Indio

Led by John Beltran with backing by Seth Taylor and Sam McQueen, Indio are a collaboration primarily grounded in melodic ambient techno but one that also encompasses live instrumentation, giving it a somewhat jazzy feel. Over the course of nine slow-moving songs that usually fall somewhere between the five- and ten-minute mark, the group unveils a hushed and whispery yet wonderfully intricate and crafted style of ambient techno-jazz that is downright enveloping, easing you into its gentle, mesmerizing aura, minute after minute, song after song. It's fitting, then, that the album concludes with its lushest and most fittingly titled piece, "Snowdrifts." It's an astonishing nine-and-a-half minutes of bliss that caps off the album with melancholy grandeur. Indio's self-titled debut for Detroit techno innovator Derrick May's on-again, off-again Transmat label is overall an excellent album that doesn't draw much attention toward itself yet nonetheless deserves notice, especially from those who follow Beltran's likewise modest yet noteworthy career. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide