It’s hard to keep up with the prolific Four Tet (aka Kieran Hebden) but before the Kieran Hebden/Steve Reid collaborations on Spirit Walk (Soul Jazz), The Exchange Sessions (Domino) or even ‘A Joy’, there was the Four Tet ‘Fable Of Gutemberg’ Remix on ‘A Tribute To Jef Gilson’ 12”. Anne recorded an unreleased album with Gilson in the 90s and this is one of the tracks featured on the b-side of that release.

Four Tet is a big fan of Frenchman Gilson (who recorded in the 60s and 70s with jazz greats: Art Taylor, Sahib Shihab and Jean Luc Ponty) and his Part 1 version of ‘Guerrière’ is similar in mood to that ‘Fable Of Gutemberg’ remix. Downtempo jazztronica-style but even more minimal if anything. The electronic synth squiggles never go over the top and it’s very relaxing; new age jazz breaks? No doubt this is due to the Reid influence. There’s a section on the 8 minutes which develops into just drums and Anne’s voice is cut into short snippets. He’s made her sound like she’s singing in Japanese rather than French.

As Osunlade (another Wirz admirer) told us recently (but in a totally different context), “in the
right hands, the French language is possibly the most erotic language in the world.” Discuss.

Anyway, on the Part 2 remix, Hebden keeps Anne’s original vocal but sets it to some synth noisiness, grade 1 recorder and kitchen sink percussion. It’s like something the Art Ensemble of Chicago might have done if they had been mixing up a French language Tunng. Now that’s classic to my ears and I prefer it to the Part 1 mix (even if the Part 1 mix is excellent).

The 12” is completed by the inclusion of the original of ‘Guerrière’, being just Anne Wirz and the harp of Isabelle Olivier. Now please don’t call me a hypocrite, but the difference between this and the duo of pianist Brad Mehldau and Opera soprano Renee Fleming could not be greater. I have no more idea of what Wirz is singing about in French than I did have about Fleming singing in English but I really like ‘Guerrière’. The Harp has a little bit of a Japanese garden about it while Ms. Wirz proves Osunlade is spot on. This is my favourite and it’s going in the next Hectic eclectic mix (appropriately with Ben Westbeech’s ‘Beauty’); permissions permitting of course.

And the cover follows the format of the first release, the mighty ‘Spirit Jazz’ EP (but this time it’s blue with a Unicorn) so again, no Hectic gripes there. I’ll have a little wager that Peterson will open one of his shows with one of these tracks in the near future.

I’m more than impressed with this latest release and all Four Tet’s fans will enjoy it also.

Hectic Mix nomination: Guerrière (Original)

Review:
Anne Wirz - Guerrière (Four Tet Remixes) (Heavenly Sweetness) Cat. No. HS 02 12” Release date: June 2006
Tracklisting:
A. Guerrière (Four Tet Remix Part 1) (7:55)
B1. Guerrière (Original) (5:45) Harp - Isabelle Olivier
B2. Guerrière (Four Tet Remix Part 2) (5:29)

Links:
www.myspace.com/annewirz
Heavenly Sweetness www.myspace.com/heavenly_sweetness
www.myspace.com/fourtetkieranhebden
Four Tet www.fourtet.net
The Record Room www.therecordroom.co.uk £7.00
Constitution vs. Guerrière