4hero - Parallel Universe - Present

Present

In 1995 NME voted 4hero's second album Parallel Universe the album of the year in its dance category. In 1997 one of their tracks, a remix of Nuyorican Soul's "Black Gold of the Sun", was released to critical acclaim with Louie Vega himself describing it as "...one of the best remixes ever...".

The next year, 4hero rose again to mainstream visibility with their third studio album as 4hero, Two Pages (1998). Released on Gilles Peterson's Talkin' Loud record label, the double CD blended jazzy double bass, flowing breakbeats and a brew of mysticism, spiritualism, astrology, U.F.O.s, and environmentalism. Luke Parkhouse provided the drums while Ursula Rucker, Carol Crosby and Face V. Walsh provided vocals alongside veteran singer Terry Callier and a few other special guests. The album gained critical acclaim and a place on the shortlist for 1998's Mercury Music Prize as well as picking up a MOBO award in the same year.

4hero's fourth album Creating Patterns (2001) featured another Ursula Rucker collaboration, an appearance from Jill Scott, and a cover of Minnie Riperton's classic 1970s song Les Fleur with Carina Andersson as the lead vocalist. The latter was featured in a Baileys commercial in 2004, Top Gear Series 4 episode 6 (also in 2004).

In 2004 the group released a compilation album consisting of two discs. The first disc contained 4hero Remixes, while the tracks on disc 2 are remixes of 4hero tracks by other artists. This was released on their new label Raw Canvas. In 2006, 4hero was featured on the track, "Bed of Roses" by Jody Watley, on her album, The Makeover.

Six years after the release of Creating Patterns, Play with the Changes was released in February 2007 to critical acclaim. Mixmag described it as "their finest album to date" and awarded it the title of Album of the Month in its January 2007 issue.