In case you missed it: Madlib and Four Tet merge creative sensibilities on ‘Sound Ancestors’ – Dancing Astronaut In case you missed it: Madlib and Four Tet merge sensibilities on ‘Sound Ancestors’
by: Rachel Narozniak
Feb 1, 2021
Listening to Madlib and Four Tet‘s hotly anticipated joint LP, Sound Ancestors, should be at the tiptop of your Monday morning agenda. Why? If only for the element of the unexpected, but that, admittedly, would be a bit reductive. Let’s dig into that, though. Put simply, Sound Ancestors represents the collision of two worlds: rap, in the form of Madlib, and enigmatic electronic a la Four Tet. Though many might not have expected the two dons of their respective genres to brush with each other on a full-fledged LP, the 16-cut effort has already qualified for inclusion on some listeners’ top albums of 2021 lists, paying early dividends.
The Sound Ancestors rollout commenced in mid-December of 2020 with “Road Of The Lonely Ones.” At the time, Four Tet—responsible for Sound Ancestors‘ arrangement and sample choices—spoke to the painstaking making of the project, which remained a work in progress for no short span:
“I was sent hundreds of pieces of music over a couple of years’ stretch and during that time, I put together this album with all the parts that fitted with my vision.”
“Hopprock” came later in January 2021, but at this point, the story practically writes itself, and we all know the ending: the album hits streaming platforms with the pomp and circumstance to be expected of a linkup involving a rap figurehead and one of electronic’s most discerning beatsmiths.
Featured image: Ellie Pritts
Categories: Music