Four Tet, London
A DJ, producer and enthusiast, Kieran Hebden’s reputation originally stemmed from the bucolic breaks that were called – as were those by Caribou – “folktronica”. But from a starting point in post-rock (there was a late 90s band, Fridge), his subsequent interest in jazz and techno have melded into some challenging third-stream works, such as his electronic free-jazz improvs with drummer Steve Reid. Throughout, an enduring quality in Hebden’s work as Four Tet has been a sense of scale. One of his first releases was a meandering 36-minute piece called Thirtysixtwentyfive, and the entrancing power of longform composition is dominant in his new album, Morning/Evening. The title reflects an interest in Indian raga (it makes entrancing use of work by the Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar) while channelling Terry Riley’s spiritual minimalism in a contemporary club vibe.
ICA, SW1, Tue
JR
John Edwards/Mark Sanders/John Wall, London
A trio worth heading out for on a Monday night, Edwards, Sanders and Wall promise heavy and serious improv to blast away the post-weekend blues. John Wall’s computer noise sounds sometimes like a pig being strangled, or the malfunctioning of the tiny hairs in your ears. Team it with Edwards’s physical bass playing, plus Mark Sanders’s percussive prowess and you’ve got a powerhouse of contemporary British improv. The three have been playing live together for six years, so know how the land lies. They’re supported by a computer/feedback set from Tom Mudd, and the crackling interference of Louie Rice & David Stearn.
Cafe Oto, E8, Mon
JLA
The Magic Flute, Edinburgh
The pickings may be slim for opera fans at Edinburgh, but there are still some tasty morsels and none more toothsome than Barrie Kosky’s production of Mozart’s Magic Flute. After his exceptional new production of Handel’s Saul at Glyndebourne last month, Kosky’s reputation is definitely on a high, and nearly everyone who has seen his Magic Flute elsewhere in Europe has been enchanted by it. It uses full-size animations, created by Paul Barritt, to weave a fantasy world straight out of silent cinema, full of references to Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and other stars of that era. For a work that is perennially problematic onstage, it should be
the perfect approach.
Festival Theatre, Thu to 30 Aug
AC
Reading & Leeds festivals
“Where the best memories are made” is the new slogan for the Reading & Leeds festivals. Presumably they rejected “Where burnt plastic wafts”, or “Where the goths eat baked potatoes”, but it has a ring of truth to it. Glastonbury may have the vibes and Green Man the scenery but Reading, which falls in the calendar directly after the A-level results are announced, has become a rite of passage. It’s an event for young people on the verge of becoming properly independent, and the collective enthusiasm for the programme of music more than makes up for the possibility of
being vomited on by someone about to commence three years of further education. This year (in which the event’s return to rock continues), Metallica bring the show, Mumford the cardies, while Kendrick Lamar and the re-formed Libertines (pictured) are around for the aesthetes.
Little John’s Farm, Reading; Bramham Park, Wetherby, Fri to 30 Aug
JR
Ratking, On tour
In the UK, the likes of Young Fathers win awards with their arty rap. In the US, Ratking – a hip-hop trio from New York – survive without much recognition and pretty much under the radar. Not that you imagine they would want anything else. For Sporting Life (beats), Hak (vocals) and Wiki (a physically and verbally hyperactive MC) underground is both aesthetic and philosophy. On their work so far they cultivate a disorientating sound from a number of non-mainstream forms, from techno to chillwave. They’ve collaborated with artists from King Krule to Skepta, and dropped whole albums, such as their latest 700 Fill (the title referencing a luxurious kind of goose down fleece) to the internet. That said, to old-school ears the sound will be pure New York. Raw, dexterous, and no bad thing at all. jr
Corsica Studios, SE17, Tue; The Deaf Institute, Manchester, Wed; Broadcast, Glasgow, Thu; touring to 30 Aug
JR
Huw Warren: Trio Brasil, Nottingham
Describing the music of composer-pianist Huw Warren, Echoes magazine smartly noted the Welshman’s assumption “that the keyboard is a virtual reality orchestra, creating a collage of sound that has more colour, body and texture than most real groups can summon up”. A resourcefulness on both piano and accordion allows Warren to be an ingeniously self-contained solo artist, a creative improv collaborator, and a song-sensitive accompanist to vocalists including the Neapolitan Maria Pia De Vito on Latin repertoires that take in Chico Buarque or Hermeto Pascoal. He can mingle mystery, mischievousness, romance, the lyrical expressiveness of folk music, and the sway of a Brazilian samba. The latter enthusiasm is the focus for this Trio Brasil gig, in which Warren is partnered by bassist Dudley Phillips and drummer Zoot Warren.
Bonington Theatre, Thu
JF
