Four Tet

"He's like a massive religion!" squeals one reveller, referring to 32-year-old Kieran Hebden aka Four Tet. This is not a description generally applied to the sight of a man bobbing up and down behind a laptop, where red, green and yellow lights make him look like a human traffic light. And yet, a Four Tet gig does have a similar reverie to a church. Heads and feet jerk back and forth as if people are undergoing a personal epiphany. Towards the rear of the feverish audience, one chap gets so caught up with the performance he kneels down and appears to be praying. What the unassuming Hebden makes of all this is anyone's guess, but his music is open to everybody. His mammoth catalogue dabbles in electronica, folk, hip-hop, jazz and modern classical, often at the same time. He recently revealed that he wasn't interested in listening to what are regarded as "classic albums", preferring to seek out music he'd never heard before, which perhaps explains why his mesmeric sonic collages sound like nothing else around. The set is mostly taken from latest album There Is Love in You, which has dance grooves reflecting his exploits as a DJ. Work with jazz drummer Steve Reid has taught him about rhythm and momentum, and tracks build to dizzying climaxes. The blend of cranium-crunching bass and beautiful, pastoral melodies are the sounds the rave generation dreamed about, before putting it down to the effects of too much E. Hebden's music is psychedelic without sounding particularly druggy, and inspires several couples in the crowd to get intimate on the dancefloor. It's a perturbing but perhaps natural response to beatific music that seems to fill both mind and body with waves of pure joy. At Concorde, Brighton tonight (01273 673 311). Then touring.