John Tejada

“Techno” as a label connotes dry and repetitive, doing injustice to a genre that when done right, often manages to convey emotion within stripped-down, bleeped-out genre conventions.

Case in point: John Tejada’s 11th artist album, Where, doesn’t lose sight of Tejada’s Detroit techno roots, but also represents a departure from the style’s strict conventions as a more layered, complex and moody offering than one would expect from, say, Derrick May or Kenny Larkin.

“The album came out of experimentation and staring fresh without knowingly making a new album,” said Tejada.

Once the pulsations of “Feel it,” the first track, hit your ears, you know that you’re in for more of a heady journey than a mish-mash collection of floor-fillers. Call it the Anti-Van Helden. Tejada shows both his versatility and subtlety as a producer in the moog work on the churner “Moogbits” and the hints of acid bass found in the melodic atmosphere of “Desire” or the sinister, tribal goodness of “Labyrinth.”

Of all the tracks, “Desire” has the most mainstream crossover appeal in the vein of his previous club hits “Sweat on the Walls” and “Voyager.” Like “Sweat,” “Desire” has some stellar female vocals, this time coming from LA-based Nicolette, a former collaborator with Massive Attack and Plaid. Anyone else smells remixes?

Where isn’t for casual listeners of electronic music looking for break-downs and summer anthems. But if a chill-out listen for you still needs to have some bass beneath it, or if you have an appreciation for tight production and techno with a soul, look no further.

—Chris Nelson
06.04.08

John Tejada's body of work has built up to such extensive levels that it's almost a bit shocking, not merely doggedly pursuing his electronic music as wider interest has refocused elsewhere, but continuing to warrant attention, if not always rapturous response, as he goes (in that respect his closest contemporary might be Richie Hawtin). The crisp punch of Where is on the one hand "just" another post-Detroit techno effort from Tejada with plenty of familiar touches -- even the distorted sample from 2001: A Space Odyssey on the opening "Feel It" comes across as a fully obvious nod -- yet at its best the album shines, as much an argument for the perfection and continuity of a musical approach as any album released years after a putative genre's heyday can be, no matter what the sound or style. "Turning Point," with its seemingly unending series of perfect hooks over a straightforward beat, almost feels like the greatest song early Orbital never wrote. The album's one vocal number, a collaboration with Nicolette called "Desire," showcases the singer's beautiful purr nicely, and a fuller collaboration between the two would be well warranted. Beyond that, Where is almost best appreciated as a flowing whole, Tejada's abilities readily showcased throughout as an example of prime skill at work. ~ Ned Raggett, Rovi