John Tejada’s 14 years in production have amassed a formidable and lengthy back catalog of music steeped in technical precision; his attention to sound design and well known affinity for modular synthesizers and other hardware make him a producer’s producer. Tejada’s attempts to balance technical structuring with a rich musicality he inherited from his classical musician parents has have resulted in an identifiable sound that has informed his work under a number of guises and styles. Be it the funky turn on deep house that was “Timebomb,” the moody minimalism of “Mono On Mono” or the techno mutations with frequent partner Arian Leviste (to name just a few), Tejada has typically infused his material with melodic sensibilities that function on several levels.
Since its inception his Palette label has focused primarily on techno but over recent years has concentrated on the tracky form of the genre. Tejada’s own work has veered towards that same path at times, with several releases that bore more than a passing resemblance to new school minimal. But 2009 has seen a return to the form of old. This year’s earlier release by Tejada, “Fractals,” affirmed an interest in re-exploring overtly melodic themes with nods to early UK techno and even a jungle reference peaking its head through the techno rhythms. Tejada’s latest, “Vertex,” finds him reaching for a similar trajectory while also keeping the dance floor in his sights.
“Liquid Mirror” checks in with stylistic shiftiness, moving from tinderbox melodies and delayed 808 percussion to swirling techno arpeggio loops and meaty electro bass that give the track a welcoming depth. On “The Locus Of Points” Tejada goes for the jugular by taking a dark synth vamp and surrounding it with razor sharp drum sounds and programming to milk it for all its worth. And if you needed proof of Tejada’s passion for the technical aspects of his gear you only need look at “P.L.L.,” named for the phase locked loop process. He utilizes it here to create a series of shifting bleep patterns that serve as the track’s anchor alongside a sturdy kick and juiced hi-hats. But what starts out as an exercise in monochrome techno is buoyed by delayed synth stabs that cut the tension and lend warmth. The title track may be the only misstep. Its modulated synth loop runs throughout augmented by a two-note sub-bass rumble and an occasional pad, never amounting to much more than a Soundhack derivation. All in all, though, a solid release from Tejada that shows there’s still life in those machines of his.
