I was not alive to witness the heyday of pirate radio. I actually live around 6,000 miles from the Anglo-urban locales where it has thrived over the previous two and a half decades. I have never been to an ‘ardkore rave or a jungle soundsystem event. I have never ridden a London nightbus and I have never been to FWD>>, nor have I been to Plastic People. Nevertheless, I feel a surprisingly close and romantic connection to the aforementioned events and, more importantly, sensations attached to said events. Through forums, books and articles; pirate radio archives, Youtube playlists and, more recently, Rinse.FM, I have managed to attain an odd sense of surrealist attachment to the breakbeat-based sounds of London and Bristol. I also know that I’m not alone in this. Countless Americans like myself have become (unsurprisingly) disgusted with out own fickle mainstream and have found solace in the populist nature of hardcore, or the rebellious anger inherent in jungle. And that’s why Four Tet’s “Kiss FM” hits so close to home. Obviously, it’s an incredibly immersive, forward thinking track, but it also gives a sense of, albeit falsified, intimacy to a scene that has had a lasting impact with regards to both fandom and lifestyle. It’s the same feeling I get while listening to Paul Woolford’s Special Request alias, or old Slimzee broadcasts. Next month, Digital Mystikz and Kahn will be performing in Los Angeles and I hope to attain that same feeling, regardless of its authenticity. Mr. Hebden’s next album, Beautiful Rewind, will be out “soon” on his own Text imprint