CD REVIEW: John Tejada, Logic Memory Center
Plug Research
Released Nov 2004
$11.99 (Amazon)


Emerging from beneath the polished veneer of minimal house and techno, pop has been slowly bubbling to the surface of electronic dance music, as artists like Matthew Dear drop vocals over beds of complex microsamples, snaring a wider audience with their meatier hooks. On his 10th studio album, John Tejada strikes a balance between this formula and his trademark techy sound, honed over years of productions for scores of labels — and one high-profile remix for the Postal Service. "Strange Creatures" sets the alien, near-robotic cadence of vocalist Kimi Recor against thinly sliced samples that dash in and out of the soundfield; "Possessive Patterns" adds an assertive snare/kick to supple, off-kilter rhythms; and the album's most minimal cut, "Loose Change," demonstrates Tejada's compositional talent with a limited palette. (CJN)