Kieran Hebden devised his squarely dancefloor-aimed
Percussions alias in 2011 and debuted it that year with a track on Fabriclive 59, a DJ mix credited to
Four Tet, his primary outlet. From 2012 through 2014,
Hebden released a trio of
Percussions 12" singles on his TEXT label. They're thoroughly compiled here, in a digital download-only package priced to move that also contains five previously unreleased tracks. (
Hebden issued the full version of the Fabriclive track in late 2013 as part of a free odds 'n' sods download compilation.) The concision of "March 2013," "October 2011," and "November 2011" -- three of the new tracks -- is almost a fault, as each one brims with ideas that could seemingly mutate and develop over the lengths granted to the 12" highlights. No track sounds alike, though they tend to be as finely detailed as
Four Tet output, and virtually all the drums are scuffed to some degree.
Hebden was onto something with the first
Percussions single: "Bird Songs," instantly enticing and verging on rickety, like a missing selection from the first half of
Herbert's Letsallmakemistakes mix, while flipside "Rabbit Songs" sharply amalgamates a muffled bass drum with clap-clacking percussion and bleeps. Those aren't even the true standouts. The heady "Blatant Water Cannon,"
Syreeta-sampling "KHLHI," and swirling "Ascii Bot" alone provide more range and delights than most house albums. Not bad for a side gig. ~ Andy Kellman