many connoisseurs of break beats and is one of the stand-out moments on the collection.  ‘Parallelograms’ by Linda Perhacs is a personal favourite on mine, a folky moment amongst a more beat driven collection.  Four Tet’s own acoustic/cut-up version of the Hendrix tune ‘Castles Made of Sand’, while certainly in keeping with the psychedelic and experimental tone of the album, falls a bit flat.

1973’s ‘Valiha’ by Del Jef Gilson and Malagasy is another pre-hip hop break beat treasure, followed by some genuine hip hop in ‘Strange Ways’ by Madvillain.  The tracks that round off this 19 track collection include more psychedelic 1970s moments such as Tinkle by J Saunders and Griffo by Smoke.  Modern torch-bearers for the tweaked out 1970s such as Manitoba and Icarus are also in there.  We round out the collection with a special addition by David Shirley, a rather bizarre monologue that you just have to hear.

Several tracks from his upcoming album are going to feature on the next few Late Night Tales Compilations.  While one must always exercise caution with the chill out type compilations, this one stands out as something to be embraced wholeheartedly, as it is a fantastic collection.