Four Tet
Kieran Hebden started in a school band called Fridge and became one of electronic music’s most trusted names: his albums, Text Records, Burial collaborations and Madison Square Garden.
- Four Tet is the London producer and DJ Kieran Hebden, who started out in the band Fridge.
- His albums run from Dialogue (1999) to Three (2024); since 2012 they come out on his own label, Text.
- In February 2023 he played a sold-out Madison Square Garden with Fred again.. and Skrillex.
Four Tet is the alias of Kieran Hebden, a London producer who began in a teenage band and ended up playing arenas as a DJ. Across a dozen albums, one habit stands out: he releases music on his own terms, and since 2012 on his own label.
Fridge and the first records
Hebden formed Fridge at Elliott School in Putney with Adem Ilhan and Sam Jeffers. The band signed when he was 15 and released Ceefax on Output Recordings in March 1997. He took the Four Tet name from 4 Tet, a 1971 album by Dutch jazz saxophonist Harry Verbeke. His first album under that name, Dialogue, came out on Output on 1 February 1999. Along the way he studied maths and computer science at the University of Manchester.
The Domino years
Domino released the next four albums: Pause (2001), Rounds (2003), Everything Ecstatic (2005) and There Is Love in You (2010), which reached No. 35 in the UK and No. 3 on the UK Dance chart. In parallel he recorded improvised albums with Steve Reid, starting with The Exchange Session Vol. 1 in 2006, and mixed Late Night Tales (2004), DJ-Kicks (2006) and FabricLive.59 (2011). Rounds gave him his first UK chart entry, at No. 60.
The relationship ended in court. In 2021 Hebden sued Domino over his 2001 contract, claiming a 50% share of streaming royalties from services outside the UK. That November, three of the albums were pulled from streaming services. In June 2022 he won, receiving £56,921.08 plus legal costs.
Text Records and the club records
From Pink in 2012, Hebden has put out his own albums on Text: Beautiful Rewind (2013), Morning/Evening (2015), New Energy (2017), Sixteen Oceans (2020), Parallel (2020) and Three (2024). New Energy and Three both topped the UK Dance albums chart, and Three was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 2025 Grammys.
He has kept working with others too. With Burial and Thom Yorke he released the split 12-inch “Ego”/“Mirror” in 2011 and “Her Revolution”/“His Rope” in 2020. He arranged Madlib’s 2021 album Sound Ancestors, and his remixes of “A Violent Noise” and “Easy Lover” earned Grammy nominations. At the 2025 Grammys he was also nominated for “Loved” and, as a producer, for “leavemealone”. In September 2024 he released “In My Dreams” with Ellie Goulding.
From NTS to Madison Square Garden
His DJ profile grew alongside the records. He has held NTS Radio residencies since 2014, including sets with Floating Points. In May 2019 he played two shows at London’s Alexandra Palace, his largest at the time. In February 2023 he joined Fred again.. and Skrillex for a five-hour set at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York.
For more producers who move between albums and the club, keep digging with Bonobo and Fred again...
FAQ
What is Four Tet’s real name?
Kieran Hebden. He took the name from 4 Tet, a 1971 album by Dutch jazz saxophonist Harry Verbeke.
What label does Four Tet release on?
His own label, Text Records, which has released his albums since Pink in 2012. His earlier albums came out on Output and Domino.
Did Four Tet win his case against Domino?
Yes. In June 2022 he won his claim over streaming royalties at the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court and received £56,921.08 plus legal costs.
Who did Four Tet play Madison Square Garden with?
Fred again.. and Skrillex. The three played a five-hour set at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in February 2023.
