4e

NYC-based experimental electro producer Can Oral began as an original artist on the Structure label-group, issuing dozens of recordings through Koln imprints including DJ Ungle Fever, XXC3, Eat Raw, and Pharma. Behind an assortment of aliases—chiefly 4E and Khan, alongside Bizz O.D., Gizz T.V., El Turco Loco, and Fuzz DJ—he ranks among the few European producers who relocated to the United States to revive a stagnant underground scene. His enduring projects encompass NY’s Temple Records, the shop he launched beneath Manhattan’s Liquid Sky Clothing, plus the Temple and Liquid Sky labels themselves. As the brother of Air Liquide’s Can Oral, he joined Mike Ink, J. Berger, and Biochip C’s Martin Damm in shaping early Structure imprints such as Blue and DJ Ungle Fever, hubs of the German acid/techno explosion amid the experimental acid and techno peak of the 1990s. After settling in New York he adopted the 4E moniker—derived from the address of his initial apartment, which also served as his studio—and has since issued numerous EPs and albums under both 4E and Khan, notably via Force Inc./Mille Plateaux and his own rapidly growing Liquid Sky, Home Entertainment, and Temple catalogs. His style aligns most closely with experimental hip-hop and electro, merging gritty 303 chirps and sleek electronic textures with propulsive mid-tempo breaks built from recognizable drum sounds and patterns. The 1996 debut on Liquid Sky’s sister label Home Entertainment, Blue Note, delivers ambient electro reminiscent of B12, Jonah Sharp, and Autechre/Gescom, devoid of the harsher tones that marked his prior, more club-oriented material. He runs and performs at the weekly Killer club and has collaborated with noted experimental/ambient composer Tetsu Inoue.