True originators are thin on the ground but 4hero’s claim is more robust than most. As pioneers of jungle and drum n bass, they massively changed the face of 90s music and made a huge contribution to dance culture. Forging ahead with new beats and new techniques, the London duo have released a steady stream of precious moments and crafted a sound which is entirely their own.
Play with the Changes will be their first album for 6 years in a prolific career that has gained critical acclaim, a Mercury nomination, MOBO award and widespread respect from the music fraternity. It is 4hero’s duality of approach which makes them truly unique. Influenced by underground techno as much as Chicago soul, their music is a synthesis of past and future, artificial and organic, strange and familiar. Intertwining live and electronic sounds, 4hero create futuristic soul for real music heads.
 Tracklist: 01. Morning Child – feat. Carina Andersson 02. Take My Time – feat. Jack Davey 03. Look Inside – feat. FACE 04. Sink Or Swim – feat. Lady Alma 05. Give In – feat. Darien Brockington & Phonte (Little Brother) 06. Play With The Changes – feat. Talita Long & Larry Mizell 07. Something In the Way – feat. Bembe Segue & Kaidi Taitham 08. Stoke Up The Fire – feat. FACE 09. Awakening – feat. Ursula Rucker 10. Sophia 11. Superwoman(Where Were You When I Needed You?) – feat. Terry D 12. Why Don’t You Talk? 13. Bed Of Roses – feat. Jody Watley 14. Dedication To The Horse |
Play with the Changes is a richly textured and musically complex album. Fluttering, delicate beats mutate into orchestral excursions. Strings and live drums give way to abstract sounds and disjointed electronica. It features a role call of superior vocalists of the quality one has come to expect from 4hero, including Carina Andersson, whose contribution to ‘Les Fleur‘ made it a straight up masterpiece. Poetess extraordinaire and long-time cohort Ursula Rucker lends her lyrical wisdom and Grammy award winning legend Jody Watley makes a special appearance. Daughter of Cosmic Jazz Bembe Segue, Bugz in the Attic’s Kaidi Taitham, Phonte of Little Brother, Jack Davey (J*DaVeY) and Larry Mizell (who has written and produced for the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye and countless others) join a host of new evolving talent.
Suffused with a love of black music history (think Roy Ayers, Rotary Connection, Sun Ra, Minnie Riperton, Afrika Bambaataa), and technical innovation, 4hero’s unique brand of alchemy has given us genre-defining albums and breakthrough anthems which stand out as milestones in the history of dance music. After releasing early rave classic Mr Kirk’s Nightmare, they established Reinforced Records and unleashed Goldie onto the world, as well as material by Doc Scott, Photek Peshay and Grooverider.
Parallel Universe set a precedent for successive drum and bass long players and was labelled NME album of the year. Two Pages, their debut album for Talkin’ Loud in 1998, was one of the most anticipated albums of that year and was nominated for a Mercury music Prize and also won 4hero a MOBO award. 2001’s Creating Patterns explored more acoustic sounds and featured Jill Scott, soul-folk legend Terry Callier and 60’s psychedelic poet Mark Murphy. As well as working with some of the great voices of soul, they set new standards as remixers and their stunning reinterpretation of Black Gold of the Sun caused Louie Vega to label it "…one of the best remixes ever…".
Using various pseudonyms more recently Visioneers and DKD., and through their own labels, (Reinforced, Raw Canvas, 2000 Black, Omniverse and Twisted Funk) Marc and Dego continue to venture into hitherto unknown musical fields, create sounds that no-one else has imagined and work with diverse and talented musicians, poets and singers. Their pedigree is beyond dispute and their music has always has a much deeper significance than simply moving the crowd.
Release date: January 22nd 2007