Summary: Tongues is the new record from Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid, and as you’d expect from two musicians so addicted to fresh sounds, it finds them speaking a whole new language after their earlier collaborations. The Exchange Sessions were documents of a specific moment, when Kieran and Steve had barely played together at all. The takes were long, loose and exploratory as the two musicians tested the waters and got to know each other. Tongues is more explosive. A series of shorter tracks, it’s an altogether more focused and even melodic blast. And it’s been influenced by the heavy round of touring the duo have undertaken since those first encounters. “We’ve been playing all kinds of mad different shows, from drum’n’bass nights in Italy to The Green Man Festival in Brecon,” explains Kieran, “so the crowds have been really unpredictable. You get old jazz heads coming out to see Steve and dance kids too.” So one thing that’s come through from all this touring is Tongues’ more concentrated style of improvisation, with explosive riffing from both Steve’s kit and Kieran’s multiple sampler set-up. Another is Steve’s pounding rhythmic pulse. His kick-drum anchors the sound no matter how wild things get, just as Elvin Jones’ hi-hat did for Coltrane’s classic quartet (Jones and Art Blakey are two of Steve’s particular drum heroes). It means that wherever the audiences are coming from, whether from jazz, drum’n’bass or even Detroit techno (Kieran and Steve have been interpreting the Derrick May classic ‘Strings of Life’ in concert this year), they’re going away happy. 2007 promises to be an even busier year for Kieran and Steve. Following an appearance on the Nigel Godrich-curated From The Basement series, the duo are in the midst of a 10-date UK tour, culminating in another show at London’s Koko, following up on the 2005 date played with Steve Reid’s full Ensemble which widely blew minds and burned the rubber off dancing feet. Remixes by Audion and James Holden will see the light of day in the form of two limited 12"s, but you'll get a sneak preview here of the former (see below). Steve Reid made his recording debut in 1964, aged 19, playing on Martha and the Vandellas‘ "Dancing in the Street." He went on to play with legendary figures in avant garde jazz such as Miles Davis, Archie Shepp, Sam Rivers and David Murray, but also in soul, such as James Brown, Dionne Warwick and Chaka Khan. In the late '60s, he spent three years in west Africa, where he studied African rhythms and played with Fela Kuti. Kieran Hebden developed Four Tet’s sample-based collage of jazz, folk and soul textures in downtime between recording with Fridge, the band he started with schoolfriends Adem Ilhan and Sam Jeffers. After Dialogue was released by Output, Kieran went on to produce Pause, Rounds and Everything Ecstatic for Domino. Tongues is in-stores today in Europe and tomorrow (March 20th) in North America.
