4v: Tracks That Shaped My Sound

With blown-out drums and a hazy late-night mood, Manchester’s 4v makes music for both the dancefloor and the lonely 5AM taxi ride home. Their debut single “when” is the first taste of a genre-blurring 2025 run, pulling from 1-800 GIRLS, Oklou, Elkka, and even John Carpenter to craft something both futuristic and deeply nostalgic.

The track sets the tone for ‘places that no longer exist’, a seven-track mini-album that drifts through sweaty parties, deserted streets, and memories just out of reach. As 4v put it: “Hopefully someone, somewhere will cry to this music in a club.” And honestly, they probably will.

John Carpenter - The Shape Hunts Allyson

The whole feel I found myself going for with ‘when’ was the sort of arpeggiated nighttime creepiness that John Carpenter always gets so right with his soundtracks and this is a great example. It’s actually from the more recent 2018 Halloween but sounds so much older, and thanks to needing to find youtube links for this I now know there is an extended version which is even better!

Projektbau  and Scarlett Scarlett - Forgive the Mess

Love the way this gives off such a sense of the night. It even feels weird playing it in daylight, like seeing a vampire on the bus. Really wanted get that same mood into ‘when’, and it’s so simple and short. Great.

Elkka - 'I Just Want To Love You'

Big fan of Elkka in general and remember listening to this as ‘when’ started to fall into place. It’s another track that has that nighttime thing going (there’s a theme here isn’t there) but is more melancholy and plaintive and longing which is another feel I was trying for, the idea of being sad on a dancefloor.

Baltra - Never Let Go (Of Me)

I don’t really understand Baltra as an artist and not really fan of all the slowed down/sped up versions of this but I’d always liked the blown out drums and the rolling evolving simplicity, proper moody and definitely an influence.

Mall Grab - Breathing

Can’t get enough of Mall Grab and his genre hopping, definitely something I enjoy while making my own music. “Breathing” is just another of those classic moody club/headphones tracks that takes it time with really just a few elements and uses them so effectively. Not everything needs a massive moment, it can be more subtle and this track is a great example of that and something I definitely aim for with some of my music. I also aim for big moments in some tracks, but aren’t all musicians fickle hypocrites?