Table of Contents
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Do not index
2020 In Review
This is an opportunity that we regularly take to share everything that’s happened with Four on Four over the past year and what’s coming up in the new one.
2020 was a difficult year for everyone. With the pandemic forcing us indoors and introducing new norms like social distancing and stay-at-home orders, our lives changed dramatically. While staying safe was the priority, the shift also meant fewer opportunities for live music and creative inspiration. Music venues were shut down, events canceled, and the energy that fuels new sounds was hard to come by.
Despite the challenges, significant work was done behind the scenes on the Four on Four Music Portal to improve usability and functionality in preparation for future plans. The portal saw a number of enhancements, including:
- Role-based access controls (v4.12) to manage feature access by user type
- Revision history and page view tracking (v4.13)
- A new CSS theming framework (v4.14) that replaced dependencies on Bootstrap styling
- Sub-menus to streamline the growing site navigation
- Visual upgrades to news posts with contextual icons for bands, albums, and labels
- Rebuilt news categories with filter functionality
- A redesigned post editor with additional controls and a preview panel
- A new system for tracking ‘listens’ on music tracks—laying the groundwork for future site charts
On the music front, output was understandably lighter than usual. DJ Alexander added new tracks to the Four on Four library, pushing the site closer to the 5,000-track milestone. Two mixes were released: a new EDM mix and Are You Still There?, his first-ever trance mix. A teaser for Radio Edition #41 was also shared, with more to come.
Looking Ahead to 2021
2021 brings renewed focus and energy, starting with the revival of Logical Progression, a classic concept that will return under its own banner. Logical Progression will focus specifically on progressive house and progressive trance—offering a different sound experience than the future house and EDM style of Four on Four. The plan includes releasing new mixes under the LP label, along with remasters of earlier content recorded under the same name. A new LP logo is in the works, and listeners will soon be able to filter for LP content directly on the site.
We also plan to release at least one new Radio Edition or mix each month, bringing more frequent and diverse content to the community.
On the technical side, we’re excited to roll out charts that reflect listener behavior—leveraging the new track listens feature to surface the most played albums, artists, labels, and individual tracks. A potential new feature, the “mix bot,” is also in development. This tool would intelligently recommend draft tracklists from the Four on Four inventory, offering a starting point for future DJ sets.
You’ll also see more regular updates to the site. New content will be tagged with its publication month, ensuring that everything remains fresh—from essentials and featured mixes to curated collections.
Behind the scenes, foundational upgrades are also underway. We’re building a test framework to support structured regression testing, aimed at minimizing bugs introduced with each portal release. Additionally, version control using Git is being implemented to safeguard working code and streamline future development.
To kick off the new year, we’re introducing a refreshed logo, giving Four on Four a clean and updated look that reflects where the platform is heading.
In Conclusion
As always, a big thank you from DJ Alexander and the entire Four on Four team. Stay safe, wear your mask, and keep looking out for one another.
— The Four on Four Team
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